Deep Dish Skillet Pizza with Arugula Pesto and Pepperoni – Recipe!

Pizza is one of those things that most people crave at least once a week.  In my household we tend to make it from scratch, but I’m not one to shy away from a good frozen pie now and again.  There’s something so satisfying about a crusted cheese, and meaty, sometimes vegetable slice of pizza, and they’re super easy to make right in your own kitchen.

Making an ooey-gooey skillet pizza at home can be fun for the whole family.  A simple dough made with dry yeast and flour prepared with your own hands, and laid to rest for a few hours becomes the base of this pizza.  The pesto part is easy too, especially if you have a mini chop or food processor.  Those gorgeous peppery leaves are tucked into the processor bowl with garlic, parmesan, nuts and olive oil, and blended until almost smooth.  The incredible green paste is the sauce for this recipe, which adheres to the husky dough when baked.  As for toppings, I went with classic mozzarella and mini pepperoni, but you can get as creative as you like with the cheeses and sliced salami that’s available.

The results are a soft center with crunchy edges pizza with fresh arugula tang, and creamy mozzarella and crispy pepperoni that barely stretch into your mouth with each and every bite.  The deep dish part makes this pie reminiscent of one of those old classic Italian eateries that your family would visit on a road trip in a city that you can’t remember the name of.  It definitely has fun written all over it.  Check out my Reel on Instagram @genabellrecipes.

Ingredients

Dough

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 package dry yeast, about 2 1/4 teaspoons

1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups luke warm water, divided

Pesto

2 cloves garlic

2 cups arugula leaves

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup slivered or sliced almonds

1/2 cup olive oil

Toppings

8 ounces sliced mozzarella

1 cup pepperoni or salami

(Serves 4)

To Prepare:

1. In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup water with yeast and sugar.  Let rest until slightly foamy, about 8 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt.  Add yeast mixture and remaining water, stir.  When dough begins to come together, use hands to form into a ball in bowl and knead a couple times until almost smooth (add more water to flour mixture if necessary to form ball).  Cover with plastic wrap and set on counter to rise for 2 hours.
3. In a food processor, add all pesto ingredients, except olive oil and process until coarse crumbs.  Add olive oil and process until almost smooth.  Place in a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
4. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Remove plastic wrap from bowl and punch dough down, and gather into a ball.  Oil a 10-inch cast-iron skillet and place dough inside.  Stretch dough to edges, pushing to flatten towards center.
5. Spoon pesto on top, leaving a 2-inch border.  Place slices of mozzarella on top and sprinkle with pepperoni.  Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes or until edges are golden brown.  Remove pizza and let cool for 5 minutes before slicing.  Enjoy!