Market Munchies - Skillet Pizza
First Quarter 2026: Meat Lover's Skillet Pizza
I remember the first time I earned a personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut, clutching that little certificate like it was worth more than gold. Five books read, each one logged carefully in my Book It! chart, and the reward was mine: a trip to the Goodland Pizza Hut where they brought out that skillet-sized pizza—all for me, not my brother, and earned by my own reading. That pan pizza, with its thick, slightly crispy crust and the way the cheese stretched when you pulled a slice away, became forever linked in my mind with the pleasure of reading. The satisfaction of working toward something and achieving it.
I've loved to read ever since, and I've never quite shaken my affection for a good pan pizza. Years later, traveling through Chicago on work trips, I'd duck into those famous deep-dish places, and something about that thick crust and hearty build would take me right back to those childhood Book It! days, even though the Chicago versions were taller, more elaborate, dressed up for the adult palate.
Here in Little River, we've blustery winds than Chicago to contend with. The kind of wind that sweeps across the Kansas prairie with nothing to stop them. We may not have those Pizza Hut Book It! programs anymore, or Chicago's legendary pizzerias, but we've got something better: cast iron skillets, grills, supplies provided by The Market, and the knowledge that the best food often comes from our own kitchens. National Pizza Day was February 9th, and we're celebrating by bringing you recipes for dough and sauce that brings the pan pizza spirit right to your stovetop or grill.
This isn't your thin-crust, fold-it-in-half pizza. This is substantial, hearty, the kind of meal that sticks to your ribs and makes a Kansas winter seem almost welcoming. And the beauty of the skillet method? You can make it indoors on your stove or take it outside to the grill when the weather cooperates—that cast iron holds heat like nobody's business, giving you a crispy bottom crust and those slightly charred edges that make all the difference.
The Recipes
These recipes will make one 12-inch skillet pizza that serves 4-6 people. As a bonus, we’ve included suggestions for topping your pizza via the Meat Lover’s method.
Homemade Pizza Dough
Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1 packet (2¼ tsp) active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for bowl
1 cup warm water (approximately 110°F)
Instructions:
In a large bowl, combine warm water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand 5-10 minutes until foamy.
Add flour, salt, and olive oil. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
Turn out onto a floured surface and knead 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Place in an oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm spot for 1-1½ hours until doubled.
Punch down and use immediately or refrigerate up to 3 days (bring to room temperature before using).
Simple Pizza Sauce
Ingredients:
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Pinch of sugar (optional, to balance acidity, and yes, we do add it)
Instructions:
Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
Add crushed tomatoes, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, and sugar if using.
Simmer 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Let cool before using. Sauce can be made up to 5 days ahead and refrigerated.
Putting it Together - Meat Lover's Style
Ingredients:
1 batch pizza dough (recipe above)
1 cup pizza sauce (recipe above)
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter for the skillet
½ pound Italian sausage, removed from casings and crumbled
4 strips bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
¾ cup sliced pepperoni
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup shredded provolone or cheddar cheese
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Fresh basil or parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions:
Cook the sausage in a skillet over medium heat until browned and cooked through, about 6-8 minutes. Drain and set aside. Cook bacon until crisp, crumble, and set aside.
Preheat your oven to 425°F. If using a grill, preheat to medium-high (about 400-425°F).
Heat a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat (or on the grill). Add olive oil or butter and swirl to coat the bottom and sides.
On a lightly floured surface, roll or stretch your dough into a 14-inch circle. Carefully transfer to the hot skillet, pressing it up the sides to form a shallow bowl.
Let the dough cook on the stovetop for 2-3 minutes to set the bottom, then remove from heat.
Spread pizza sauce evenly over the dough. Sprinkle half the mozzarella on the sauce, then layer on the cooked sausage, bacon, and pepperoni. Top with remaining mozzarella and the provolone or cheddar. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes if using.
Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven (or close the grill lid if using a grill). Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden and the crust is cooked through.
Carefully remove from oven (remember that handle is HOT!). Let rest 5 minutes before slicing. Garnish with fresh herbs if desired.
For Busy Nights: Store-Bought Shortcuts
We know not every night allows for from-scratch cooking. At The Market at Little River, we stock quality alternatives that'll get you to pizza faster:
Pizza Dough - Coming Soon: Look for refrigerated pizza dough in our dairy case—just bring it to room temperature for 30 minutes before using.
Pizza Sauce: We carry several excellent jarred pizza and marinara sauces. Any good-quality marinara works beautifully.
Postscript
There's something deeply satisfying about cooking in cast iron—the weight of it in your hands, the way it holds and distributes heat with evenness, the knowledge that this same pan might will serve you for decades if you treat it right, baking your family history into it. My grandmother cooked green beans in cast iron, my mother does, and now I do. A tradition of using what works because it tastes great and keeps my grandmother close.
February in Kansas is a peculiar month. The winter hasn't released its grip, but false springs begin to emerge, and we know warmth is just beyond the horizon. It’s in the angle of afternoon light; it’s in the way the wind shifts from time to time from that relentless north to something more tentative and exploratory from the south. It's a month of waiting, really, and what better way to pass the time than in the warmth of your kitchen, building something substantial and good from flour, tomatoes, and meat?
The beauty of this skillet method—whether you're cooking on your stovetop or have moved operations outside to the grill—is its accessibility. You don't need a pizza oven or a pizza stone or any special equipment beyond what you likely already own. Just a good cast iron pan, some basic ingredients, and the willingness to try something that might become a regular tradition in your house.
Maybe you'll make this pizza on a Sunday afternoon when you've got time to let the dough rise and the sauce simmer. We hope you'll call a few neighbors over, or maybe your kids will help stretch the dough, or you'll surprise yourself with how much better homemade tastes than anything that arrives in a delivery box. Those Book It! pizzas were rewards for reading, yes, but they were also markers of small accomplishments, proof that effort leads to satisfaction. This pizza—made in your own kitchen, with your own hands—offers that same sense of earned pleasure.
When you pull that skillet from the oven, cheese bubbling and golden, crust crisp at the edges, meat and sauce mingling in all the right ways, you've created something worth savoring. Share it with people you care about. Let it warm you from the inside out on these last remaining cold nights of winter.
But if homemade feels like too much of a chore tonight, we've always got frozen pizzas in the back. Sometimes the best dinner is simply the one that gets made.
We'll see you at The Market.
— JD
