Pizza is one of the great unifiers of American culture. East to West and North to South, you can find a pizza spot in every zip code that is within driving distance to your place of residence. Some may fold, some may use utensils, and others may drown it in Papa John’s butter sauce, but it’s rare to find any individual in the contiguous 48 who won’t share a slice.

This particular combination of dough, pizza sauce, cheese, and toppings relies on a surprising match – using a hot grill with an upside down skillet to bake the crust. This method gets a crisp crust, is full of flavor with every bite, and is good for any night of the week. Here is one pie you don’t need to wait until Thanksgiving to make.

At Cast Iron Soul, we like to prepare you to be a unifying force for good in your own neighborhood and break down the divide. So go out and bridge some differences with this Upside Down Skillet Pizza recipe, and bring folks together over the joy of a shared common humanity and some melted cheese.

Did that go too far? I’ll let you be the judge. Let’s get supper on the table.

Grocery List	Recipe Quantity (1 Pizza; 2-3 People)*
1 Ball of Pizza Dough	1 Ball, Rolled Flat
1 Green Pepper	Diced Pepper
1 Red Pepper	Diced Pepper
1 Bag of Pizza Blend Shredded Cheese	2 Cups of Cheese
1 Pack of Sliced Pepperoni	1 Cup of Pepperoni
1 Head of Broccoli	1 Cup of Sliced Pieces
1 Bag of All Purpose Flour	1/3 Cup of Flour
1 Pack of Italian Sausage	1 Cup of Diced Sausage
1 Container of Pizza Sauce	1-2 Cups of Pizza Sauce
6 Pack of Beer	1-2 Beers

COMMANDMENTS

CAST IRON COMMANDMENTS  https://castironsoul.com/cast-iron-cooking-ethos/

Commandment #3 -Be adaptable – stovetop, oven, grill, or open flame.

Commandment #15 – Share recipes with friends that they may not find themselves

Commandment #25 – Cooking is not chemistry. Use ingredient amounts, but don’t be afraid to add more or less if needed.

Cookware: 10.5 Cast Iron Skillet 

Y’all, I trust this skillet more than I trust my car. If the house were burning down, I would grab all my loved ones, then the wedding photos, and then come back and find this skillet and then my class ring. I can’t exaggerate how often I use this, how many different types of dishes I make with it, how it’s seen me through the lows and the highs of adulthood. I’ve been cooking with this skillet since before my kid was born and she’s got a miniature version of her own. I trust people more when I know they have a cast iron skillet.

This skillet won’t cook everything for you (soups, chilis, etc), but it will open the door to all of your cooking possibilities. Just get one and embrace the cast iron way of life.

HOLD MY BEER – PREPARATION

Remove the dough from the fridge and packaging at least 30 mins prior to starting. This will give it time to acclimate to room temperature.

Dice half of each pepper and set aside on a tray.

Dice 1 cup of the Italian Sausage and set aside on the tray.

Dice 1 cup of the broccoli and set aside on the tray.

LIGHT THIS CANDLE- START COOKIN’

Start the grill and set the temperature at 400 degrees. Flip the skillet upside down and place on the grill. Close the grill lid to help heat quickly.

The key to crisp bread is having a hot cooking surface ready for when the dough makes contact. It is the initial heat transfer that determines how strong the end result will be.

While grill is heating up, begin to prepare the crust. On a floured work surface, begin to roll and stretch the dough* into a 12″ circular shape. The overall thickness be about 1/4″ when completed. The photo below was taken halfway through as an indicator of how the process looks.

*The above is a video I wish I would have watched prior to starting. I’m not great at working with dough, but this seems helpful!

Once the grill gets to temperature, remove the skillet from the grill. Place the dough on top of the upside down skillet with margin on each side to form a “bowl” shape. Place the skillet and dough on the grill and cook for 7-9 minutes or until the bread begins to brown.

Remove the skillet from the stove and separate the dough from the skillet using a spatula or small knife. You should have a dough “bowl” similar to a pie crust appearance.

Infill the dough with pizza sauce filling. Use between 1-2 cups depending on your preference for taste. Be sure to ensure there are no “thin spots” where you can see the dough poking through visually.

Spread NO LESS than 1 cup of shredded cheese as a bottom layer. The cheese acts as the glue for the rest of the ingredients to bind to. Place more cheese in if needed

Infill the pizza with the remaining ingredients – disburse and spread to your own taste. If you prefer more vegetables or more meat, do whichever you prefer.

Sprinkle another layer of shredded cheese on top to help bind everything together.

Set the entire pizza within the skillet and set back on the grill. Close the lid and cook for 5-7 minutes or until cheese is thoroughly melted.

Time to crack open that first beer.

Remove the skillet from the grill. Turn the grill off and let cool prior to cleaning.

Remove the pizza from the skillet. It should come free as one unified piece.

Let your pizza cool for 2-3 minutes and then cut into slices.

Upside Down Skillet Pizza

Serves 2-4 Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes

1. Remove the dough from the fridge and packaging at least 30 mins prior to starting.
2. Dice half of each pepper, 1 cup of Italian sausage, and 1 cup of broccoli and set aside on a tray.
3. Prepare the crust. On a floured work surface, begin to roll and stretch the dough* into a 12″ circular shape at 1/4″ thick.
4. Once the grill gets to temperature, remove the skillet from the grill.
5. Place the dough on top of the upside down skillet. Place the skillet and dough back on the grill with a closed lid for 7-9 minutes or until the bread begins to brown.
6. Remove the skillet from the stove and separate the dough bowl from the skillet.
7. Infill the dough with 1-2 cups of the pizza sauce filling.
8. Spread NO LESS than 1 cup of shredded cheese as a bottom layer. Infill with the remaining ingredients to your preference. Sprinkle another layer of shredded cheese on top
9. Set the entire pizza within the skillet and set back on the grill. Close the lid and cook for 5-7 minutes or until cheese is thoroughly melted.
10. Crack open that first beer.
11. Remove the skillet from the grill and turn the grill off.
12. Let your pizza cool for 2-3 minutes and then cut into slices.