The other day I suggested to Mrs. CB that it was pizza night and if she was willing I’d like to try another version—one that she’s only had one other time. And she bit at the bait I dangled. She’s always up for pizza, so I suggested Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza.
I’ve had this delicacy a few times—especially when I lived in the Midwest. It’s decidedly “un-Italian” and it’s 100% Chicago where it was born and perfected. The crust is thick, chewy and crusty. There’s a bunch of meat and a bunch of cheese—arguably more than on a more traditional “pie”. And, truth be told, it’s probably a bit easier for a home cook to make. At least I think so.
Plus, it helps that I have a nice, big cast iron skillet that gets good and hot in the oven.
Most recipes for this treat call for lots of meat and not much in the way of vegetables. We really like fresh vegetables on our pizza so I went ahead and added them in the top layer. That way we can be a bit smug and at least claim that Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza is healthy. But who cares? Make it a carnivores delight if you want. Or make it a vegetarian fest without any meat at all. It’s your pizza!
So here’s how I did it:
Recipe: Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza
Summary: Here’s a take on pizza that’s pure Chicago–Deep Dish Pizza. It’s easy, inexpensive and totally delicious.
Ingredients
- ¾ lb sweet or hot link Italian sausage, sliced into thin rounds
- 2 tbsp softened butter or margarine
- 1 lb fresh pizza dough, at room temperature
- 10 ounces mozzarella, thinly sliced or shredded
- 1 cup your favorite marinara sauce or 1 1/2 cups crushed and strained tomatoes
- 2 cups fresh chopped vegetables (optional)
- 1-2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Cook the sausage rounds until they turn brown on each side, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Grease the inside of a 12-inch cast-iron skillet with the butter. Place the pizza dough in the center and spread evenly towards the bottom edge and 1 1/2 inches up the sides.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- The order of layers is very important to achieving a crisp bottom crust. Begin with the sausage. Evenly lay the sausage on the dough, followed by
the mozzarella and marinara (I used 1 ½ cups of tomato sauce). - Sprinkle the garlic and oregano on top.
- Finish with the Parmesan and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil.
- Place the skillet pizza on the middle rack of the oven and cook until the edge of the crust is golden brown and crusty, 30 to 35 minutes.
- Remove and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Preparation time: 15 minute(s)
Cooking time: 30 minute(s)
Cheap Bastid Note: When I first posted this, I forgot to include the recipe for the pizza dough (Oops! My bad!) Here’s a link to that recipe: http://www.cheap-bastid-cooks.com/homemade-pizza/
This is actually easier to make than a “regular pizza”—especially working with the dough. You just plop the dough ball into the middle of the pan and smoosh it out so that it goes about an inch and a half up the sides. It takes about 2 minutes. Oh, and by the way, I found that it helped to liberally flour my hands and then to slap both sides of the ball of dough with the flour. It made it easier to work.
This was really tasty too. It was meatier than I usually make pizza—and I suggested ¾ lb in the recipe which is more than I actually used but I think there should be pretty much a solid layer of sausage on the bottom. Plus I like the look and taste of the fresh vegetables which I put on top of the sauce and then added the parmesan.
This will get made again! It now gives me 4 options on pizza—regular pizza, calzone, Stromboli and Chicago-style deep dish. They all use the same dough and they each have their own personality. It all depends on the mood we’re in that day, I guess.
The Cheap Bastid Test: The dough costs about $.50, the vegetables cost about $1. I used $.50 of tomato sauce. The Italian sausage cost $2.25 (it was on special for $2.99/lb) and the cheese cost about $1.75 (OK, I use Costco shredded mozzarella and dollar store parmesan). The total comes to $6. That’s a little more than I usually spend making pizza but it’s about 1/3 what it costs at a “real” Chicago style pizza joint. That makes it a real value. It feeds 2 for dinner with left overs for lunch the next day (or a late night snack).
Bastid, that looks fantastic! I hope to try it with my own kind of dough someday and report back. Unfortunately, my wife hates fennel and can’t abide Italian Sausage; she loves bacon on a pizza, but bacon has a stronger flavor so you can’t use as much as sausage so I’ll be scrambling for a solid layer of meat. Maybe a mix of bacon and ground beef/pork/turkey?
Also I might have to buy a second cast iron skillet, because I also have three boys to feed…
How about a mix of ground beef and pepperoni? That would give you the “meatiness” and that bit of Italian flavor. And this is easier to make than a regular pizza. You don’t have to mess with the dough as much. Thanks.
That looks really good. I’ve never been a fan of Chicago pizza, but if I think of it more as a casserole, I think this would be a great dinner.
Well Rae, if you add the fresh veggies (about 2 cups of bell pepper, red onion and zucchini) you can easily convince yourself that this is healthier and more like a casserole. Besides, we actually like it better with the vegetables.
walter… I have asked Santa for you to come and cook for me hahaha
Linda, just tell Santa to stop in SoCal first and then to shove my old fanny into one of his bags before heading up your way.