Dutch Oven Upside Down Pizza

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 50

Resting Time: 5

Total Time: 1 5

Servings: Servings

Camping For Foodies Dinner Camping Recipes: This Dutch Oven Upside Down Pizza recipe is a fun twist on a classic deep dish pan style pizza.

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Ingredients

1/2 pound ground hot Italian sausage mild it you are sensitive to spicy food
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 (6 oz) package sliced pepperoni
1 green bell pepper sliced into thin rings
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 cups shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese
1 (14 oz) can refrigerated ready to bake pizza crust dough
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, sliced into thin pats
Grated Parmesan cheese and torn fresh basil leaves optional for serving

Instructions

Prepare your ingredients, heat source and equipment as directed.
Prepare the dough. Lay the pizza dough on a flat surface, using your hands, flatten and stretch the dough to the approximate size and shape of the camping Dutch oven. Place the Dutch oven lid on top of the dough to create an impression and remove the lid. Use a sharp knife to cut around the impression and remove excess dough. Use a fork to prick holes in the top of the dough, about 10 pricks will be enough to let steam release from the pot as the pizza bakes. Set the dough aside.
Pre-heat a standard-depth 12-inch Dutch oven for frying then baking at 400 degrees F. (29 total charcoal briquettes or campfire coals = 19 top of lid / 10 bottom of the oven) NOTE: This Dutch oven pizza recipe requires frying and baking for a total cooking time of at least 50 minutes so you may need two batches of coals. When the first batch of coals is about halfway burned down, assess the cooking process and prepare a second set of coals if you will need them.
Start with all the coals below the oven for frying. In 12-inch cast iron Dutch oven, brown Italian sausage over medium-high heat, breaking up sausage into crumbles as it cooks.
When sausage is about half-way browned, add onion and garlic to pot. Continue cooking until the sausage is fully cooked, about 20 minutes total. Remove mixture from the pot and let it drain on a plate lined with paper towels. If there is a lot of grease in the pot, use a paper towel to soak it up and remove it from the pot.
Evenly layer the pepperoni slices in the bottom of the Dutch oven.
Place green pepper slices over the pepperoni.
Spoon Italian sausage mixture back into the pot, spreading it in an even layer.
Pour the tomato sauce over the meat and season with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle the mozzarella shredded cheese on next.
Carefully place dough on top of the pizza mixture. Make sure the dough reaches to the edges, all around the inside walls of the cast iron pot.
Place butter pats evenly over the top of the dough and cover with Dutch oven lid.
Bake at 400 degrees F until the dough is cooked through and golden brown, about 20-30 minutes. (Place 19 coals on top of the oven / 10 coals below the bottom of oven.) Using a lid lifter, turn oven and lid 1/4 turns in opposite directions every 5 minutes or so to ensure even baking. Camp Cooking Tip: If top of pizza crust is not browned after 15 minutes, move all bottom coals to the top of the lid and continue cooking until you have a slightly crispy crust that is nicely browned.
Remove lid and oven from heat. Run knife around inside edge of the oven to make sure the crust is not sticking to the oven walls. Then, use heat resistant gloves and place a large platter, pizza pan or large baking sheet on top of the oven, then, VERY CAREFULLY, invert the hot oven so the pizza sits right-side-up on the plate.
Let cool a little bit before slicing. Serve hot pizza topped with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil, if desired.

Notes

Here are a few more useful links:

Dutch Oven Temperature Chart https://www.campingforfoodies.com/dutch-oven-temperature-chart/

Camping For Foodies Recipes List https://www.campingforfoodies.com/camping-recipes-list/

Our Products https://www.campingforfoodies.com/shop/

Nutrition Information