March 26, 2021
Reflection: Traditions can be born out of anywhere!
Today, I’m grateful for: pizza night
Challenge: Try a new recipe this week!
It’s pizza night! And tonight, we made deep dish! 🤩 I’ve slowly been perfecting a recipe over the last year or so. Our first attempt at deep dish was actually last Easter. As all-things-pandemic were just starting to heat up, we traded our traditional family gathering for a small celebration with our little family of 3, and started a new family tradition of celebrating with deep dish pizza.
A basic crust comes to life in a cast iron pan, complete with a yummy filling and just the right amount of ooey-gooey cheese. This dish has been a crowd-of-three-pleaser since it’s inception last Easter, and I’m a “don’t fix it if it ain’t broken” kinda-gal, so here’s the deets:
Start with a basic crust mix and mix according to the instructions. The one we used tonight simply requires a half cup of hot water. Easy enough!
Next, make your filling. I’ve started with everything from ground beef, to Italian sausage, to pepperoni and even a blend of all three! I always throw in a fair amount of veggies (mushrooms, green peppers, onions) and I usually toss in a big bunch of fresh chopped spinach because #health and I need something to balance all that cheese 😝(no one will even know it’s there, I promise!)
Once I’ve cooked up all the fresh ingredients, I’ll toss them in a big bowl and mix in a half to full jar of pasta sauce. Yes, I meant to say pasta sauce. It’s my super-duper-not-so-special-but-kinda-interesting secret ingredient. 😛I use the Organic Tomato Basil one from Aldi. 👌🏻
Next up, cheese round #1. I’ll admit, I don’t really have a method to my madness here. It depends on what I happen to have in my fridge that day, but I do suggest using at least some level of shredded mozzarella or pizza blend. Mix an entire bag into your filling and sauce mixture to incorporate the cheese throughout (it’ll help it hold its shape).
I usually pre-bake my crust for a few minutes to help ensure it bakes fully. This is extra important if you have a thicker crust. I’ve used a thick sourdough crust in the past, and that required some extra pre-baking. Into your pre-baked crust, you simply toss in your filling mixture and top with (you guessed it) cheese round #2! You can get creative here. Shredded mozzarella, sliced provolone, I’ve done it all and you really can’t go wrong.
With the pre-cooked crust and filling, it doesn’t require too much time in the oven to get all the ingredients to meld together. I usually do 350° for 15 mins or so, and throw it on broil for a couple minutes to get the top cheese extra bubbly.
If you’re patient enough, I recommend letting it sit out of the oven for 5-10 mins or so. It will allow those internal cheese to settle just enough to help the deep dish hold it’s shape. It won’t be picture perfect either way though, so if you’re like me and can’t wait to dig in, feel free to just go for it. I promise it will be JUST as delicious!
Pizza night has become a fun little tradition in our house and I’m so grateful for our sweet family moments like these.
XO
SS
Comments