Pepperoni Pizza Pie Topped With Pepperoni Swirls

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?!

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Difficulty Level: Easy

You'll Need:

For the pizza dough:

  • 4 cups flour
  • ½ tsp dry yeast
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1¼ cups lukewarm water

For the meat sauce:

  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 12 oz ground Italian sausage
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 green bell peppers, chopped
  • ¾ cup tomato paste
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • salt & pepper to taste

For the pepperoni pizza swirls:

  • 15 slices of pepperoni
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella
  • 1 whisked egg for the egg wash

For the assembly:

  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella
  • 10-inch pie dish
  • baking beans

Here's How:

1. 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 and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.

2. For the meat sauce, 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.

3. For the pepperoni pizza swirls, 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.

4. Brush the egg wash over the edges of the rolled-out dough and roll everything up into a snug log.

5. Cut the log into even pieces, each about ¼-inch thick.

6. 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.

7. 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.

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!

Get the recipe for the Cheese-Stuffed Spiral Pizza featured in the bonus video.

Comments

Also hefty