Stuffed Crust Cast Iron Pizza
This stuffed crust cast iron pizza is super easy to make for family dinner nights. This easy cast iron skillet pizza is some of the best homemade pizza you will ever have!
Pizza night happens at least once a week in my house, which means I’ve had a lot of practice figuring out which version is worth the extra effort and which one is just there to fill the Friday slot. This one earns its place. The cast iron skillet gives the crust a real crispness on the bottom that a baking sheet can’t match, and folding a ring of mozzarella into the edge before it goes in the oven means every slice along the crust comes with a pull of melted cheese.
The method has two stages: the dough starts on the stovetop in a hot, oiled skillet, which begins crisping the bottom before anything else happens. Then it gets folded, topped, and finished in a very hot oven. The whole thing is done in about 30 minutes, most of which is hands-off oven time.
One thing to know going in: you want a dough ball in the 14-16 oz range for a 10-inch cast iron. Too small and you won’t have enough dough to fold over for the stuffed crust; too large and the crust won’t cook through properly in the time it takes the toppings to finish.
What ingredients are in stuffed crust cast iron pizza?
Cast Iron Pizza Ingredients
Pizza dough (one 14-16 oz ball): Bakery dough from the grocery store (Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, or a local pizzeria selling dough balls) works well and saves the proofing time a from-scratch dough requires. If using a smaller dough ball (under 12 oz), you may not have enough excess dough at the edges to fold over for a proper stuffed crust — stretch it slightly less thin to compensate, or use a smaller skillet.
Pizza sauce (about 2-3 tbsp for a 10-inch pizza): A thin, even layer is correct here — too much sauce makes the crust soggy, especially with the stuffed-crust edge already adding moisture from the melting cheese.
Fresh mozzarella, sliced (for the stuffed crust): Fresh mozzarella melts more smoothly inside the folded crust than shredded would, and slices lay flat in a ring around the edge more easily. About 6-8 thin slices is typically enough to ring a 10-inch skillet.
Shredded mozzarella (1 cup, for the top): Standard low-moisture shredded mozzarella is the better choice for the top layer — fresh mozzarella on top can release more water during baking and make the top wetter than you want.
Proteins or veggies (your choice): Pre-cook any raw protein (sausage, chicken) before adding as a topping — the pizza’s 10-15 minute bake time isn’t enough to cook raw meat through. Vegetables with high water content (mushrooms, fresh tomato) should be used in moderation or pre-cooked slightly to avoid excess moisture on the pizza.
Olive oil (2 tbsp, for the skillet and drizzling): Used both to grease the skillet before the dough goes in and as a finishing drizzle over the toppings before baking.
How do you made this cast iron pizza recipe ?
Step 1: Heat the skillet
Add the olive oil to a 10-inch cast iron skillet and heat over medium-high heat on the stovetop for 2-3 minutes, until a pinch of flour sizzles immediately on contact.
Step 2: Add the dough
On a floured surface, roll or stretch the pizza dough slightly larger than the skillet. Carefully lay the dough into the hot skillet, pressing it up the sides — it should sizzle audibly on contact. There should be enough excess dough hanging over the edge to fold inward.
Step 3: Build the stuffed crust
Arrange the sliced fresh mozzarella in a ring around the inside edge of the dough, about an inch from where the dough meets the skillet wall. Fold the overhanging dough up and over the cheese, pressing to seal it into a stuffed crust border all the way around.
Step 4: Let the bottom start crisping
Leave the assembled crust on the stovetop heat for 1-2 minutes while you prepare the toppings — this gives the bottom crust a head start before the oven. Watch it closely; cast iron holds heat aggressively.
Step 5: Sauce and top
Spoon the pizza sauce into the center and spread it in an even, thin layer, avoiding the stuffed crust border. Top with shredded mozzarella and your choice of pre-cooked proteins or vegetables. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Step 6: Bake
Transfer the skillet to the oven (preheated to 500°F, on the bottom rack) and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the crust is deeply golden and the cheese is bubbling.
Step 7: Rest and slice
Let the pizza rest in the skillet for 3-5 minutes before slicing — cutting immediately causes the cheese to slide rather than stay in place. Use a pizza cutter and slice directly in the skillet, or carefully transfer to a cutting board using oven mitts (the skillet handle stays very hot well after coming out of the oven).
Why this pizza starts on the stovetop
Most homemade pizza goes straight into the oven. This one starts on the stovetop specifically because direct contact with a hot cast iron skillet begins crisping the bottom crust immediately and more aggressively than oven heat alone would in the same time frame — the same principle behind cast iron skillet cornbread or a smash burger sear.
Getting the skillet hot enough: Heat the cast iron over medium-high heat with the olive oil for about 2-3 minutes before the dough goes in. You’ll know it’s ready when a pinch of flour or a drop of water sizzles immediately on contact. If the dough goes into a skillet that isn’t hot enough, you lose the crisping benefit entirely and end up with a softer, more standard crust.
The dough goes in, gets folded, then waits briefly before the oven. After laying the dough in and folding the stuffed crust edge, let the assembled pizza sit on the stovetop heat for about 1-2 minutes before transferring to the oven — this gives the bottom crust a head start on crisping while you finish adding sauce and toppings. Don’t walk away during this step; cast iron retains heat aggressively and a forgotten pizza can scorch on the bottom faster than you’d expect.
