Pile on your favorite toppings & make pizza night a bit more special with this Homemade Pan Pizza – crispy crust, soft bread & a delicious sauce!

You know the worst part of pizza night? Nothing. There can be nothing wrong with pizza night, because everyone loves pizza! But let’s face it: Friday night pizza has got a very junk food image. I blame the cheese and I know that even the most ardent pizza fan would agree, albeit begrudgingly. It’s almost impossible to imagine eating pizza without the cheese, but you know what? The earliest forms of pizza never featured cheese – with the exception of the Margherita, which was topped with mozzarella. In fact, the original pizzas were mostly sweet, and the savory versions were more like flatbreads and nothing like the stuff we now pick up from our local pizzeria!

I still remember when Domino’s and Pizza Hut set up shop in my neighborhood. Pizza, Burgers and fries were foreign foods in India, and I was well into my teens before I tasted my first pizza. Now, there’s one of each in almost every block, so much that it’s an epidemic – both on health and the road traffic! And I used to think that those pizzas were amazing, till I tasted one here when I moved to the US. After the first bite, I mentally spat on every pizza I had eaten in India, thinking they were the best. I bet that if I go to Italy now, I’d sing a different song about the pizzas I’ve eaten here.

But it doesn’t have to be the most evil thing in the world. With the right sauce and the right crust, you won’t really miss the gooey, stringy topping. Trust me! By making your own Homemade Pan Pizza, you know exactly what goes into it, thereby you control how indulgent or healthy it can be. Besides, without the cheese, it’s just bread, tomato sauce and lots and lots of veggies – doesn’t sound that bad, eh? Exactly! And it gives me another reason to party with my cast iron pan!

If you don’t already own a cast iron pan, here’s why you should get one immediately! Not only does it save you, it’s also better for the environment!

There are two things that sets a good pizza apart: the crust ( crisp, golden and non-oily) and the sauce. Oh the sauce!

And I got you covered on both fronts. My 5 min Spicy Marinara is a magical sauce that works on everything! For pasta, as dips, in a quesadilla, drizzled on nachos, anything! In fact, as a general ketchup-hater, I find this Spicy Marinara to be the perfect tomato alternative!

And the crust, oh boy, you’ll hear it sing to you when you try to cut yourself a slice! The base, is as soft as a pillow but the crust, is sinfully crisp. The sauce melds with the bread, giving your crunchy vegetables a smooth ride!

And at the end of the night, if there are any leftovers (I highly doubt that!), refrigerate and use this awesome tip to reheat your pizza like a pro! Just like new!

Notes:

1. This recipe makes one Homemade Pan pizza with a crust that’s about an inch thick. If you’re looking for a thicker crust, like the deep dish pizza, double the recipe.
2. The time spent on the stove helps create that gorgeously crispy crust. Don’t skip it.
3. Use a cast iron pan to make your pizza. I use this Lodge 10″ skillet. It goes from the stove to the oven seamlessly. If you’re using any other material to cook your pizza in, be sure it’s stove + oven-proof.

When you make these (which I really think you SHOULD!), be sure to SHARE YOUR PHOTOS with me through Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. I’d love to see what you cook from here!