Cast Iron Skillet Pizza

A new pizza format!! I saw somebody make one with a lot of garlic oil on the Food Network and that’s just what I did! It becomes super crispy like pan pizza. I loved it and will use more dough to make it again. The pan gets warm and starts cooking the bottom of the dough and then goes into the oven to cook from the top. The one-two punch!

The Three Bite Rule - Cast Iron Skillet Pizza

Sausage & Pepper Cast Iron Skillet Pizza (for 2)

Ingredients:

2-3 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
2 sweet Italian sausage links
1/2 ball of pizza dough
1/2 green bell pepper
1 cup tomato sauce
1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400-degrees.
In a medium skillet, remove the sausage from the casting and cook through – about 5-7 minutes breaking apart with a spoon.
In a large cast iron skillet, warm to medium-low heat and add in the oil and the garlic grated or very finely chopped. Cook for about 5-8 minutes being careful not to brown the garlic too much.
The Three Bite Rule - Cast Iron Skillet Pizza
Drain the sausage onto paper towels to remove the oil. Then add in the pepper to cook and soften for just a few minutes, then remove.
Stretch out the dough, or roll it to the size of the pan (my pan was very large and I could have used the whole dough ball – the crust could go along the edge). Lay it into the hot pan over medium heat.
Spoon the sauce onto the crust, then top with cheese, cooked sausage, and peppers – cooking for about 5 minutes.
Put into the oven for 20 minutes, or until the edges brown & the bottom crisps.
The Three Bite Rule - Cast Iron Skillet Pizza
Lift from the pan to remove while keeping any remaining oil in the pan and not onto the pizza.
The Three Bite Rule - Cast Iron Skillet Pizza
Let sit for about 2 minutes, then slice & enjoy!
The Three Bite Rule - Cast Iron Skillet Pizza
I loved allllll the crispy and chewy crust! It had a nicely sweet garlic flavor since it gets to gently cook while the other toppings are prepped. I read some blog posts of skillet pizza who touted the little amount of oil. I went for it. Big time. This was crunchy and packed with flavor without being grossly greasy…just greasy enough.

I’ll make this pizza again. It has great texture and was a perfect alternative from super thin crust on the pizza stone.
The Three Bite Rule - Cast Iron Skillet Pizza

Sausage & White Bean Pizza

I made an Alfredo-sauced pizza with sausage and white beans when I was thinking about something wintry and different. I chopped herbs for some peppery-freshness. It was great! What are your thoughts on white pizza? Let’s dish. I’m for it…maybe not every time, but yes, sign me up for something different every now and then.

The Three Bite Rule - Sausage & White Bean Pizza
Ingredients:
pizza dough (I used 3/4 of a refrigerated ball from the grocery store)
1 cup alfredo sauce
1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
2 sweet Italian sausage links
3/4 cup white cannellini beans
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 cup arugula, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven (and pizza stone if using one) to 400-degrees.
Roll out the dough and spread out onto a pizza stone or baking sheet. Poke some holes into the dough using a fork. Then bake for 10 minutes, until lightly browned and starting to crisp.
Remove the sausage from the casing and pan fry the sausage in a skillet over medium heat until cooked through. Then drain from the oil.
Layer the cooked dough with alfredo and cheese.
The Three Bite Rule - Sausage & White Bean Pizza
Then sprinkle with sausage, white beans, and Italian seasoning.
The Three Bite Rule - Sausage & White Bean Pizza
Bake for 10-15 minutes, until crust fully crisps and cheese melts. While pizza cooks, chop the arugula.
Remove from the oven, sprinkle arugula, and let set for 5 minutes before slicing.
The Three Bite Rule - Sausage & White Bean Pizza
Slice and enjoy!
The Three Bite Rule - Sausage & White Bean Pizza
I liked this one for something different. It’d pair nicely with another more traditional pizza if making a few pizzas or flatbreads. I love arugula treated as an herb. It has wayyy more flavor to me than parsley, though if you had oregano kicking around that’d be nice too!

Pizza with Pear & Pancetta

Salty pancetta and sweet pear plus melty cheese makes for such a wonderfully balanced pizza. That’s it. Pizza dough, cheese, pancetta, and pear. That’s it. So, basically dinner is brought to you by the letter P.

