Homemade Deep Pan Pizza...

This is an old family favorite around here...I discovered the recipe in a magazine about 6 yrs ago and tweaked it until it was to our liking...Since we were having it for dinner tonight I figured it was a great time to share my take on a Deep Pan Pizza.

KELSIE'S DEEP PAN PIZZA
Makes 6 servings

1 Can of Thick Crust Pizza Dough

1 to 1.5 lbs of Italian Sausage Meat

1 diced Yellow Onion

8 oz of fresh Mushrooms sliced

2 cans of Diced tomatoes

1 TBLS Dried Marjoram Leaves

1 TBLS Dried Basil Leaves

Dash of Garlic Powder to taste.

Olive Oil

2 cups shredded cheese...I like a blend of sharp cheddar and mozzarella...Tonight I was out of mozzarella so used only cheddar.

Pre-heat oven to 350...Grease 9x13 baking pan and line bottom and sides with pizza dough, put to one side to allow dough to come to room temperature.

Add a dash of olive oil to skillet and cook crumbled sausage until browned...Remove from pan onto paper towel to remove excess fat...Drain skillet of remaining fat...Saute onions and mushrooms until onions are soft and slightly browned...Add drained tomatoes, marjoram, basil, garlic powder, continue to cook them for about 5 minutes to blend flavors.

Spread crumbled sausage meat onto the bottom of the baking pan lined with the pizza dough...Spread 1 cup of cheese on top of the meat...Spoon the veggie mixture on top of cheese...Spread remaining cheese over veggie mixture..

Cook for around 30 minutes on middle shelf...

Serve with green salad and ENJOY.

A little FYI about this dish...I am working on body, house/family and budget in the new year and this recipe hit all 3 notes for me..

BODY - because it is homemade I have control that only good ingredience are used...For an even healthier option you could use turkey meat and add Italian herbs to give it more flavor...Switch the crust to thin crust, or even use tortillas as a base to the toppings...and you could explore your cheese options too...By serving it with salad and having a smaller slice of the pizza you have a balanced meal, v's a over indulgent pizza slam.

HOUSE/FAMILY - Bringing more home cooked meals to the family table, especially one we all love is always a bonus.

BUDGET - The pizza came to about $8 plus the price of the salad which at a guess came to under 2 dollars. This will feed our family for 2 nights, making one evening meal for 3 adults and one child a total of $5 (that is just $1.25 per person) and no one had to drive to town to pick it up :)

Blessings Kelsie