Who doesn’t love a Philly Cheesesteak? I think it’s a safe bet the answer is they love this tranditional sandwich. Today I thought I’d do a “mash-up”. I’m combining all the ingredients for a Philly Cheesesteak and putting them on a pizza. I’m making two pizzas cause one just won’t be enough. Better yet, I’m making them in my cast-iron skillet. The cast-iron skillet, because of its size, gives you a nice thick crust. This replicates the traditional hoagie roll of a Philly Cheesesteak sandwhich.
Below you’re going to see two slightly different looks to each of my Philly Cheesesteak Pizzas. It’s really all about the cheese topping. Let me explain, both pizzas start out exactly the same with shredded Mozzarella and Provolone cheese directly on the crust before adding the other toppings.
The first version I add the shredded Mozzarella and Provolone to the top as soon as the pizza came out of the oven. The cheese melts immediately because the pizza is piping hot.
The second version (5th picture below) is an “overhead view”. This one I added the shredded Mozzarella and Provolone cheese to the top before putting it into the oven.
There is really no right or wrong way to adding the cheese to the top before baking or after. I’ll leave it up to you to decide which way you like your pizza.
These are my Philly Cheesesteak Pizzas.
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Pizza Cook Time: 8 to 10 minutes
Yields: 6 to 8 servings (2-10″ pizzas, 16 slices total)
Equipment: 1 (12-inch) cast-iron skillet, 1 (12-inch) sautĂ© pan, 1 pizza cutter, chef’s knife, 2 rimmed baking sheet pans, aluminum foil, 1 small mixing bowl, 1 large mixing bowl, pastry brush, 2 spatulas
Ingredients For Pizza:
2 (1 pound) store-bought pizza dough balls. leave in plastic bags for 1 hour to double in size
all-purpose flour
Canola oil
1 pound (16 ounces) of Rib Eye steak, shaved
6 tablespoons of olive oil
2 large sweet onions, sliced into half-moons thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 green bell pepper, julienned
3 teaspoons of Kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
2 (8-ounce packages (2 cups) of store-bought whole milk shredded Mozzarella cheese, reserve 1/2 cup for the top
3/4 pound (2 1/4 cups) block of Provolone cheese, freshly grated, reserve 1/2 cup for the top
Ingredients For Flavored Butter:
1 stick (8 tablespoons) of butter, unsalted and melted
1 teaspoon of Kosher salt
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1 tablespoon of dried parsley flakes
Note: I’m using the 2 extra rimmed baking sheet pans for the prepped vegetables as seen above. You could use bowls if you prefer.
Note: Due to the inactive prep time, the actual prep time and cooking time for all the toppings the time turns out to be a wash. The pizzas, themselves, only take anywhere from 8 to 10 minutes in the oven.
Directions:
Set the store-bought pizza dough balls, in their plastic bags, to rest on the counter for 1 hour.
Next, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of Canola oil onto a sheet of paper towel. Wipe the bottom and sides of the cast-iron skillet with the oil and set aside.
Prep all the vegetables, mince the garlic, and grate the Provolone cheese.
First, preheat a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onions, 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper, and 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Stirring occasionally, cook until onions are soft and slightly golden brown around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and set aside.
Next, add another 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the same pan, still over medium-high heat. Add the bell peppers, 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper. Stirring occasionally, cook until the peppers soften. Add the minced garlic, stir to combine, another 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the cooked peppers and garlic to the same rimmed baking sheet pan and set aside.
To the same pan again, over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the shaved Rib Eye (separating the pieces) in one even layer, 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of fresh groung black pepper. Cook, just until brown, 3 minutes on one side, flip the shaved pieces of steak, cook for another 2 minutes on the side.
Preheat oven to 450-degrees F.
Remove one of the pizza dough ball from the plastic bag. Generously flour you hands and the dough ball. Using you hands, start by pressing the dough into a disk. Using the pads of your fingers (not your finger tips), press the center of the dough out towards the perimeter of the dough forming a circle. If you notice some bubbles forming around the edge, give them a pinch to pop those bubbles because they will burn during baking. Using both hands, pick the dough up by the outside edges, carefully, using a circular motion gently the stretch the dough until it reaches 10 inches (the size of the bottom of the cast-iron skillet) in diameter.
Once the dough is in the skillet, again using the pads of your fingers, gently press on the center moving towards the edges of the pizza dough forming the permeter crust. Refer to the pictures above.
Note: If the dough starts to contract or spring back, set the dough down and let it rest for about 5 to 10 minutes. You’ve overworked the dough and just needs time to rest.
For the first layer, add 3/4 cup of the grated Provolone cheese and 1 cup of shredded Mozzarella. Next, add half of the sautéed onions, then half of the sautéed peppers and garlic mixute. and finally arrange half of the browned shaved Rib Eye.
Now this is where the personal cheese topping choice comes in.
One way is to put this directly into the oven as is and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Take the pizza out of the oven and sprinkle 1/4 cup of each of the shredded cheeses over the top while the pizza is piping hot.
Another way is to top the pizza with a 1/4 cup of each of the cheeses before baking the pizza for 8 to w10 minutes. Either way is totally fine.
Directions For Flavored Butter:
While the pizza is baking, place a stick of softened butter into a small mixing bowl with Kosher salt, garlic powder, and dried oregano. Microwave until the butter is completely melted, approx. 20 seconds. After, add the parsley flakes, stir to combine, set aside.
As soon as the pizza comes out of the oven, use two spatulas to transfer the pizza to a cutting board. Brush the crust with my flavored butter. Using a pizza cutter, cut the pizza into 8 slices, Transfer to a large serving plate.
While your family’s enjoying the first pizza, get the second one into the oven. You are going to need it!
Serve with a side of Banana peppers or Marinara sauce. There you have it, my Philly Cheesesteak Pizzas.
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