I was on the phone with a client from Chicago one day discussing pizza, and he asked if I ever make Chicago-style pizza. I told him yes, and I thought I’d share the recipe with you. Once I planned out the ingredients, I went shopping and put it all together—and those who tried it loved it. Now I’m hopefully making my friends in Chicago as happy as my friends in New York!

You’ll Need:

  • 2 dough balls (approximately 1ó lb. each)
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1 c. chopped onions
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 7 oz. jar roasted red sweet peppers and onions, chopped
  • 4 oz. can sliced mushrooms, drained
  • 1ó c. shredded provolone cheese
  • 10 oz. frozen spinach, drained well
  • 1 egg, whipped

Directions:

Knead the dough balls. Grease the bottom of a 9” spring form pan and lightly fl our the surface. Take one dough ball and press to fit into the bottom and sides of the pan. Set the other dough ball aside. In a large skillet, combine the ground beef, onions and garlic. Sauté until the meat is brown and the onions are tender. Drain the fat. Return the mixture to the stove and add the pizza sauce, red sweet peppers, onions, and mushrooms; cook until heated through. Cover and keep warm. Sprinkle one cup of provolone cheese to cover the bottom of the spring form pan. Add the meat mixture on top of the cheese. Pat dry the spinach and add it to the mixture with the remaining provolone cheese and egg. With the other dough ball, make a circle about 9” and cover the ingredients well, pinching all around the sides to seal them. Bake at 350° for about 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Remove the sides of the spring form pan and cut into wedges. Serves 8.

Chef Bruno is PMQ’s culinary advisor, with 40 years of international pizza experience. He is the corporate chef for Marsal & Sons, and the culinary coach of the U.S. Pizza Team.
Chef Santo Bruno, Food & Ingredients