In the Kitchen: Trying Out Tasty’s Upside Down Pan Pizza — It’s So Good!

Upside Down Pan Pizza. It’s been on my mind for days since I watched Tasty.co’s video tutorial about proper use and care of cast iron skillets.

I’m sure mom told me how to use them when I was a teen, but honestly I’ve forgotten. Once I seasoned the skillet as they instructed, it’s been non-stick and I’ve been cooking farm-fresh eggs from Shangri-La Farm, bacon, hash browns, and more — and it’s tasting so good.

So, Saturday night my journalist schedule cleared up, and I decided to make Tasty’s Upside Down Pan Pizza. The recipe is a good one, but for our family’s liking we will change a few things for next time: 1) Make thicker dough (methinks this is user error); 2) Use half a cup of less pizza sauce; 3) Don’t flip the pizza, simply cut it straight out of the cast iron skillet.

As I was getting ready to put it into the oven, I got a call from my youngest son, Aaron, who was with his buddies Ethan and Will, so I wasn’t sure it would be enough for so many hungry boys who just spent the day playing at the river.

It requires the following ingredients, per Tasty.co

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced into rings
• nonstick cooking spray, for greasing
• ½ cup pepperoni, sliced
• ¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
• ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 7 slices provolone cheese
• 2 cups pizza sauce
• all-purpose flour, for dusting
• 1 lb pizza dough

Here are the instructions copied from https://tasty.co/recipe/upside-down-deep-dish-pizza

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a 12-inch (30 cm) cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Add the green pepper and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
4. Turn off the heat. Grease the pan with nonstick spray.
5. Arrange the pepperoni in an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Top with the green peppers, onions, Parmesan, and mozzarella. Arrange the provolone slices over the shredded cheese in an even layer. Top with the pizza sauce and spread evenly.
6. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pizza dough to a 12-inch (30 cm) round. Gently lay the pizza dough over the pizza sauce, making sure the dough reaches to the edges all around. Brush the dough with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.
7. Bake for 25 minutes, until the dough is golden brown.
8. Carefully remove the skillet from the oven. Place a large baking sheet on top, then quickly invert the pizza onto the pan.
9. Return to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes, until the pepperoni begins to crisp.
10. Slice into 8 wedges, then serve.
11. Enjoy!