Friday- Deep Dish Pizza

Adapted from California Kate’s adaptation of Windy City Pie from Clean Eating

Personal Note: I’ll be honest, never eaten a deep dish pizza. So needless to say, uneasy was again the feeling of the day. Sure, I knew how to dominate a homemade pizza, but one cooked in a spring form pan? So I cracked my knuckles, said a little prayer, spilled water all over my iPhone (not my usual pre-dinner ritual) and began. Yeah, about that last part, really threw my off. I had things on the stove, pizza dough in a bowl and I was preoccupied using towel after towel trying to lap up water. Now I kind of know why they named it the Windy City Pie, because my thoughts were definitely in a tornado!

P.S.- my iPhone is ok, after a night in a bag of rice (Thanks Monni and Jim for the info!)

Plan of Attack:

1. Prep pizza dough (optional)

2. Saute veggies/ sausage

3. Create pizza

4. Bake

Ingredients for 8 slices:

2 links lean sausage, casings removed and torn into pieces

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, sliced

1 green bell pepper cut into strips

1 red bell pepper cut into strips

1 ½ C button mushrooms, sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

1 pizza crust (bought or homemade)

6 oz fresh mozzarella

1 C marinara sauce

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet to medium-high heat. Add olive oil and onion; sauté 2 minutes
3. Add bell peppers and mushrooms; sauté another 3 minutes
4. Season with a little salt and pepper; set aside in a large bowl
5. In the same pan over medium-high heat, add the sausage and cook about 4 minutes. Drain the excess fat into a papertowel lined bowl, pressing on the sausage. Then add the sausage to the aside veggie bowl and mix well
6. Roll out pizza dough into a 12” circle. Then oil a 9” springform pan (or other 9” round pan), place the dough into the pan pressing it firmly into the bottom and up the sides. If some dough remains above the pan, just fan it out on the sides
7. Place ½ of the mozzarella on the bottom of the of the crust
8. Top with veggie/sausage mixture
9. Top evenly with marinara sauce
10. Finally finish with rest of mozzarella then fold the remaining dough over the top of the pizza (mine kind of looked like a pizza puff)
11. Bake 20-25 minutes. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before cutting into, and for Heaven’s sakes DON’T REMOVE THE SIDES OF THE SPRINGFORM PAN. (I did, and it leaked…a LOT)
12. Enjoy!