If you’ve never had a deep dish cast iron pizza before, you’re missing out! This chorizo pizza is made up of sweet, caramelized onions and spicy chorizo sausage, all layered on to a soft, fluffy whole wheat pizza crust!
*Please note* this post was originally published in 2018. I’ve since redone the text but the recipe remains the same.
Sooo we’re back to -25 (C) temperatures over here in Calgary. Beautiful, balmy, Calgary. It’s only January 12 and I’m already over winter – in my mind I’m kicking back on my favorite chair in the backyard, drinking an ice cold bevy and basking in the sun….*sigh*. Once the excitement of Christmas and the holidays is over, I quickly lose patience with the cold and winter in general, and just look forward to the freedom that summer brings!
Only a “few” more months – and this is assuming I’ll actually have time to do any of the above with a brand new baby attached to me 🙂
Anyway, in the mean time, I’ll be over here cranking on the oven and warming up with cozy meals like my lazy perogies and THIS awesome cast iron chorizo pizza.
What is cast iron pizza?
If you haven’t tried pizza in a cast iron skillet yet, I URGE you to try it! It makes the most AMAZINGLY crisp, deep-dish like crust! You need to add a fair bit of oil to the bottom of the skillet to get that classic take-out taste, but trust me, it’s so worth it. My neighbors introduced this pizza method to me last summer and since then we’ve been making it fairly regularly. This chorizo pizza has been on regular rotation. Sausage is always a win with my kids!
How do you make cast iron chorizo pizza?
Start with the onions! Since we’re caramelizing the onions here, you’ll need to allow enough time for that (~hour) – but don’t leave it out! I usually caramelize a few onions at a time so I can put them on sandwiches or burgers for the next few days. They’re such a treat!
The caramelized onions will last in the fridge and taste just as good reheated in the skillet for a bit or in the microwave to use as a topping.
I use my trusty whole-wheat pizza dough recipe for the crust, but you can use any recipe for a 12″ pizza that you are comfortable with! This dough is 100% whole-wheat, but the oil in the cast iron skillet and the high heat makes the dough light and fluffy, with a crispy crunch. I’m usually that person that doesn’t eat the crusty edge on my pizza, but I definitely finish every last bit of this crust!
If you’d prefer to use all-purpose flour for the dough, the recipe remains the same. You can also do half and half!
The rest of the toppings are pretty simple – and totally customizable. You can choose a different meat if chorizo isn’t your game, but I personally recommend a spicy sausage! It contrasts SO well with the sweet onions and salty feta.
So, all of these flavors combined with a crispy, yet soft and fluffy crust, makes for one (EASY) awesome pizza – it will have you giving that boxed pizza in your freezer the snub in no time.
Can double the recipe for this chorizo pizza?
Yes, absolutely! If you have two cast iron skillets, you can make them at the same, or you can just slip the pizza out of the skillet when its ready and make the next one right after.
Do you have to use a cast iron skillet for the pizza?
If you don’t have a cast iron skillet or you don’t want to use it, you can also make the recipe on a pizza stone or a circular pizza pan. The cook time remains about the same, just keep an eye on the crust! You will also need much less oil on the bottom of the pan if you’re not using the skillet.
Fridays are for pizza, right?! I wish I was eating this one in the backyard in the sun, but for now I’ll make do with my cozy slippers and double layers. 😉
Happy weekending!
Also, be sure to check out some of my other favorite chorizo and pizza recipes from the blog:
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Cast Iron Caramelized Onion and Chorizo Pizza
- Total Time: 4 hours 55 minutes
- Yield: 1 pizza 1x
Description
If you’ve never had a deep dish cast iron pizza before, you’re missing out! This chorizo pizza is made up of sweet, caramelized onions and spicy chorizo sausage, all layered on to a soft, fluffy whole wheat pizza crust!
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup warm water*
- 1 package (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Caramelized Onion*
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp red wine, balsamic vinegar, or water
Pizza
- 3 tbsp avocado or canola oil
- 3 oz tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup chorizo sausage, crumbled or sliced*
- 1/2 green bell pepper
- 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
- cornmeal, for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the pizza dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, stir together the warm water with the yeast. Allow the mixture to sit for about 10 minutes, or until the yeast starts to foam up (proofing the yeast). If this doesn’t happen, your yeast may be dead. Start again with new yeast and water.
