Italian food is just great and we can never get enough of it. So in that spirit, this recipe combines 2 Italian comfort food favorites – pizza and meat sauce – for a loaded deep dish pepperoni pizza pie! A homemade pizza dough crust, a rich layer of meat sauce filled with succulent Italian sausage, a crispy topping of pepperoni pizza swirls, and cheese, cheese, and more cheese – what more could you possibly want in a deep dish pizza?!
Pepperoni Pizza Swirl Pie
A loaded deep dish pepperoni pizza pie with a homemade pizza dough crust, rich meat sauce, and crispy pepperoni pizza swirls.
Equipment
- Large Bowl
- 10-inch pie dish
- Baking beans
- Pan
Ingredients
- 4 cups flour
- 0.5 tsp dry yeast
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1.25 cups lukewarm water
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 12 oz ground Italian sausage
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 green bell peppers, chopped
- 0.75 cup tomato paste
- 1 tsp oregano
- salt & pepper to taste
- 15 slices pepperoni
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- 1 whisked egg for the egg wash
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients for the pizza dough in a large bowl and knead everything by hand until a smooth dough forms. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise at room temperature for 1½ hours, or preferably overnight for more pliable dough. Once the pizza dough has risen, preheat the oven to 350°F. Roll out half of the pizza dough and line a 10-inch pie dish with the rolled-out dough. Place a round piece of parchment paper on top of the pizza dough and pour baking beans on top to weigh it down. Transfer the pie dish to the oven and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.
- Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the ground Italian sausage. Add the diced onions to the pan and fry until the onions become translucent. Add the minced garlic, chopped bell peppers, oregano, salt, pepper, and tomato paste, and continue to stir until the meat sauce is cooked all the way through.
- Roll out the second half of the pizza dough into a rectangular shape. Top the rolled-out dough with pepperoni slices and 1 cup of shredded mozzarella. Brush the egg wash over the edges of the rolled-out dough and roll everything up into a snug log. Cut the log into even pieces, each about ¼-inch thick.
- Take the pizza crust out of the oven and layer in the following order: ½ cup shredded mozzarella, half of the meat sauce, ½ cup shredded mozzarella, the rest of the meat sauce. Arrange the pepperoni pizza swirls on top of the last layer of meat sauce and brush the rest of the egg wash over the pepperoni pizza swirls. Transfer the pie dish back to the oven and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.
VIDEO
This dish is the ultimate fusion of flavors and textures! From the homemade pizza crust to the meaty sauce, right down to the cheesy layers and the freshly-baked pepperoni swirls, this pizza pie is a loaded classic, jam-packed with savory deliciousness. Grab a slice or 2, and buon appetito!