Stuffed Crust Deep Dish Pizza with Bocconcini

Prepare to be amazed. I barely know where to start, so I'll start with the crust - it's stuffed with cheese. Gooey, awesome cheese, hiding inside that chewy, toasty crust. Now for the filling - layer upon layer of good stuff - shredded mozzarella cheese, pizza sauce, baby mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, and crushed red pepper. So that's four different cheeses in this deep dish pie. Four. Score.

I'm typically a fan of thin-crust pizza, but this deep dish version just changed the game for me entirely. The crust is crispy and the filling is gooey - not an easy thing to accomplish in a skillet. The trick is to top the dough with cheese BEFORE topping with sauce - that ensures it stays crispy (not soggy) as it bakes to glorious perfection.

About the bocconcini: I used the small fresh balls of mozzarella called bocconcini (sold with the fresh mozzarella and burrata in the grocery store). You can also use 2-inch chunks of fresh mozzarella.

For the pizza sauce, choose a brand you like - whether it's refrigerated or shelf-stable. You can also use pasta sauce if you already have some handy - you can barely tell the difference.

About the dough: I used a refrigerated tube of dough, the kind sold near the crescent rolls. That variety of dough unrolls into a rectangle, which doesn't exactly work well in a skillet. Solution? Shape the dough into a ball, then roll it out into a 12-inch round. Don't fuss with the dough too much - you want to keep it light so it puffs up in the oven.

You can also use your favorite brand of refrigerated pizza dough - whether it's from the grocery store or pizza shop. It may be closer to 16 ounces, but that won't change anything in the instructions.

About the cheese in the stuffed crust: I used three cheese sticks (the kind you put in school lunches), and halved them lengthwise. Those 6 pieces, when placed end-to-end, were the EXACT diameter of the pizza crust. I didn't plan that - I got lucky. Now I know it will work perfectly for you in your 10-inch skillet.  If you don't typically buy cheese sticks and don't want to purchase a whole package for this recipe, you can find them sold individually too; and you can buy 3. OR, you can use diced mozzarella - which is a lot more work. One more thing, I used mozzarella, but you can use the swirled cheese sticks, or any variety you want.

Stuffed Crust Deep Dish Pizza with Bocconcini

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for brushing the edges of the crust
13.8 ounces refrigerated pizza crust, or pizza crust of choice (see note above)
3 mozzarella cheese sticks, or any cheese stick of choice, halved lengthwise (see note above)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup pizza or pasta sauce
6-8 bocconcini mozzarella balls (or pieces of fresh mozzarella)
2 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Fresh basil leaves for serving

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Brush a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.
Unroll the dough, roll it into a ball, then roll it out into a 12-inch circle.
Place the dough in the prepared skillet and press into the bottom and sides, so the dough moves up the sides of the skillet about 2 inches.
Place the halved mozzarella sticks around the interior of the pan, placing them end-to-end to make a complete circle along the entire bottom edge. Roll the top edge of the dough up over the cheese, making sure the cheese is completely covered in dough (the dough will seal to itself as it nestles under the cheese in the crust). Brush the crust with the olive oil.
Top the center of the crust with the shredded mozzarella cheese and spread out in an even layer. Top with the sauce. Arrange the bocconcini balls on top. Sprinkle the top with the parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.
Bake for 15 minutes, until the crust is puffed up and golden brown and the center is bubbly.
Cool for 5 minutes before slicing.

Serves 4