- Add 1 cup of the flour, the honey, salt and olive oil. Mix together on low for 1 minute, before adding the last cup of flour. Once the dough starts to form together, increase the speed to medium-high and run the mixer for about 5-6 minutes; if the dough continues to stick to the sides of the bowl, add an additional tablespoon of flour at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl (you may need to use up to 1/4 cup more flour in total). After 5-6 minutes, remove the dough from the bowl, and shape it into a round ball. Place the dough into a large bowl that has been sprayed with non-stick spray or lightly greased with olive oil. Turn the ball of dough around in the bowl to lightly coat all surfaces. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or a damp towel and leave it to rise at room temperature (away from cold drafts) for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.
- While the dough is rising, caramelize your onion. Melt the butter in a large skillet (cast iron or stainless steel is best) over medium heat. Add the sliced onion, and stir to coat. Cook the onion for 40-55 minutes, stirring them every 8-10 minutes with a wooden spoon, ensuring that all bits (fond) that collects on the bottom of the pan is scraped up and stirred. Taste a golden onion around 40 minutes, and if it tastes good to you, add the wine/vinegar/water to deglaze the pan. Stir/scrape up all of the remaining fond that has collected on the bottom of the pan. Turn off the heat and allow the onions to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 450 F. When your pizza dough is ready, punch it down lightly to release some of the air. Place it on a floured surface and roll the dough into a 12″ circle. Pour the oil into the bottom of a 12″ cast iron skillet* and swirl it around to coat. It will seem like a lot of oil, but trust me – it really helps to deliver that deep-dish flavour to your crust. Sprinkle some cornmeal over top of the oil (if desired). Place the circle of dough into the skillet, and fold up the sides slightly to create a bit of a crust around the edge.
- Top your pizza starting with tomato paste, chili flakes, and mozzarella cheese. Add the sausage, pepper and feta, and finish it off with the caramelized onion.
- Bake the pizza for 15-20 minutes, or until the edge of the pizza has turned a golden brown. Remove the skillet from the oven, and run a knife around the edge of the pizza. Using a spatula, lift the pizza out of the skillet and onto a large wood cutting board to slice and serve. Enjoy immediately!
Leftover pizza can be stored in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days.
Notes
- Water should be warm to the touch, but not hot.
- You only need 1 onion for this recipe, but I like to caramelize 2-3 at a time. To do this, double or triple the butter and wine/vinegar/water as well.
- Chorizo can be substituted for any other spicy meat/sausage
- A smaller/larger cast iron skillet can also be used – you will just end up with a thinner/thicker pizza.
- Prep Time: 1 hours 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hours 25 minutes
- Category: pizza
- Method: cast iron
- Cuisine: mexican
Keywords: deep dish cast iron pizza // chorizo pizza // deep dish cast iron pizza // ground chorizo pizza // skillet pizza
I wish I was having this for lunch today!!! It looks amazing and yes it is Pizza Day Friday!! YAY! Have a great weekend and stay warm! It’s freezing here in Indiana too…Over it!! 🙂
Yay for pizza Friday!! Sorry about your freezing temperatures – hope it warms up for both of us soon. (BAH – winter)!!! Thanks Kim!
WOW this looks sooooo good Katherine. It is a fantastic idea. My boys absolutely love pizza and this is such a great way to make it. Oh I am definitely making this for dinner this weekend. Thank you for sharing
Keep warm and have a great weekend 🙂
Thank you Ashika!! It is SO good!! I love all of the flavours on it – pizza is always a win with kids! I hope you love it – let me know how it goes! Have a great weekend yourself 🙂
We love skillet pizza and this flavor combination looks right up our alley! I see a pizza night in our near future.
Sorry it’s so chilly there, wow! Stay warm, my friend and have a lovely weekend!
Woohoo! Glad I’ve got a fellow skillet pizza lover in the midst! It makes such a difference hey!? I think it’s supposed to be a bit warmer this weekend so we may have a reprieve! Thank you Marissa!!
Mmmmm love caramelized onions on pizza! I definitely don’t miss the cold Alberta winters! Your pizza looks so good! I need to get myself a cast iron skillet…
SO good right!? I would not miss them either – I would really love to escape the cold! Thanks Michelle!! I highly recommend a cast iron skillet 😉
Girl, I hear ya with the cold weather! But, I do love me some cozy comfy clothes! I’ve never made pizza in a skillet before, but I regularly use my cast iron skillet so I don’t know what I’ve been waiting for! This looks delicious and a million times better than delivery. Caramelized onions are always worth the time they take to make and good on just about anything so I can imagine how good they are on pizza. Stay warm, my friend! XO
YEEEES love sweater weather – the more layers the better, haha! I can’t wait for you to try pizza in a skillet! It’s life changing (hah). I’ve been craving a batch of caramelized onions since I published this post!! Have a great weekend friend!!
