Living so close to New York City and having enjoyed countless outstanding slices, I’m not a strict pizza purist. I appreciate a classic New York plain slice, but I also enjoy experimenting — whether that means an unusual topping combination, a pan pizza, a thin crust, or something entirely different. Recently I discovered a delightful variation I now love: Pizza Bowls.
I first heard about the concept from an article on Chicago Pizza Oven & Co.’s Pizza Pot Pies. Their method stacks the filling in a bowl, covers it with dough, bakes it, flips it out, and serves a cheesy, saucy mound of pizza toppings resting in a crisp, bowl-shaped crust. I couldn’t get to Chicago right away, so I decided to recreate the idea at home and give it my own twist — hence the name Pizza Bowls. To me they feel more like pizza versions of bread bowls than traditional pot pies, and the name sounded right.
I kept the ingredients straightforward so these can be made on a weeknight without sacrificing flavor. You can make a quick tomato sauce from scratch, or use a good-quality jarred sauce for convenience. Refrigerated, store-bought pizza dough works well if you prefer to skip making dough from scratch, though homemade dough is welcome if you want to put in the extra effort.
If you’d like to watch the process, there’s a video demonstration embedded below that shows how everything comes together in the oven.
This recipe is versatile: swap sausage for mushrooms for a vegetarian option, use whole-wheat dough for a heartier crust, or change cheeses and herbs to suit your taste. Once you master the basic steps you can create many variations. If you share your creation on social media, tag #hostthetoast on Instagram or Twitter to show it off — these are the kind of dishes friends will ask you to make again.
Pizza Bowls
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- Author: Morgan
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Yield: 4 large pizza bowls 1x
Ingredients
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- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small onion, grated
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped, plus additional leaves to top
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage meat
- Olive oil, for brushing
- 10 slices provolone cheese, cut into halves
- 10 slices mozzarella cheese, cut into halves
- 1 pound refrigerated pizza dough
- Crushed red pepper flakes, to top, optional
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the grated onion and cook until lightly browned. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, basil, salt, oregano, and sugar. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 25 minutes.
- In a separate pan, break up and cook the sausage until browned. Stir the cooked sausage into the tomato sauce and set the mixture aside.
- Brush the insides of four small oven-safe bowls or large ramekins generously with olive oil. Layer 5 provolone halves and 5 mozzarella halves in each bowl. Divide the sauce and sausage evenly among the bowls and set aside.
- Lightly flour a work surface and place the pizza dough on it. Cut the dough into four even pieces. Pull and pinch the edges toward the bottom to form dough balls. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let rise for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Brush the outside of the bowls with olive oil.
- Gently stretch each dough ball into a large, flat disk. Drape each disk over a filled bowl, leaving about an inch of dough hanging over the rim. Press the dough along the sides of the bowl to seal.
- Place the dough-covered bowls on a baking sheet, leaving space between them for expansion. Bake until the crust is golden, about 20 minutes.
- Remove the bowls from the oven and brush the crusts with a little additional olive oil. Let them cool for about 2 minutes.
- Using pot holders, carefully flip each bowl onto a plate. Run a spoon around the edge between the bowl and the crust to help release it, then twist and lift out the bowl. Use a spoon to coax out any cheese if needed.
- Top each Pizza Bowl with fresh basil and a sprinkling of crushed red pepper flakes if desired. Serve immediately.
- Prep Time: 40 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins