Does anything beat homemade pizza? I’m a huge fan of taking cheat day favorites and making them just a little bit healthier by controlling the ingredients I use in my own kitchen, and this cast iron skillet pizza is the perfect way to do that! You can use homemade or pre-made dough, tomato sauce, your favorite cheese (mozzarella for me), and toppings of your choice – I went with sausage for some flavor and protein and fresh basil. So delicious and the cast iron really gives the crust a pan pizza-like texture! What are your favorite pizza toppings?
Skillet Sausage and Basil Pizza
Equipment
- 12" cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 1 lb pre-made pizza dough, room temp
- 1/2 lb mild Italian sausage, without casings
- 3/4 cup freshly-grated low-moisture mozzarella I recommend not using pre-shredded, as these are usually coated with potato starch to prevent sticking, which prevents the cheese from melting together very well
- 1/3 cup marinara sauce
- 5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- fresh basil
- kosher salt
- cornmeal (a few pinches, just to help the dough from sticking)
Instructions
- Place your oven rack in the top spot in the oven and preheat to 475°F. Lightly oil your hands and work surface with some extra olive oil, and place your dough on the oiled counter. Drizzle 1 tbsp of oil over top and gently run your hands around it to coat it all over. Carefully stretch the dough out in a 12" circle ( for a 12" cast iron skillet) and cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest.
- Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in your skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is just beginning to smoke, add your sausage. Cook until cooked through (~6-7 minutes) and browning, breaking it up into small pieces with your spatula. Remove from the skillet and set aside in a small bowl. Scrape up any stuck or burnt bits of sausage before continuing.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and generously sprinkle the skillet with cornmeal. Carefully place the dough into the pan, using the back of a spoon to help push the dough to the edges of the skillet. Add the marinara, spreading to the edges with a spoon, and season with a sprinkle of salt. Add the shredded cheese and sausage, and drizzle with 2 tbsp of olive oil.
- Using a spatula, try to lift up the edge of the dough just a bit to see if it's gotten any browning underneath from the hot skillet. If not, set the skillet over medium-low heat for just a few minutes, until the bottom of the crust is starting to turn crisp and golden.
- Once ready, bake the pizza for 10-15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbling and browning in a few spots. Remove from the oven and allow to rest in the pan for 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil and another sprinkle of salt, followed by a last drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately.
- Enjoy!
