Aaron’s Deep Dish Pizza
Aaron’s Deep Dish Pizza is the solution for deep dish pizza lovers who don’t live in Chicago. Years of trial have produced this pizza goodness.
My husband is a pizza lover. He would eat it every day if he had his way. Don’t try giving him a fancy artisan pizza. Don’t add any chicken. Don’t even try to put a tasty arugula blend on top. Fruit is a huge no – but who can blame him on that one?
He wants a real American style pizza – traditional meats, seasoned tomato-base sauce, and lots of mozzarella. Maybe a few veggies if he’s feeling particularly adventurous.
But his favorite type of pizza hands down is Chicago style. You know the kind. Deep dish, sauce on top, stuffed with all the tasty things in the middle.
The problem? We don’t live in Chicago. Or anywhere near. So the only logical option – make our own!
Not so fast, my friend. This has not been an easy feat. We’ve been on a quest for several years to perfect this craft. We have tried several crust recipes, different cheeses, varied cooking times and temps, and on and on.
But have no fear, my husband’s persistence and unrelenting pursuit of his dreams has prevailed. He has mastered the homemade deep dish pizza. (Hold your applause until the end, please.)
No, seriously. I actually prefer his recipe to the local Chicago-style pizza places we have. No joke!
Although it takes some time, it’s really not too difficult to make yourself. You start with a good crust recipe. We found this one from Food Republic, and tweaked it just a bit. Bonus: it makes enough for our deep dish and a small thin crust for our girls.
We add sausage, pepperoni, and sometimes mushrooms to ours. And here’s a trick we think makes a world of difference – use sliced mozzarella instead of shredded. Getting that thick, melty bite of cheese is a game changer.
I press the crust into a buttered cast iron (because cast iron skillets!!!), and then Aaron assembles the pizza. He layers the meats and slices of cheese, and then he pours an entire jar of pizza sauce over the top. He generously sprinkles it with grated Parmesan, and slides it into the hot oven.
An hour later – after you suffer through the agony of smelling it baking away while you have to just wait – you can enjoy a piping hot, mouth-wateringly delicious piece of pizza heaven.
Oh. My. Goodness. It’s so good!
Aaron’s Deep Dish Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 pizza crust
- 1/2 – 3/4 lb ground Italian sausage, browned
- 3 oz pepperoni
- 1/2 lb mozzarella cheese, sliced
- 3-4 oz sliced mushrooms
- 1 jar pizza sauce (14 oz)
- Grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Press pizza crust into buttered cast iron skillet. Layer ingredients in order: sausage, mushrooms, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese.
- Pour and spread pizza sauce over the layers of ingredients. Generously sprinkle parmesan cheese over sauce.
- Bake at 350F for one hour or until hot in the center and bubbly around the edges. Wait 10-15 minutes before serving.
