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Upside-down deep dish pepperoni pizza with jalapeño slices and melted mozzarella on a dark round pan

Upside Down Pizza with Pepperoni and Jalapeño

A deep dish pizza built backwards in a cold pan. Pepperoni goes down first, then mozzarella, marinara, Parmesan, fresh jalapeños and more mozzarella, with the pizza dough laid over the top like a lid. Baked at 400°F and flipped out onto a board so the crisped pepperoni ends up on top.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 6 slices
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian-American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tube Pillsbury pizza dough Your own dough or any store bought variety works.
  • Marinara sauce To taste. Whatever you like.
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 1 to 2 cups. Used twice, under the sauce and again over the jalapeños.
  • Pepperoni slices Regular size. Enough to cover the bottom of the pan.
  • Fresh jalapeños Sliced thin into rounds.
  • Grated Parmesan cheese To taste, over the sauce.
  • 1 egg beaten, for the egg wash
  • Oregano For sprinkling over the egg wash.

Equipment

  • Square cast iron skillet, deep dish pan or baking dish Smooth flat bottom. Avoid anything with ridges or grill grates.
  • Pastry Brush For the egg wash.
  • Cutting board or serving platter For flipping the pizza out.
  • Spatula In case anything sticks.

Method
 

Build It Upside Down
  1. Start with a cold pan with a smooth flat bottom. A square cast iron skillet, deep dish pan or baking dish all work. Avoid anything with ridges, because the pepperoni and cheese will lodge in the grooves and tear when you flip it.
  2. Lay a generous layer of pepperoni across the entire bottom of the pan, overlapping the slices so the bottom is well covered.
  3. Sprinkle a layer of shredded mozzarella over the pepperoni.
  4. Spoon the marinara sauce over the cheese and spread it out evenly.
  5. Sprinkle grated Parmesan over the sauce, then add the thinly sliced fresh jalapeños.
  6. Add a second layer of shredded mozzarella over the jalapeños. This layer binds everything to the dough so nothing shifts loose in the flip.
Top and Bake
  1. Lay the pizza dough over the top, pressing it gently into place and tucking the edges down around the inside of the pan like a lid.
  2. Brush the top of the dough with beaten egg, then sprinkle with oregano.
  3. Bake at 400°F for 15 to 20 minutes, until the dough is golden brown and cooked through.
Flip It
  1. Let it sit for a minute or two. Place a cutting board or serving platter over the pan and carefully flip it over. The pizza should release in one piece with the crisped pepperoni and melted cheese now on top.
  2. If anything is sticking, run a spatula around the edges and underneath before flipping.

Notes

Smooth pan, not ridged: Miguel used a cast iron with ridges and some of the pepperoni and cheese lodged in the grooves. Every ridge is a place for pepperoni to stick and tear when you flip.
Cold pan, no grease: The pepperoni renders enough fat in the first few minutes to grease the pan itself, and that rendered fat is what fries the pepperoni crisp instead of steaming it.
Why the layers go in that order: Pepperoni against the metal is the whole point. Cheese seals it in and glues everything together for the flip. Sauce goes over the cheese so the pepperoni never sits in liquid. The second cheese layer binds the filling to the dough.
Not a make ahead: Thirty minutes start to finish, and assembled dough does not hold well.
Make it yours: Sausage, onions, mushrooms, garlic, whatever your people like on pizza.

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