Deep Dish Pizza Casserole
This recipe is really a casserole, but it sure fills the bill when you're in the mood for pizza, but lacking the time. Of course, homemade pizza from scratch, is always the way to go - and there's nothing that can really match it. But, let's face it. That's pretty much a weekend project for many of us.It's a casserole style that dish gives you the flavor of pizza, but in much less time. Layers of ingredients, beginning with Mozzarella cheese, topped with a meat sauce, and finished with a batter that produces a crust-like layer, makes this casserole much like an upside down deep dish pizza.

We like green bell pepper, onion, beef and pepperoni on ours, but make it your own by adding your favorite pizza toppings. Use my easy homemade pizza sauce for this, or I often use the Walmart Great Value pizza sauce - it's cheap, it's tasty and it's lower in sugar than most commercial products.

So, when you have the taste for pizza, but not the time, this casserole is a winner since it comes together so quick and easy, but still gives you that pizza taste. It's one of those recipes that's been around forever and it's always a favorite in our house. If you haven't gotten around to trying it yet, what are you waiting for?

For more of my favorite casserole recipes, visit my page on Pinterest!!
If you make this or any of my recipes, I'd love to see your results! Just snap a photo and hashtag it #DeepSouthDish on social media or tag me @deepsouthdish on Instagram!
Sharing at Weekend Potluck!Recipe: Upside Down Deep Dish Pizza Casserole
©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish
Prep time: 30 min |Cook time: 30 min | Yield: About 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
Instructions
- 8 ounces of shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 tablespoon of canola oil
- 1 cup of chopped onion
- 1/2 cup of chopped green bell pepper
- 2-3 ounces of pepperoni, roughly chopped
- 1 pound of lean ground beef
- 1 (14 ounce) jar of pizza sauce, or a homemade version
- 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
- 1 cup of milk
- 1 tablespoon of canola oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup of all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
- 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter or spray a 9 x 13 inch glass baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and sprinkle the mozzarella cheese evenly on the bottom of the baking pan; set aside.
Heat the 1/2 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and cook the onion and bell pepper until soft, but not browned. Add the beef and cook until browned. Stir in the pepperoni and cook another 4 minutes; drain if needed. Stir in the pizza sauce and Italian seasoning and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the milk, oil and eggs. Add the flour and the salt to the milk mixture and whisk until well blended and smooth.
Carefully transfer the meat mixture evenly over the layer of mozzarella in the prepared pan. Pour the batter on top of the meat mixture, making sure to cover completely. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese evenly on top.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 35 to 45 minutes or until golden brown and puffy. Casserole will deflate and resemble an upside down deep dish pizza.
Cook's Note: Vary the "toppings" to create your own favorite pizza flavors!
Source: http://deepsouthdish.com
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Check These Recipes Out Too Y'all!
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Hi! I'm new to your blog but already love it:) Anything pizza....well it's kinda my downfall haha! I would love for you to swing by my blog check it out- we are new on the food blogging scene just kinda letting y'all know we're here:)
ReplyDeleteHi Mary,
ReplyDeleteAs always....it is looking good....going to try this one out I think tomarrow....my family loves pizza...I usually make it from scratch.....
Thanks,
Faith
Lovely casserole Mary! You know I love them. When in a pinch mix up some Bisquick to top the meat mix. Of course it's not as good as home made but it works.
ReplyDeleteWhat a clever idea, Mary! You can put what you want in it too! Looks delish!
ReplyDeleteI could go for a big slice of that. We love pizza toppings and put them on pasta, stuffed in bread and sausage, etc.
ReplyDeleteWow, that sounds yummy!
ReplyDeletelooks delish
ReplyDeleteOh my, looks wonderful. But my family never turns down pizza. Home-made pizza is usually a must on a lazy saturday afternoon.
ReplyDeleteWOW WOW WOW - looks incredible and I am thinking that I can even get my step son to eat this one.. He is such a fussy eater.. Problem solved thanks to you!
ReplyDeleteWell, you can certainly count me in! This looks delicious. Have a great day, Mary.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a tummy pleaser! Yum!
ReplyDeleteI love these kind of casseroles!
ReplyDeleteOh my word this looks amazing and so simple too. Mary I am putting this in this weeks rotation. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI like it but if you hadn't had the "in process" pictures, we might have accused you of just dropping your pizza (ha ha).
ReplyDeleteThat reminds me of a oven baked casserole type pizza Alexis and I used to make from Pampered Chef. It was easy and tasted like pizza. Like you said, it's not exactly the same but it's pretty good!
Nice blog you have here =) Im new at blogging! I also have a food blog myself =) hehe. feel free to drop by =) I'll be coming by a lot to visit !! take cares
ReplyDeleteJen Cheung
Yum. This sounds and looks de-lish! Really cool version of pizza!
ReplyDeleteLooks great!
ReplyDeleteThis looks like something I need to make. Immediately.
ReplyDeleteHi! This is my first visit here and I can tell I will be back! Your casserole looks delicious and I wish I could dig into it now! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAs always, this looks unbelievably good. Just wanted to add that I got a chance to try the Baconnaise. Wow! Was it ever fabulous! Going to look up some other Baconaise recipes on your site. Thanks for recommending it!
ReplyDeleteMmmm...looks delicious. Just found my way over from My New 30 blog
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mynew30.com/2010/02/fiber-one-90-calorie-chewy-bars-review.html
