Growing up, I was such a picky eater that pizza was one of the only foods that I would eat. So, my mother started calling all of our dinners pizza just so I would eat it: Mexican pizza was actually a casserole of ground beef and refried beans with cheese; English Muffin pizza was really just open-faced tuna melt sandwiches. If she had known about the recipe below, she certainly would have made it for me!
This delicious casserole combines the best elements of pizza with the best elements of pot pie. You can certainly hide some vegetables in this pie, like spinach or mushrooms, without your picky eaters being able to tell: the top crust will hide them and the dish will be so delicious they will hardly notice!
Italian Style Pizza Pot Pie
6
15 minutes
40 minutes
55 minutes
1 lb bulk Italian sausage
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 green bell pepper, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 26-oz jar tomato sauce
1 13.8-ounce package Pillsbury classic pizza dough
1 cup shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
In a large saute pan, cook the sausage over medium high heat until the sausage is well browned, about 10 minutes. Remove the sausage to a bowl and set aside. Discard all but 1 teaspoon of the grease.
In the remaining sausage grease, cook the onion with the red and green bell peppers over medium-high heat. Cook until the onion is translucent and the vegetables are softened, about 8 minutes.
Add the garlic and salt and cook until fragrant, about 1 minutes.
Add the cooked sausage, oregano, and pasta sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to come together. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
Meanwhile, unroll the pizza dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Cut the dough using a 9-inch pie dish as a guide. Remove the excess dough around the baking dish and set the round piece of dough aside.
Lightly grease the pie dish and pour the beef mixture inside. Sprinkle it with the cheese and cover it with the round piece of dough.
Cut an "x" in the top of the dough to allow steam to escape.
Bake the pie for 16-20 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.
Allow the pie to sit for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
