I’ve been craving a Deep-Dish Pizza for like, over 10 years! Lol..For real, my favorite Deep-Dish Pizza is from Zachary’s Pizza in Berkeley, California and that’s where I fell in love with Stuffed Chicago-Style Pizza! All the amazing flavors of tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni and anything else you can think of… all cooked to perfection in one big ass thick pizza pie! Honestly, it’s my personal food heaven! Unfortunately, I don’t get up to the Bay Area very often, since my college days at UC Berkeley. We did take the kids on a trip to the Bay Area but somehow we didn’t make it to Zachary’s Pizza? I have no idea why, but we did make it to my other all time favorite restaurant Chez Panisse in Berkeley. Anyway, the other day I was cruising thru Instagram and up pops a picture of a thick mouth watering slice of Zachary’s pizza! Oh my, the craving started to kick in and I forgot how many years it had been since I had a slice? The very next day, I got my new Cooking Light magazine in the mail and there on the cover was a Deep-Dish Pizza! Coincidence or not, you know what time it was? It’s was time to make my very own Chicago-Style pizza!
Okay, to really make this right, I had to go buy a non-stick springform pan since I didn’t have one? First I went to Target and they wanted $14.99 for one pan, NO!…Then I went to my local Marshall’s and Bam, only one left for $5.99…Scored! Now it’s time to make my own version of a Deep-Dish Pizza with sautéed onions, garlic, mushrooms, bell peppers, ground turkey meat, fire roasted tomatoes and tomato & basil spaghetti sauce all seasoned with oregano, salt, pepper and topped with highest quality mozzarella cheese! Kinda of a turkey spaghetti sauce made for a Deep-Dish. Shh! I did cheat, I used store bought betty crocker pizza crust dough to shorten my work time and it came out great! I had so much fun making this heavenly delicious pizza! Super satisfying, the only problem was, that I only got one piece after everyone else got there’s, so I guess I’ll have to make it again real soon…
Don’t forget to try something new…
Ali in the Valley
Ingredients
- 1 Betty Crocker Pizza dough
- Cooking spray
- 2 cups 8 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1 pack of grounded turkey meat
- 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained (I used fire-roasted)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil
- 2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms (about 6 ounces)
- 3/4 cup chopped red onion
- 3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- If you want to make your own pizza dough:
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
- 1 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 12.38 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 3/4 cups, divided)
- 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
- Make store bought pizza dough per directions. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel sticky). Spread 1 1/2 cups cheese evenly over dough. Set aside… Preheat oven to 400°.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, garlic and sauté for 5 minutes then add turkey meat cook until done 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, add tomatoes, tomato sauce and season with salt & pepper, stir in oregano and basil; drain tomato mixture 10 minutes. Spoon finished mixture on top of dough in pan. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes or until crust browns and cheese bubbles. Cool 5 minutes before cutting.
- Recipe to Make Pizza Dough:
- Dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water in a large bowl; let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in olive oil. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 11.25 ounces (about 2 1/2 cups) flour, cornmeal, and salt in a bowl. Stir flour mixture into yeast mixture until dough forms a ball. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel sticky).
- Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 45 minutes or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.) Punch dough down; cover and let rest 5 minutes. Roll dough into an 11 x 15–inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Place dough in a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; press dough up sides of dish.
