Core recipe arsenal!! Please share more about this. Not necessarily which recipes, but how to choose the recipes, the skills needed, the background knowledge to build. My kids are 9, 6, and 4 but I can’t get them interested in cooking to save my life. But if I have a better sense of the long game, of what we’re building towards, maybe I can rally and find a new approach with them that makes sense to me, too.
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Simple Crispy Pan Pizza
Simple Crispy Pan Pizza
Yield
1
pizza
Prep time
20 minutes
Cook time
20 minutes
Total time
40 minutes
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
American, Italian
Keywords
cheese, dinner, easy, kid friendly, pizza, weeknight
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
-
1
recipe
Lazy Pizza Dough
or 1 pound store-bought pizza dough, ideally room temperature
For the Pizza
-
2
tablespoons
olive oil
-
½ to ¾
cup
pizza sauce
or crushed tomatoes, seasoned
-
1 to 1½
cups
shredded low-moisture mozzarella
-
Optional: 1 to 2
tablespoons
grated Parmesan
-
Your favorite toppings (e.g., sliced pepperoni, cooked sausage, sautéed mushrooms, bell peppers, onions)
Instructions
-
Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 450°F (230°C).
-
If using fresh dough, stretch it gently into a rough circle on a lightly floured surface or parchment paper. If using store-bought dough, skip to the next step.
-
Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a 10-inch cast iron skillet or other oven-safe nonstick pan. Use your hands to spread the oil around the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
-
Carefully transfer the pizza dough to the oiled pan. Gently press and stretch the dough to cover the bottom of the pan, working from the center outwards. If the dough resists stretching, let it rest for 5-10 minutes, then continue stretching. You want the dough to reach the edges of the pan.
-
Spread the pizza sauce evenly over the dough, leaving a small border for the crust.
-
Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese (and Parmesan, if using) over the sauce. Add any desired toppings.
-
Carefully transfer the skillet to the preheated oven. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the crust is deeply golden brown and crispy on the bottom, and the cheese is bubbly and slightly browned.
-
Remove from oven and let rest in the skillet for 5 minutes before carefully sliding onto a cutting board. Slice and serve immediately.
Notes
-
If you prefer a thicker, chewier crust, you can let the dough rise in the oiled pan for 30-60 minutes before adding toppings and baking. This will give it more airiness and volume.
-
For extra crispiness, you can preheat your empty cast iron skillet in the oven for 10-15 minutes before adding the oiled dough. Be extremely careful when handling a hot skillet.
I’ve been making a lot of pizza this year and while I still find the experience of making a truly thin-crust, New York-style pizza at home
deeply satisfying
(and fun, and delicious), it’s not always the easiest thing to pull off on a weeknight. Enter this deeply crispy pan pizza, which takes the stress out of making a super-stretched, perfectly round pizza and delivers a golden, crunchy crust that is hard to resist.
The trick is using a cast iron skillet or another oven-safe nonstick pan. I love my cast iron skillet for this because it gets incredibly hot, which helps achieve that coveted crispy bottom. You generously oil the pan, press your dough into it, top it with your favorite sauce, cheese, and toppings, and then bake. No preheating a pizza stone, no special tools — just a hot oven and a trusty pan.
The result is a pizza with a thick, airy, and golden-brown crust that’s almost like focaccia, but with a crackly, super-crispy bottom. The edges get wonderfully crunchy, and the cheese bubbles up and browns just right. It’s perfect for a casual weeknight dinner, and everyone loves customizing their own toppings.
I’ve linked to my
Lazy Pizza Dough recipe
which is excellent here, but you can absolutely use a good quality store-bought pizza dough if you’re short on time. Just make sure it’s at room temperature for easier stretching.
Give this pan pizza a try for an easy, super satisfying meal. It’s a game-changer for homemade pizza night!