The oven finish is about the top, not just the bottom. The 500°F oven heat is what melts the cheese, cooks the toppings, and finishes browning the top of the crust — the stovetop step has already done most of the work on the bottom by the time it goes in.
Troubleshooting:
The cheese leaked out of the stuffed crust during baking. The fold wasn’t sealed tightly enough, or the mozzarella slices were too close to the edge of the dough where it meets the skillet. Press the dough fold firmly to seal completely, and keep the cheese ring at least an inch from the outer edge so there’s enough dough to fold over and pinch closed.
The bottom crust is soft instead of crispy. The skillet wasn’t hot enough before the dough went in. Heat for the full 2-3 minutes and test with a pinch of flour before adding the dough — it should sizzle immediately, not gradually.
The pizza burned on the bottom before the top finished cooking. Cast iron retains heat aggressively and can overcook the bottom in a very hot oven. If this happens, reduce the oven temperature to 450°F next time, or move the rack up from the very bottom position.
The middle is undercooked while the edges are done. The dough may have been too thick in the center, or too much sauce/topping moisture is slowing the cook in the middle. Spread dough as evenly as possible and keep sauce and toppings light rather than piled in the center.
You can add you favorite toppings such as red pepper flakes, red onion, parmesan cheese, fresh basil, spicy italian sausage and so much more. For this recipe the pizza crust is stuffed with an extra layer of yummy mozzarella cheese. It’s not quite a deep dish pizza but it’s still so good! The crispy crust and cheese make it the perfect combination!
FAQs
A dough ball in the 14-16 oz range works best. Smaller dough balls may not leave enough excess at the edges to fold over for the stuffed crust; significantly larger ones can be difficult to cook through evenly in the bake time.
Yes, for any raw protein like sausage or chicken — the 10-15 minute bake time isn’t long enough to cook raw meat through safely. Vegetables don’t need to be pre-cooked, though high-moisture ones like mushrooms benefit from a quick sauté first to avoid excess liquid on the pizza.
Yes, though you’ll lose the stovetop crisping step that gives this pizza its distinctive bottom crust. A regular oven-safe skillet or a pizza stone in the oven will still produce a good pizza, just with a softer bottom crust than cast iron provides.
The dough fold likely wasn’t sealed tightly enough, or the cheese ring was placed too close to the skillet’s edge. Press the fold firmly closed and keep the cheese at least an inch from where the dough meets the pan.
Reheat in a skillet over medium heat, covered, or in a 375°F oven for 8-10 minutes. Both restore crispness better than a microwave, which tends to leave the crust soft.
VARIATIONS
Pepperoni and extra cheese: The classic. Layer pepperoni under the shredded mozzarella so it crisps slightly at the edges during baking rather than sitting fully exposed on top.
BBQ chicken: Swap pizza sauce for BBQ sauce, use pre-cooked shredded chicken, add red onion, and finish with a drizzle of more BBQ sauce after baking.
Margherita-style: Light sauce, fresh mozzarella both inside the crust and on top (in place of shredded), and fresh basil added after baking rather than before, so it doesn’t wilt and blacken in the high heat.
Veggie-loaded: Bell peppers, red onion, mushrooms (sliced thin, lightly sautéed first to remove excess moisture), and black olives.
This crispy cheesy pan pizza is great easy recipe that you can make on Friday night. If you want, when making this for the first time you can go all out with homemade pizza dough, or if you are like me you will pick some up from whole foods or Trader Joe’s (or your favorite store).It’s one of the easiest pizza recipes to make. Making pizza in your home kitchen is a great way to get the kids involved in dinner preparation.
It’s a great recipe with a thick crust filled with mozzarella cheese. The high temperature of the oven helps this pizza to have the perfect temperature.
Here are some more fun pizza recipes to try:
Easy Homemade Stuffed Crust Cast Iron Pizza
The stovetop start is what makes this different from a normal homemade pizza — the dough goes into a hot, oiled cast iron skillet first, which begins crisping the bottom crust before anything else happens. Fold the edges over a ring of mozzarella for the stuffed crust, top it, then finish in a 500°F oven. Crispy bottom, gooey stuffed edge, done in 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- Store-bought (bakery) pizza dough
- 2 tbs Store-bought pizza sauce
- Fresh Mozzarella, sliced
- 1 cup Shredded mozzarella Protein or Veggies.
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
Instructions
- Grease the cast-iron skillet with olive oil and heat on the stove top Roll out the pizza dough and lay inside of the pan (it should sizzle)
- There should be extra dough to fold over to create the stuffed crust. Lay slices of cheese around the edges and fold the dough over.
- Spoon sauce into the center and spread.
- Top with shredded mozzarella and proteins are veggies drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper
- Bake in the oven 10-15 minutes at 500 degrees.
Notes
The skillet will need to be hot so that the dough sizzles on stove top.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 441Total Fat 27gSaturated Fat 10gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 15gCholesterol 20mgSodium 468mgCarbohydrates 35gFiber 2gSugar 2gProtein 15g
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Hi! I’m Nellie. I am an entrepreneur, a busy mama of 3 and a wife to my high school sweetheart. I have been sharing content for over 12 years about how to cook easy recipes, workout tips and free printables that make life a little bit easier. I have been featured in places like Yahoo, Buzzfeed, What To Expect, Mediavine, Niche Pursuits, HuffPost, BabyCenter, Mom 2.0, Mommy Nearest, Parade, Care.com, and more!
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