Thanks for the great recipes.
Chris
We love all things pizza in our house, so I think this will be a hit. It sounds so easy to make, perfect for busy days!
ReplyDeleteI am taking this and running with it! I cant thank you enough! My nephew loves pizza and I want to make this with him - he will LOVE it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recipe! My family would enjoy this. You can never have enough casserole recipes. :)
ReplyDeleteA WINNER! I tried this last night. Swapped out the pepperoni for sweet italian sausage. At our age, pepperoni isn't our friend.
ReplyDeleteI was amazed at how the batter crust stayed on top. This was a fantasic dish that was so much like a typical home made pizza. The only thing missing was the yeast taste.
You did good Mary.
Thanks Joe! Appreciate you taking the time to come back and leave a comment. So glad y'all enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteYou know Mary.... I have some left over spaghetti sauce (your recipe) that I made a couple of days ago. I think I will use it in this casserole! Cannot think of a better way to use up left overs! I have everything else on hand! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a plan Andrea - enjoy!
ReplyDeleteA+..
ReplyDeleteHi Mary, I just made your casserole and let me say...Me and my husband love it!!! It is as Yummy as it looks and it was very easy to make!!! Can't wait to try another one of your recipes!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you,
Elgina
Thanks you Elgina - I'm thrilled y'all enjoyed the recipe! It's not exactly pretty, but it tastes pretty good. :) Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and comment too - I do appreciate that!
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone think this could be frozen prior to cooking? I made up one recipe but put it in 3 small aluminum pans. I want to try freezing two of them and wondered if I should freeze before cooking it. Thanks, Lynn
ReplyDeleteHi Lynn! I have never actually tried to freeze this recipe, so if you already tried it would you let us know? I would think that you could freeze the dish uncooked without the batter, then let it come to room temperature and add the batter and Parmesan cheese right before cooking it. Otherwise, I'd say you'd have to fully cook the casserole, then let it cool before freezing. These bring to room temperature and bake just to warm through.
ReplyDeleteI omitted the green pepper since he does not eat it and used Mexican cheese blend instead of parmesan cheese.Made it for hubby and he loved it.Thank you!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome Jane - glad that it got the hubby approval!
DeleteIt's in the oven as I'm typing you this. My kitchen smells delicious! The hubby and kids can't wait o dig in and either can I! I already know it's going to be great. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's a great little casserole & so easy too - hope everybody enjoyed it!
DeleteIt's in the oven right now. My kitchen smells delicious! The hubby and kids can't wait to dig in and either can I! I already know it's going to be great! :)
ReplyDeleteI hope y'all enjoyed it Kat!
DeleteWe're going to try this with a Gluten free crust tonight. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteOh, I hope that it works Wendy!! I just don't know a think about gluten free cooking. Let us know if it worked out & what you did.
DeleteI followed the recipe, however I took about 5 pieces of shady brook farms hot Italian sausage out of the casings and mixed it with the hamburger meat. I also made my own pizza sauce with a can of crushed tomatoes because I was too lazy to go to the store. Thank you for sharing this recipe, because I really didn't want any pasta in my casserole
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome Crystal! The pizza casserole with pasta is pretty good too, but I love this one the best & it's great with sausage. I love sausage on my pizza. Glad you enjoyed it too!
DeleteI followed the recipe, however I took about 5 pieces of shady brook farms hot Italian sausage out of the casings and mixed it with the hamburger meat. I also made my own pizza sauce with a can of crushed tomatoes because I was too lazy to go to the store. Thank you for sharing this recipe, because I really didn't want any pasta in my casserole
ReplyDeleteHave you ever made this ahead of time and if so, how did you prep it? I want to make this for our church potluck and am trying to figure out the best way to do that.
ReplyDeleteI haven't made it ahead. I think I'd make the meat mixture and put it in the pan, but wait to mix the batter portion until just before you bake it. You could also probably bake it, let it cool and then rewarm it, though I've not done that either so not sure if the quality would suffer on the reheat.
DeleteI made this I made this tonight, and wow. I was skeptical it would come out like a pizza, but it did! I was tempted to change it thinking the cheese on bottom would stick or burn, but it made perfect, sliceable pieces. I followed the recipe exactly and made the homemade pizza sauce too, it's really good. Next time, I'll probably add Italian sausage. Everything I've ever made from this site is a family favorite.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! We love this recipe - I'm so glad that y'all did too!
DeleteSuch a unique and versatile recipe! I'm going to try it with cheddar cheese and sloppy joe for the filling, instead of mozzarella and pizza filling. My daughter makes a recipe with sloppy joe filling topped with cheese in biscuit cups that are pressed into a muffin pan. It's very good, but nobody has time for all that pressing and rolling of biscuits. I'm going to use your upside down batter method instead. I know it will work great. I wonder if it would work for some kind of chicken filling as well? Wish I had found this recipe when my kids were younger!
ReplyDeleteOh I'm sure this recipe could be open to many different variations. Let me know if you decide to experiment with those!
DeleteThis is sooooo good ! I made it for supper last night, and we loved it. Thank you for another favorite !
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that you gave it a try. I just love this - it's so versatile!
Delete