Somewhere between deep dish and regular pizza, this whole wheat chorizo spinach skillet pizza starts off with a quick homemade tomato sauce and is topped with plenty of fresh cheese, spicy chorizo, spinach and onions. Pizza night just got a whole lot better!
2links chorizo sausageremoved from casing (about 8 ounces)
2handfuls baby spinach
a few thinly sliced rings of red onion
red pepper flakes
olive oil for drizzling
Instructions
For the crust
Combine the warm water, sugar and yeast in a bowl and let proof until foamy, about 7-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the flour and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
Pour the water and yeast mixture into the mixer and turn on low-medium speed.
Knead eventually turning speed up to medium until dough pulls away from sides and forms a ball.
Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours until doubled in size.
For the pizza
Preheat oven to high broil and move a rack into the top third of the oven.
Roll the dough out on a well floured surface into a circle just a tiny bit larger than a 12 inch skillet. Transfer the dough to a pizza peel or well floured wooden cutting board.
Make the sauce by adding the extra virgin olive oil to a large non stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook until softened, about 2-3 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium-low, add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, sugar and thyme to the skillet, stir and cook on low heat until reduced and thickened, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
In the same skillet, cook the chorizo over medium-high heat until browned, breaking into small pieces with a spatula as it cooks. Transfer the chorizo to a plate and return skillet to the stove.
Add the spinach to the skillet and cook for 1-2 minutes until just wilted. Set aside.
Place a 12 inch cast iron skillet on the stove top over medium heat. You want it to get hot, but not smoke.
While the skillet heats up, assemble the pizza. Spoon the sauce on the dough (you may have a bit extra, save it for another pizza!) and spread evenly leaving a small border around the edges un-sauced. Sprinkle the mozzarella on top of the sauce, then the chorizo, spinach and finally the red onion slices. Finish with red pepper flakes and a drizzle of some olive oil.
Transfer the pizza from the peel or cutting board to the skillet. If you have another set of hands to help you here, use them! It can be a bit tricky but a well floured large spatula helps. Get the pizza into the skillet as best you can then shake it a bit to even it out in the pan. Don't worry if things get a little ugly, it'll still taste delicious!
Place skillet in the oven on the top rack and broil for 1.5 minutes. Turn the skillet, broil for another 1-2 minutes until crust has puffed up and starts to turn golden brown and crispy. Watch carefully because it will go from underdone to burnt quickly under a broiler!
Remove from oven, let cool a few minutes then remove from skillet and slice.