I love pizza and lasagna, so I combined the two into a lasagna pizza made in a cast iron skillet. After getting my cast iron, I looked for every chance to use it, and this recipe was worth the effort — the result was fantastic.
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Cast Iron Pizza Recipe
While researching this cast iron pizza lasagna, I referenced several deep dish and lasagna recipes and combined the best techniques. Everything in this recipe is made from scratch, producing a rich, layered dish with a sturdy, crisp cast iron crust.
Home Made Smoked Pizza Dough
You can use store-bought dough, but making it at home takes only minutes to mix and a short rise. Start by dissolving active dry yeast (not instant), sugar, and warm water until foamy. In a large bowl mix the flour, bloomed yeast, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt. Blend with a mixer until smooth, cover, and let rise 15–20 minutes.
After rising, turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead until it’s no longer sticky. Once the dough is ready, set it aside while you prepare the filling.
Simple Lasagna Filling
For a good deep-dish-style pizza, make sure the first layer of filling isn’t too wet. Cook and reduce the filling in a skillet before assembling the pizza.
In a large skillet brown 1 pound ground Italian sausage, 1 pound ground beef, and one small diced onion over medium heat until no pink remains. Drain excess fat, return the meat to the skillet, and add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, water, sugar, minced parsley, garlic, basil, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until thickened.
Smoked Pizza Dough Prep
While the sauce simmers, roll the dough on a floured countertop until it fits your cast iron skillet (I used a 12″ skillet). Drape the dough into the skillet and press it up the sides.
Preheat your smoker to 350°F (175°C). When it reaches temperature, place the skillet with the dough in the smoker and cook for about 15 minutes. Remove the crust as soon as the top edges begin to brown.
More Smoked Lasagna Filling
Combine ricotta cheese, one egg, salt, and minced parsley in a small bowl. This mixture adds creaminess and helps bind the layers.
Time to Make the Smoked Pizza Lasagna
By now the meat sauce should be thick. Start assembling by spreading enough meat sauce over the par-baked crust to cover the bottom. Add a layer of the ricotta mixture, sprinkle shredded mozzarella, then place no-boil lasagna noodles. Repeat the layers — sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, noodles — until the skillet is full.
Return the filled skillet to the smoker at 350°F and cook uncovered for 30 minutes. After that, cover the pizza with foil and cook another 30 minutes. Finally, remove the foil and continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C) and the surface is brown and bubbly.
Checking the internal temperature made it easy to know when the lasagna pizza was safely cooked through and perfectly set. The finished pie had a crispy crust that held up to the heavy layers of filling, and the leftovers reheated well.
Cast Iron Pizza Lasagna Recipe
I made this for six adults and we still had plenty left — it serves a crowd. The combination of smoky flavor from the smoker and the hearty lasagna-style layers made this a standout meal. I cook a lot on my smoker, and this cast iron pizza lasagna is a rewarding twist on both pizza and lasagna that I’ll make again.
Cast Iron Smoked Pizza
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
- 2 cups water warm
- 1 tbsp active dry yeast
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 5 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp italian seasoning
- ½ tsp garlic powder
Pizza Filling
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb mild ground italian sausage
- 3 cloves garlic
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- ⅔ cup water
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 3 tbsp parsley minced
- 2 tsp basil
- ¾ tsp salt
- 15 ounces Ricotta Cheese
- 4 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1 pkg no boil lasagna noodles
Instructions
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Dissolve active dry yeast with sugar and warm water until foamy.
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In a large bowl add flour, bloomed yeast, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt. Mix until smooth, cover, and let the dough rise 15–20 minutes.
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Turn the risen dough onto a floured surface and knead until no longer sticky.
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In a large skillet combine ground sausage, ground beef, and diced onion. Cook over medium heat until no pink remains, drain, and return to the skillet.
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Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, water, sugar, parsley, garlic, basil, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until thickened.
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Roll the dough to fit your cast iron skillet, drape it into the skillet, and press the edges up the sides.
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Preheat the smoker to 350°F. Par-bake the crust in the smoker for about 15 minutes until the edges brown, then remove.
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Mix ricotta, egg, salt, and parsley in a small bowl.
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Layer meat sauce, ricotta mixture, mozzarella, and no-boil lasagna noodles in the crust. Repeat until full.
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Cook the filled skillet uncovered at 350°F for 30 minutes, then cover with foil and cook another 30 minutes. Uncover and continue until the internal temperature reaches 165°F and the top is brown and bubbly.
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When the surface is brown and bubbly and the internal temperature is 165°F, the pizza is ready to serve.