The Three Bite Rule - Pear & Pancetta Pizza

Ingredients:

Pizza dough
1 cup Pancetta
1 pear
1 1/2 cup shredded Mozarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven and pizza stone (if using one) to 400 degrees.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the pancetta to crisp. Then drain.
The Three Bite Rule - Pear & Pancetta Pizza
Spread the dough out onto a pan, poke a few holes into the dough. Cook for 5-8 minutes to lightly browned.
In the same pan as the pancetta, saute the pear for about 5 minutes over low heat just to soften a little.
The Three Bite Rule - Pear & Pancetta Pizza
Then top the dough with cheese, pear, and pancetta.
The Three Bite Rule - Pear & Pancetta Pizza
Bake for 5-8 minutes more until the cheese melts.
The Three Bite Rule - Pear & Pancetta Pizza

The little one picked off all the pancetta, ate that first, then the pears, then was full. I loved the sweet and subtle pear with the very salty pancetta. I’d totally make this again. Seriously, these few ingredients are just born to go together.

The Three Bite Rule - Pear & Pancetta Pizza

BBQ Chicken Pizza Transformed

BBQ Chicken Pizza isn’t new or different BUT barbecue sauce in the tomato sauce woke this up! It was so flavorful with a sense of mystery. Where’s all that smokey sweetness coming from? Boom! I’ve made barbecue chicken pizza before but this new one is better!

The Three Bite Rule - BBQ Chicken Pizza Transformed

Ingredients:

pizza dough
2 chicken thighs
1 cup tomato sauce
3/4 cup barbecue sauce
2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar
1/4 red onion

Directions:

Preheat the oven (and pizza stone, if using one) to 400-degrees and grill the chicken.
Roll out the dough and stretch it onto the pizza stone (or pan sprayed with non-stick spray) and slice a few slits to prevent bubbles. Bake for 15-minutes until lightly browned.
Warm tomato sauce with most of the BBQ sauce, reserving about 3 tablespoons for the topping. Stir well.
The Three Bite Rule - BBQ Chicken Pizza Transformed
Over medium heat, saute red onion for about 3 minutes to soften slightly but maintain a slight crunch.
Spoon the sauce onto the dough and top with shredded cheese.
The Three Bite Rule - BBQ Chicken Pizza Transformed
Slice the chicken and add on top of the pizza with the onion.
The Three Bite Rule - BBQ Chicken Pizza Transformed
Bake for 5-10 minutes to melt the cheese and finish crisping the crust.
Swirl the remaining BBQ sauce over the top.
The Three Bite Rule - BBQ Chicken Pizza Transformed
Slice and enjoy!

It is definitely a sweet one from the BBQ sauce but with a nice smokey flavor from the sauce and the grilled chicken. I especially like these flavors as prime grilling season sort of wraps up. Plus the leftovers are so good.

The Three Bite Rule - BBQ Chicken Pizza Transformed

Chicken Marsala Pizza

I know what you’re thinking. Whatttt? On pizza? Yes. Do it! So good! All the exclamation points!!
The Three Bite Rule - Chicken Marsala Pizza

Mr. J and I watched The Revenant and afterwards I needed something calming to clear my eyeballs from the graphic voilence before attempting to sleep. Enter: Diner Drive Ins & Dives going to Phoenix, Arizona to Sal’s Gilbert Pizza for Chicken Marsala Pizza. Perfect night-cap.

Ingredients:

4 chicken tenders
1/2 white onion (or 2 shallots)
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup Marsala wine
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
1-2 tablespoons fresh thyme
1 ball of pizza dough
1 cup of mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven (and pizza stone if using one) to 400-degrees.
In a large saute pan, cook the chicken over medium heat, sprinkled with salt & pepper. Flip and cook for about ~5 on each side until cooked through.
Meanwhile, dice the onion. Remove the chicken from the pan when cooked, and add the onion into the pan. Saute for about 5 minutes until getting translucent. Add the mushrooms.
Deglaze the pan with the wine and butter over a low simmer to thicken. Cook for about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and while the sauce thickens a bit, chop the chicken into pieces and add it back into the pan.
The Three Bite Rule - Chicken Marsala Pizza
Stretch the dough out and lay onto the pizza stone or pan. Cut a few slits into the dough. Bake for ~10 minutes until starting to brown and puff.
Grate the cheese and sprinkle onto the crust. Crack pepper over the top.
The Three Bite Rule - Chicken Marsala Pizza
Spoon the sauce, chicken, mushroom, and onion mixture over the cheese.
The Three Bite Rule - Chicken Marsala Pizza
Sprinkle with thyme. Bake for 5 minutes until the cheese melts and the crust crisps.
The Three Bite Rule - Chicken Marsala Pizza
Slice and enjoy!

I really loved this one. I liked that the sauce was so rich but the crust was crisp and the cheese was gooey. It was such a delightful combo. The cheese really served to “waterproof” the dough from the sauce. I think it’d get to soggy if the sauce was under the cheese. I think there’d be a few ways to assemble the pizza but I was glad for the way I did it.
The Three Bite Rule - Chicken Marsala Pizza