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Easy Skillet Cheese Pizza for Two

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on August 18, 2020

Time

1½ hours

Yield

Serves 2

Easy Skillet Cheese Pizza for Two

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil ½ cup canned diced tomatoes, drained with juice reserved1 small garlic clove, minced⅛ teaspoon salt 1 Basic Pizza Dough for Two recipe, room temperature4 ounces whole-milk mozzarella cheese, shredded (1 cup)2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Before You Begin

You can substitute 8 ounces of store-bought pizza dough for the dough in this recipe. Let the dough sit at room temperature while preparing the remaining ingredients and heating the oven; otherwise, it will be difficult to stretch. Feel free to add simple toppings before baking, but keep the toppings light or they may weigh down the thin crust and make it soggy.

Instructions

  1.  Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Grease 12-inch ovensafe skillet with 2 tablespoons oil.
  2.  Pulse tomatoes, garlic, salt, and remaining 1 tablespoon oil together in food processor until coarsely ground, about 12 pulses. Transfer mixture to liquid measuring cup and add reserved tomato juice until sauce measures ½ cup.
  3.  Place dough on lightly floured counter. Press and roll dough into 11-inch round. Transfer dough to prepared skillet; reshape as needed. Spread sauce over dough, leaving ½-inch border at edge. Sprinkle mozzarella and Parmesan evenly over sauce.
  4.  Set skillet over high heat and cook until outside edge of dough is set, pizza is lightly puffed, and bottom crust is spotty brown when gently lifted with spatula, about 3 minutes.
  5.  Transfer pizza to oven and bake until crust is brown and cheese is golden in spots, 7 to 10 minutes. Using potholders (skillet handle will be hot), remove skillet from oven and slide pizza onto cutting board. Let pizza cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Easy Skillet Cheese Pizza for Two
Styling by Marie Piraino.

Easy Skillet Cheese Pizza for Two

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

1½ hours

Yield

Serves 2

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup canned diced tomatoes, drained with juice reserved
1 small garlic clove, minced
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 Basic Pizza Dough for Two recipe, room temperature
4 ounces whole-milk mozzarella cheese, shredded (1 cup)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup canned diced tomatoes, drained with juice reserved
1 small garlic clove, minced
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 Basic Pizza Dough for Two recipe, room temperature
4 ounces whole-milk mozzarella cheese, shredded (1 cup)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup canned diced tomatoes, drained with juice reserved
1 small garlic clove, minced
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 Basic Pizza Dough for Two recipe, room temperature
4 ounces whole-milk mozzarella cheese, shredded (1 cup)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Why This Recipe Works

First we oiled our skillet to prevent sticking and to encourage browning. We then added the dough and topped it with a sauce of diced tomatoes, olive oil, and garlic; this simple sauce plus a combination of mozzarella and a little Parmesan were all the toppings this easy pizza needed. After giving our assembled pizza a jump start on the stovetop, we transferred the skillet to the oven to allow it to finish cooking through, until the cheese melted and the crust turned brown.

Before You Begin

You can substitute 8 ounces of store-bought pizza dough for the dough in this recipe. Let the dough sit at room temperature while preparing the remaining ingredients and heating the oven; otherwise, it will be difficult to stretch. Feel free to add simple toppings before baking, but keep the toppings light or they may weigh down the thin crust and make it soggy.

Instructions

  1.  Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Grease 12-inch ovensafe skillet with 2 tablespoons oil.
  2.  Pulse tomatoes, garlic, salt, and remaining 1 tablespoon oil together in food processor until coarsely ground, about 12 pulses. Transfer mixture to liquid measuring cup and add reserved tomato juice until sauce measures ½ cup.
  3.  Place dough on lightly floured counter. Press and roll dough into 11-inch round. Transfer dough to prepared skillet; reshape as needed. Spread sauce over dough, leaving ½-inch border at edge. Sprinkle mozzarella and Parmesan evenly over sauce.
  4.  Set skillet over high heat and cook until outside edge of dough is set, pizza is lightly puffed, and bottom crust is spotty brown when gently lifted with spatula, about 3 minutes.
  5.  Transfer pizza to oven and bake until crust is brown and cheese is golden in spots, 7 to 10 minutes. Using potholders (skillet handle will be hot), remove skillet from oven and slide pizza onto cutting board. Let pizza cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

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