Everyone knows how much I love skillet cooking, especially when it involves my trusty cast‑iron pans. I’ve shared plenty of skillet recipes over the years and I still make every single one. So let’s dive into this one, shall we?

This recipe isn’t mine. I stumbled across it quite by accident, and I’m so glad I did. It’s the creation of Kelly Senyei, who shared it on her site Just a Taste. If you want to see her original post, notes, or comments, you can find them there.

Why This Pizza?

I’m not a huge pizza fanatic. I enjoy a slice now and then, but honestly, there are plenty of other things—like a good cheeseburger—that I’d pick first. Still, out of nowhere, I found myself craving a gooey, onion‑mushroom‑pepperoni pizza loaded with cheese.

What I didn’t want was to spend $20 on delivery.

I started by searching for tips on preparing mushrooms for pizza (do you cook them first? use canned? toss them on raw?).

Somewhere in that rabbit hole, I found Kelly’s skillet pizza recipe. Her version makes a deep‑dish pie with a wonderfully crispy crust, and she includes plenty of shortcuts that make it perfect for a weeknight dinner.

When she says ready in 15 minutes, she means it. I didn’t believe it at first—how could a crust cook that fast? But I was wrong. It works, and it’s delicious.

The only change I’d make next time is to use half the dough. I like deep dish, but this one came out a little thicker than I prefer.

So here we go—enjoy!

Kelly’s Thick‑Crust Skillet Pizza

Ingredients

1 pound homemade or store‑bought pizza dough, at room temperature
Extra‑virgin olive oil, for coating the pan
3/4 cup marinara sauce (homemade or store‑bought)
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Assorted pizza toppings

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 500°F, placing a rack in the center.
Coat the bottom and sides of a 10‑ or 12‑inch cast‑iron skillet with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the dough, turning to coat, then press it out to the edges. (You can also roll it out first, then place it in the pan.)
Spread the sauce evenly over the dough. No need to leave a border. Sprinkle with cheese and add your toppings.
Bake until the crust is dark golden and slightly crispy—10 to 15 minutes.
Let the pizza cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing, slicing, and serving.

Deb’s Notes

I was in a hurry, so I grabbed store‑bought dough. I let it sit on the counter while I put away groceries so it could warm up. Mine was garlic‑flavored, but my store had all kinds—beer dough, basil, sourdough, you name it.

The recipe calls for 1 pound of dough. My package was 1 lb. 4 oz., and with my tiny kitchen scale I couldn’t divide it accurately. That extra dough probably explains why my crust came out a bit thicker than I like, but it still spread beautifully in the cast‑iron pan once it warmed up.

I also used store‑bought pizza sauce because this was not a “from‑scratch” kind of day.

About the toppings…

Mushrooms absolutely need to be cooked first. I had a small container of sliced fresh mushrooms, so I sautéed them in a little oil with a good dash of garlic—2 to 3 minutes per side over medium heat. Then onto the pizza they went.

I added onions and pepperoni, topped everything with shredded mozzarella, and into the oven it went.

Fifteen minutes later, I had a gorgeous, crispy pizza. I let it rest for 5 minutes, then used a spatula to lift it out of the pan. It was outstanding.

If you’re a purist and want to make your dough and sauce from scratch, Kelly has recipes for both on her blog. I highly recommend checking them out to fine‑tune your perfect pizza.

Enjoy!

Following my jaunt around Gillette Castle I decided it was time for lunch. My past experience with off-season dining around Haddam had not been good. So I was up for trying someplace a little different from sub sandwiches or Dunkin’ Donuts.

Right on Saybrook Road before you make the turn to the boat docks was a mostly one story building with the sign Haddam Pizza. When I made my reservation for the Riverquest Eagle and Osprey Boat trip there was an ad for Haddam Pizza on the receipt. It seemed as good a place as any to try for lunch. There were a few cars in the parking lot so I assumed it was open.

There were 2 doors, neither clearly marked as the main entrance so I used the one that seemed to have a path of sorts to identify it. It led me into the bar area. It’s a pretty nice bar with a nice atmosphere. As I stood looking around the bartender called to me across the room. With a wave of an arm she let me know I was free to sit anywhere.

I was also looking for the lady’s room. The men’s room was right there near the bar where I came in but I didn’t see any ladies room so I turned left down a corridor which opened into another seating area and counter space. The lady’s room was off this area. The 2nd door I had seen apparently opened into this area. People came in and out here to pick up their take out orders.

To the left off the corridor were booths and a fireplace. I slipped into the first booth and made myself comfortable. The first thing that hit me was the aroma. It was such an amazing mixture of tomato and garlic and cheese, nothing overpowering, it seemed almost to tickle my nose. I ‘ve been in many italian restaurants and pizza shops but this was a more subtle flavorful aroma. It was so nice I had to comment on it to the waitress.

As tempting as the aromas were I chose to try the fish and chips. Haddam is not far from Long Island Sound so I assumed they must get fresh fish. I continued to look around as I waited for my meal. They weren’t really busy by any means but there was a steady flow of customers, some like me chosing to sit at a booth or table and other picking up.

When my fish arrived it was lightly breaded and fried but there were no greasy puddles on the plate nor did any grease or oil drip out when I cut into the fish. Always a good sign! The fish itself was tender and white . The presentation was attractive too with a curled orange slice and a lettuce leaf along with the lemon wedges and a dash of paperika. The french fries were crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. No complaints there.

As for the service, the waitress was pleasant and attentive and I willingly left her a 20% tip. I would go back and although the fish was good, the aroma of that sauce has stayed with me and makes me think that next trip I’ll have to try something else. Pizza or an italian dish..not sure which, but I really want to taste that sauce!