Stuffed Pizza

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Stuffed Pizza- The Chicago classic made with a few shortcuts. Cheesy pizza filled with lots of mozzarella cheese, Italian sausage and finished off with homemade pizza sauce. 

Growing up in the Chicago area, I was totally spoiled with good pizza.  My favorites are a cracker thin version and this one..stuffed.  Yes, totally opposites!  

Stuffed pizza is not easy to find outside of the Chicago area.  So, I either have to find it frozen somewhere or make it homemade.

This is my homemade version. 🍕

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Now, this is not a stuffed crust or deep dish.  It's stuffed.  Think of it as building your pizza backward.  Trust me, it's good.  🖒

Ingredients Needed

• Self rising flour
• Plain Greek yogurt
• Italian sausage * see recipe note
• Mozzarella cheese:  shredded and sliced
• Oil
• Oregano
• Tomato sauce + tomato paste
• Dried garlic + onion + brown sugar + red pepper flakes
• Grated Parmesan cheese

Your Layers

• Bottom: Crust 
• Middle:  Italian sausage + lots of cheese
• Top:  Pizza sauce 

Pizza Dough 

I love this pizza dough! It's just two ingredients and comes together quickly.  However, if you have a favorite homemade pizza dough recipe, obviously, you can use that.  You can also buy a premade crust.  Either way, it will need to cover the bottom and part of the sides of a round 9 inch pan.

Pizza Sauce

Same as the dough.  I have included my homemade pizza sauce recipe in the recipe card.  But, if you want to cut back on time a bit, use your favorite store brand.  You will need about 1 & 3/4 cups of sauce. Link to my favorite store bought pizza sauce is included in the recipe card. 

Italian Sausage

Do you have to use Italian sausage?  Of course not!  It's pizza.  Fill it with pepperoni, extra cheese, mushrooms, green peppers...whatever the heck you want. 

Self Rising Flour

None on hand? Make it homemade. 

linking up and weekend potluck

Stuffed Pizza

By Erin

Prep: 1 hr Cook: 30 mins Yield: 6 slices

Ingredients

For the Pizza Dough:

• 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 TBSP oil (for brushing)
• 1-2 tsp dried oregano (for dusting)

For the Homemade Sauce:

• 15 oz tomato sauce
• 6 oz tomato paste
• 1 3/4 cups pizza sauce (or use total homemade yield)
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper, to taste

For the Fillings & Topping:

• 1 lb bulk Italian sausage
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 4 slices mozzarella cheese
• Grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Make the Dough: In a mixing bowl, mix together the self-rising flour and Greek yogurt until a dough forms. Knead with a dough hook for about 5 minutes, or with your hands on a well-floured surface for approximately 10 minutes to prevent sticking.
2. Simmer the Sauce: In a saucepan over medium heat, add all the sauce ingredients and whisk until completely smooth. Increase the heat slightly to bring to a simmer. Let the sauce simmer for 5 to 8 minutes, then remove from heat.
3. Prep the Pan & Oven: Preheat your oven to 450°F. Grease a round 9-inch baking pan.
4. Form the Crust: Roll out the pizza dough on a well-floured surface into a 9 to 10-inch circle. Transfer the dough to your prepared pan, lightly pressing it into the bottom and working it slightly up the sides of the pan.
5. Season the Base: Brush the bottom of the dough lightly with oil and sprinkle evenly with the 1-2 tsp of dried oregano.
6. Brown the Meat: In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown the bulk Italian sausage, breaking it up into crumbles as it cooks. Once it is no longer pink, drain any excess grease from the pan.
7. Layer the Filling: Spread the cooked sausage evenly across the bottom of the dough. Top the sausage with the 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese, then layer the 4 slices of mozzarella directly over the shredded cheese.
8. Sauce and Top: Spread your pizza sauce evenly over the top of the cheese slices, and finish with a generous sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese.
9. Bake in Two Stages: Bake at 450°F for 15 minutes. Then, lower the oven temperature to 400°F and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until the crust is deeply golden brown and the cheese is fully melted and bubbling.
10. Rest and Serve: Remove from the oven and let the pizza rest for 15 minutes to allow the layers to set cleanly before slicing and serving.