Easy Lodge Cast Iron Pizza Recipe (2024)

Last updated on February 18, 2024. Originally posted on February 9, 2024 By Paige 1 Comment

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Make the best deep dish style pizza right at home! This Easy Lodge Cast Iron Pizza recipe has a chunky, flavorful filling with crispy brown and cheesy edges. In other words, absolutely delicious!

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
Step-by-Step Instructions
Expert Tips
Serving Ideas
More Tips for Success
Frequently Asked Questions
More Recipes to Try:
Easy Lodge Cast Iron Skillet Pizza
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Here’s a recipe you’re going to love! It’s nice to keep a couple of store-bought dough balls in the freezer, because with a few simple ingredients, you can make a hot, crispy Lodge cast iron skillet pizza at home!

Here’s a few good reasons to make this recipe next time it’s pizza night at your house:

No need for a pizza stone! You’ll just need a 9 or 10″ cast-iron skillet such as Lodge brand which can take high temperatures.
Store-bought pizza dough goes right inside the hot skillet, which makes for an unbelievably delicious golden brown crisp crust while the edges and inside stay soft, in other words, the perfect pizza.
An easy and flavorful chunky sauce is spread in an even layer over the dough then baked again at high heat. Experiment with your favorite toppings!

Bookmark these easy recipes for later! This nostalgic Taco Pie with Crescent Rolls, this luscious Guinness Irish Chili recipe, my all-time favorite Turkey Burger with Pepperjack and Cranberry, and this Skillet Taco Bake. A really good appetizer rolled in tortillas for a quick and easy dinner!

Ingredients You’ll Need

For the full recipe, the instructions and list of ingredients, please scroll to the recipe card below.

Pizza dough: Store-bought, defrosted.
Cheese: Low moisture mozzarella cheese, full fat.
Sausage: Chicken sausage, or any uncooked sausage Italian sausage.
Tomatoes: Canned, diced and low sodium, if possible.
Pizza Sauce: Store-bought and similar to marinara sauce to mix with the sausage.
Seasonings: Red peppers, oregano, salt, pepper.
Parmesan: A final dusting of this cheese makes all the difference.
Fresh Basil: For a bright and flavorful finishing touch.

Step-by-Step Instructions

For the full recipe and list of instructions, please scroll down to the recipe card below.

Pre-heat the oven and the cast iron pan in a 450F degree oven. This will make for a crispy crust.
Cook the meat mixture over medium heat in a non-stick skillet, stir with a wooden spoon until combined.
Roll out the pizza dough to a rough circle, enough to fit in the bottom of the cast iron pan with an inch of dough up the sides.
Add a thin layer of olive oil to the hot pan, then the pizza crust, lightly pressing it down to ensure a crisp bottom crust.
Layer the cheese and the meat pizza sauce mixture on top of the dough.
Bake in a hot oven on the bottom rack until bubbling and hot and cheesy and melted.
Dust with more Parmesan cheese and fresh basil and WOW, so good!

Expert Tips

Use any variety of uncooked sausage you’d like, but avoid sausage that’s been heavily seasoned, since we’ll be seasoning it ourselves.
Use other varieties of cheese, such as pepper jack or plain jack cheese. See my notes in “tips” below.
If you don’t like fresh basil, use flat leaf Italian Parsley instead.

Serving Ideas

Well, salads are natural to eat with a pizza, here a few delicious recipes I’d recommend:

Carrot Currant Salad: crunchy, biting and so fresh. No mayo globs here.
Celery Parmesan Salad: see above, but with buttery hazelnuts and shards of cheese.
Blackberry Goat Cheese Salad: stunningly delicious. You’ve got to just try it.
This Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad is great too, with a fresh lemon vinaigrette.
Or, make this simple house green salad with a big handful of spring greens, a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, a few turns of ground pepper and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
Make some Jelly Filled Peanut Butter Cookies for dessert (they are incredible!).

More Tips for Success

Bring your prepared pizza dough up to room temperature about 30 minutes before you start the recipe. I use a small bowl with some olive oil in it to prevent sticking and put plastic wrap over the top.
If you aren’t using fresh herbs, a good tip is one tablespoon of fresh herbs is roughly equivalent to one teaspoon of dried herbs.
Be sure to use low-moisture mozzarella cheese, but not the skim or no-fat kind. If you use fresh mozzarella balls packaged in wet brine, your pizza crust will be soggy. This is bad.
And avoid skim or no-fat mozzarella, too. Either and your pizza won’t be as melted and delicious as it should be.
Serve the cut pizza on a cutting board and let everyone grab a slice!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use something instead of chicken sausage?

Yes you can! Most any kind of uncooked sausage will work with this cast iron skillet pizza. Italian sausage would be delicious.

