Cast Iron Skillet Pizza

Deep Dish Cast Iron Skillet Pizza will be the star of your next pizza night! It’s crisp on the bottom with plenty of room for toppings.

Crisp on the bottom. Soft, chewy edges. Room for lots of toppings. This deep dish Cast Iron Skillet Pizza is pizza perfection!

I like using a ball of pre-made pizza dough for this recipe. Because when it’s pizza night (Friday night at my house), we’re not trying to pull out all the stops, but we DO want good pizza.

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Ingredients

• Fresh pizza dough can be found at Trader Joe’s, your local grocery store, or a local pizzeria. I keep balls of it in the freezer. It defrosts nicely in the refrigerator overnight or over an afternoon on the countertop. Wait until it’s room temperature so it’s easy to roll out.
• Cornmeal and olive oil keeps the pizza from sticking to the cast iron pan (and makes the crust crispy!).
• Marinara is perfect for the sauce. You can make your own or use store-bought.
• Mozzarella cheese is classic for a deep dish pizza.
• Use your favorite toppings, such as Italian sausage, pepperoni, green peppers, mushrooms, ham, onion—anything you like!

How to make Cast Iron Skillet Pizza

Heat a cast iron skillet on the stovetop over medium heat, and add olive oil, cornmeal, and sea salt. The cornmeal helps the pizza release easily from the pan.

Why salt? I think almost all pizza dough is a little bland. The salt on the bottom of the crust hits your tongue first and makes the crisp crust even more delicious.

Then roll out the pizza dough and place it in the cast iron pan. It might not go all the way up the edges, and that’s ok. Just coax the sides up a little bit so it creates a well for the toppings.

Continue cooking the dough over medium heat until it begins to bubble.

Topping the pizza

Add the sauce and toppings (I choose cooked and crumbled Italian sausage). I like a good solid layer of sausage on the pizza just like Chicago style pizza places do.

Then add the cheese and bake in the oven until the cheese is golden and bubbly.

Top the pizza with fresh basil torn into pieces, and serve immediately! Thanks to the cornmeal, the pizza will slide right out of the cast iron pan.

How can I get pizza crust to roll out easier?

If you’re having difficulty rolling out pizza crust, allow the dough to rest at room temperature for another 20 minutes before trying again. Often, the combination of cold dough and tight gluten strands from working the dough make it difficult to roll out. Resting the dough and bringing it to room temperature should remedy the issue.

What to serve with cast iron skillet pizza

Salad is a classic accompaniment for pizza, and this Church Lady Salad is one of my favorites. It has a sweet poppyseed dressing that really makes the salad!

Here are a few more salad ideas:

• Marinated Vegetable Salad
• Italian Chopped Salad
• Fennel and Orange Salad

If you love this Cast Iron Skillet Pizza recipe, don’t miss these Easy Pepperoni Rolls, which are also made with fresh pizza dough!

📖 Recipe

Cast Iron Skillet Pizza (with Trader Joe’s Dough)

Published by Kate

This deep dish style pizza is started on the stovetop and finished in the oven. Be sure to layer on the toppings so it’s nice and thick!

4.95 from 17 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main dish

Cuisine Italian

Servings 6 slices

Calories 320 kcal

Ingredients

  

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• 1 lb fresh pizza dough, at room temperature (I used Trader Joe’s)
• 1 tablespoon cornmeal
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ cup marinara sauce
• 1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• ½ lb raw Italian sausage (I used hot Italian sausage)
• To serve: fresh basil

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 400°F. 
• Place the Italian sausage in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally to break up the clumps, until the sausage in lightly browned and cooked through, about 4–5 minutes. 
• Roll out the pizza dough to roughly a 12-inch circle. It doesn’t have to be exact. 
• Heat a 9-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and swirl it around the pan. Sprinkle in the cornmeal and a pinch of salt. 
• Carefully place the pizza dough in the hot skillet. Let cook over medium heat until the dough begins to bubble up. Cook for an additional 3 minutes. 
• Spread the marinara in an even layer over the dough. Sprinkle the Italian sausage over the marinara, and top with the shredded cheese. 
• Use an oven mitt to transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake for 18–20 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and bubbly. Let cool for 5 minutes before sliding out onto a cutting board. Cut with a sharp knife and serve immediately.

Notes

This is the cast iron skillet that I recommend. It comes pre-seasoned and ready to use.

If you have a cast iron skillet that’s bigger than 9 inches, it will still work. The crust will be thinner and you may need to reduce the cooking time.

To reheat, preheat oven to 400°F. Place slices of pizza back in the cast iron skillet. Put the skillet in the preheated oven and bake for 6–8 minutes, or until the pizza is heated through.

My favorite pizza topping combinations:

• Pepperoni + Italian sausage
• Sausage, mushrooms, green pepper, and onions
• Spinach, mushrooms, and sliced tomatoes
• Spinach, broccoli, and garlic
• Feta, pesto, and chopped tomatoes (skip the marinara)

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 320kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 15gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 730mgFiber: 3gSugar: 2g

Keyword cast iron skillet pizza, homemade pizza

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