Pepperoni and Sausage Pan Pizza

Enjoy the ultimate comfort food with homemade pepperoni and sausage pan pizza. Find out the secrets to its crispy crust and fluffy texture.

What is pan pizza

Pan pizza is a thick-crust pizza that’s cooked in a deep skillet or cake pan with oil. The oil gives the light and fluffy dough a crispy crust on the bottom and edges for an amazing contrast in texture.

When making pan pizza, it’s really important to let the dough rise. This creates bubbles and air in the dough, which gives it that focaccia like airiness. If you don’t let it rise, you’ll have issues with the dough stretching and it will end up dense.

While I topped today’s pan pizza recipe with pepperoni and Italian sausage, have fun and add whatever toppings you like.

Get Recipe Ingredients

• Coat Pan: Add the oil to a 12-inch cast iron skillet. Use a brush to coat the bottom and sides.

• Rise Dough: Place the dough into the pan. Let it rise for 90 minutes. Then, use your fingers to stretch the dough so it fully coats the bottom.

• Cook Sausage: While the dough is rising, shape the sausage into mini meatballs. Place them in a skillet over medium heat and cook until they are browned.

• Heat Grill: Heat your grill to 450F degrees with a pizza stone. If using the Ninja FlexFlame, set the function to grill/pizza.

• Layer: To the top of the dough, use the back of a spoon to spread the sauce over the dough. Top with shredded cheese. Layer on the pepperoni and cooked sausage meatballs.

• Bake: Place the pan pizza on the pizza stone in the grill. Bake for 12-15 minutes. The dough should be golden brown and crispy.

• Slice: Let the pizza cool for 5-10 minutes. Then, use a knife to cut into 8 slices.

Calories: 343kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 13gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 929mgPotassium: 187mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 227IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 81mgIron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Be sure to rate it, leave a comment and save it so you can make it again. Show off your awesome results on social by tagging @girlscangrill

Ingredients

You’re welcome to make your own pizza dough and homemade tomato sauce, but honestly the store bought options taste great and save so much time and money.

• Store-Bought Pizza Dough: I find the pizza dough at Whole Foods works really well for this recipe because it’s light and airy.
• Pizza Sauce: I like the Rao’s Homemade Margherita Pizza Sauce.
• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• Pepperoni Slices
• Italian Sausage: Look for the ground, uncased sausage. You will need to cook it before adding it to the pizza.
• Olive Oil or Avocado Oil: This is used to coat the pan.

Substitutions: Feel free to add any other pizza toppings you'd like. Onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, black olives, etc.

See the full recipe card above for servings and a full list of ingredients.

How to cook pan pizza on the Ninja FlexFlame

1. STEP ONE: Add olive oil or avocado oil to a 12-inch cast iron skillet or cake pan. Use a pastry brush or paper towel to fully coat the bottom and sides.

2. STEP TWO: Place the pizza dough in the skillet and let it rise at room temperature for 90 minutes. Then, use your fingers to stretch the dough until it covers the bottom of the pan.

PRO TIP: It's important to let the dough rest because cold dough will spring back after you stretch it. You can speed up this process by putting it in an oven on the proof setting. 

3. STEP THREE: While the dough is rising, shape Italian sausage into small meatballs. Place in a skillet over medium heat and cook until browned on all sides.

4. STEP FOUR: Once the dough is stretched, layer on the sauce, cheese, pepperoni and the cooked sausage.

5. STEP FIVE: Heat the grill to 450F degrees. Place a pizza stone on the grill to help deflect the heat and prevent the bottom from burning. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

PRO TIP: If you're using the Ninja FlexFlame, add the pizza stone, set the grill function to grill/pizza and the temp to 450F.

6. STEP SIX: The pizza is cooked through when it rises and the edges are golden brown and toasted.

How to serve pan pizza

You can serve pan pizza two ways. You can either use a knife to cut slices straight from the pan and serve. Or, you can remove the entire pizza from the skillet, place it on a cutting board and then cut it into slices.

It’s best to let the pizza cool for a few minutes so the sauce doesn’t ooze all over the place.

Offer grated parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, fresh basil or hot honey as additional toppings.

Storage

Store pan pizza leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-4 days. Reheat it in the microwave or air fryer.