Can I use something instead of fresh basil?

More Recipes to Try:

Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage: A reader favorite, cheesy and delicious.
Easy Homemade Sourdough Croutons: Perfect for salads and soups.
Easy Ways to Thicken Tomato Sauce: A very good guide plus recipes.
Meatballs in Marinara Sauce Recipe: This is a huge favorite!
Fig Prosciutto Pizza: A fabulous way to eat fresh figs!
Chicken Sausage and Vegetable Skillet: A hearty & easy one-skillet meal.
Chicken Sausage Tortellini Soup: Full of chunky, fresh ingredients.
Baked Ravioli with Sausage: Comfort food at its finest.
Chicken Marsala: A classic recipe everyone loves.
Citrus Chicken Thighs: Easy and tender and just so good.

If you’ve made Easy Lodge Cast Iron Pizza Recipe, or any recipe on Studio Delicious, leave a recipe rating and tell me all about it in the comments below!

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Easy Lodge Cast Iron Skillet Pizza

An easy, absolutely delicious deep dish pizza pie with a crispy crust!

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

pre-heat cast iron skillet: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Ingredients

▢ 1 package Prepared Pizza Crust (store bought) about 12 ounces
▢ 2 tablespoons Olive Oil, plus more for serving
▢ 1 pound Chicken Sausage, bulk
▢ 1 14.5 ounce can Diced Tomatoes, drained
▢ ¾ cup Prepared pizza sauce
▢ 1 clove Garlic, crushed
▢ ½ teaspoon Salt
▢ ½ teaspoon Black Pepper, freshly ground
▢ ¼ teaspoon Red Pepper flakes
▢ ½ teaspoon Oregano, dried
▢ 2 tablespoons Basil leaves, chopped, fresh see note
▢ 2 cups Mozzarella Cheese, low moisture style, grated
▢ ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese, grated, plus more for serving

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 450F degrees. Use a 9 or 10" cast iron skillet for this recipe.
MAKE THE MEAT MIXTURE
Cook the sausage in a non-stick skillet. Drain any fat that may have accumulated on the bottom, then add in the drained tomatoes, pizza sauce, crushed garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, oregano and one tablespoon (a couple of leaves) of the chopped fresh basil.
Cook the meat mixture on medium until the liquid has evaporated, 4-6 minutes. It will be chunky!
Let this mixture cool down while you prepare the pan and dough.
PREPARE THE CAST IRON PAN AND DOUGH
Roll out the prepared pizza dough to a rough 14" inch circle using a lightly floured rolling pin on a flat surface, such as a clean countertop.
Pre-heat the cast iron skillet by placing it on the bottom rack of the oven for ten minutes. Set the skillet on a large baking sheet if you'd like, to make removing it from the oven a bit easier as it will be hot.
Remove skillet from the oven and add two tablespoons of olive oil coating the entire bottom and up the sides the skillet using a pastry brush if needed, to go up the sides of the pan.
Carefully transfer the rolled out pizza dough directly into the skillet, and remember, the skillet is hot! Lightly press the dough into place up the sides of the skillet.
Don't be concerned with how it looks at this point. The goal is cover the bottom of the skillet with the dough roughly 1 1/2" inches up the sides.
Set the skillet back on the baking sheet to rest while you grate the cheese.
TO ASSEMBLE
Sprinkle half the cheese (one cup) on the bottom layer of the crust. Now spoon on all of the meat mixture on top of that, leaving about a inch border around the sides. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the meat mixture.
Next, sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top, and brush the outside edges of the pizza dough with a little olive oil to help them brown.
Bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 20-25 minutes. The edges will be golden brown and the bottom easy to lift with a spatula.
To serve, sprinkle the pizza with a little more Parmesan cheese, the remaining fresh basil (whole or chopped) and a drizzle of olive oil, if you like.
Let the pizza rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

Bring your prepared pizza dough up to room temperature about 30 minutes before you start the recipe. I use a small bowl with some olive oil in it to prevent sticking.
If you aren’t using fresh herbs, a good tip is one tablespoon of fresh herbs is roughly equivalent to one teaspoon of dried herbs.
Be sure to use low-moisture mozzarella cheese, but not the skim or no-fat kind. Two things: if you use a fresh mozzarella packaged in brine, your pizza crust will be soggy. This is bad. And if you use skim or no-fat mozzarella, well, lets just say your pizza will not be as melted and delicious as it was meant to be.

Nutrition

Tips for Success with Every Recipe

Super important to read the whole recipe before you begin
Pay attention to the ingredient list and photos for the recipe
If possible, prep your ingredients a little before you start
Always use a sharp knife for safety
Use the size of pan called for in the recipe
For savory recipes, taste and season as you go
Buy fresh, organic ingredients, locally sourced whenever possible

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