I’m with you on the weather. We had freezing rain and snow yesterday and more snow coming on Monday before the temps plummet again! Ugh. I thought of baking bread today to warm up the kitchen…but maybe that should be pizza! LOVE your toppings!
Eek freezing rain sounds terrible!! I am so not a winter person! Bring on the summer and sunshine! Not much beats baked bread but fresh pizza is a close second 😉 Thanks so much Liz!!
Yum! That pizza looks GREAT!! I would have to at least double those onions because I would eat a whole serving “taste testing”! Stay warm and cozy, Katherine. It was incredibly warm this morning 60 degrees F but we are dipping down to 11 degrees tonight 🙁
Haha I usually do 2-3 onions at a time too because I end eating snacking on them like they’re chips!! I’m so jealous of your warm morning!!! 11 is not nearly as exciting though. Hope you have a lovely weekend Thao! XO
Wow!! That pizza definitely doesn’t look homemade!! I can see how fluffy that pizza base has turned out! And with that caramelized onion and chorizo topping, it just sounds heavenly!
Thank you dear Deepika!! Heavenly is a perfect way to describe it 😉 It’s so good, we’ve been making it on the regular! Hope you had a great weekend 🙂
This is an awesome way to do winter! I love pizza in a cast iron skillet. Love the toppings you’ve chosen here too Katherine! Delicious work!
Pizza in a cast iron skillet is a game changer!! It definitely helps to pass these cold days 🙂 Thank you so much Mary Ann!
When I think of Calgary I think of bitter cold but I have never been! This pizza looks so warm and cozy though 🙂
Haha it’s a pretty accurate description, unless you come in the glorious days of summer!! Thank you Kelly!
You are so right, Katherine! I made a homemade pizza in a skillet tonight (for the first time!) and it was seriously deep dish and crispy! Thanks for the supper inspiration! My husband loved it! Next time I make it, I’ll be giving your caramelized onions a try!
Yay, yay! I was so happy when I saw your Insta!! Glad you tried it out and loved it. You’ll definitely have to try out those caramelized onions – I need to make another batch myself!! Hope you had a great weekend Leanne!
Who doesn’t love a good pizza recipe?! Your recipe just rocks, Katherine. Perfect combo of ingredients for a pizza. Can I use maple syrup instead of honey?
Ah, high praise!! Thank you so much! It’s an awesome flavour combo for sure. You could totally use maple syrup – it might be a bit sweeter but I think it would go so well with the spicy sausage!!!
HOOOOOW did I miss this on Friday? I need to get my life together! And you need to come down to Phoenix for a visit because it’s WAY too cold where you live. We’ll make skillet pizzas because A) they’re basically the best thing ever and B) I’m now craving pizza because your pics are just gorgeous! Have a great week, Katherine!
Hahah aw, you seem like you’ve got it all together, girl! YES I definitely need to come visit. You have no idea how much I daydream about living somewhere like Phoenix. Boo to cold winters!! Team-effort skillet pizzas are in our future 😉 Thanks Kelsie!
yass! this looked so good! i have never made a skillet pizza before, i think you’ve just convinced me to try it!!! looks amazing and that caramelised onion omg
You’ve GOT to try it my friend!! You’ll thank me. And don’t forget about that onion!! Hope you had a great weekend!!
Im so with you, after Christmas I want the winter to be over. -25.. ouch! This pizza looks amazing and I am definitely gonna try the skillet next time! Delicious! Take care.
It’s just SO long. I’d be happy if winter and summer could switch places 🙂 You’ve gotta give the skillet a try! Thanks Stacey! XO
I do not eat chorizo, but this looks like a perfect-weekday-one-skillet-meal. There are even greens in there, so there is no side salad required (I’m beginning to sound a lot like my kids, lol ). Caramelized onions is an all time favorite of mine and anything with that wins my heart. My husband would totally gobble up this pie:)
Haha!! That’s hilarious – if you can get your greens while eating pizza it’s a win-win!! I looooove caramelized onions too. I hope you guys like the pizza!!
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Yes!!! Love this. I might make it tonight. My husband is out of town and so I could eat it ALL myself!!!
Ah, thanks Mimi!! I hope you love it! The cast iron skillet makes SUCH a good pizza crust!!
That was such a helpful tip for substituting the cast iron skillet for a pizza stone! And the feta cheese you added to the pizza was such a tasty fun idea!!