Slow Cooker Deep Dish Pizza

If you're looking to impress your family, friends, significant other or even yourself, you have to try this recipe from Spicy Perspective. Be sure to check out her blog post for helpful pictures to understand the process, but this is so simple for such an impressive end result.

I would have preferred to cook this on low, but lack of time required me to cook it on high. I ended up with mine slightly overdone, but that just meant a crunchier crust.

Slow Cooker Deep Dish Pizza

1 lb. pizza dough, risen 

2 Tbsp. cornmeal
3 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
28 oz. crushed tomatoes
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 cups shredded Italian blend cheese
1/2 pound Italian pork sausage, cooked

30 slices pepperoni

 

This recipe works best in a large oval 6-8 quart slow cooker. Roll the pizza dough out onto a large piece of parchment paper sprinkled with cornmeal. Make sure to roll and stretch to dough into an oval 2 inches longer and 2 inches wider than the crock of the slow cooker. Sprinkle he top with cornmeal, and press into the crust. Then use the edges of the paper to lower the crust into the crock. Pull up the edges of the crust, so they stand about 2 inches up the sides of the slow cooker.

 

Place the butter and onions in a pan. Saute for 1-2 minutes, then add the garlic and saute another 2 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, sugar and salt. Simmer for 5 minutes, and then remove from heat.

 

Spread the cheese over the bottom of the pizza crust. Lift and stretch the sides of the dough, so they stand up past the cheese. Sprinkle the crumbled sausage and pepperoni over the cheese. Lift and stretch the sides of the crust again, so it is above the edge of sauce. Then spread the tomato sauce over the toppings. (Be careful to not spill any sauce on the outside of the crust. That will burn.) Lift and stretch the sides of the crust again, so it is above the edge of the sauce.

 

Cover the slow cooker with a long piece of paper towel. Then place the lid over the paper towel, and pull it tight. This helps catch excess moisture.

 

Cook the pizza for 2-4 hours on high or 4-6 hours on low. When ready to serve, carefully lift the pizza out of the crock pot using the parchment paper. Cool 5-10 minutes before cutting. Makes 4 giant pieces of pizza.