Upside Down Pizza: Easy Cheesy Pepperoni Bake

This upside down pizza is exactly what it sounds like. Everything goes into the cast iron skillet backwards, with the pepperoni on the bottom, followed by plenty of cheese, ham, and pizza sauce. The dough goes on last, then once it’s cooked, you flip the whole thing onto a cutting board.

Watch How to Make It

I made mine on the smoker, but a 350 degree oven works just as well. Either way, the flip at the end is what makes this one fun.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

For starters, it’s pizza. Pepperoni, ham, two kinds of cheese, and pizza sauce are already a pretty safe combination.

But I really like the way this one cooks. The pepperoni sits directly against the hot cast iron while the cheese melts underneath the crust. Once you flip it, everything that was hiding at the bottom becomes the top of the pizza.

It’s also incredibly easy. There’s no homemade dough or complicated prep here. Grab a tube of Pillsbury pizza dough, layer everything in the skillet, and cook it.

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Ingredients You’ll Need

You’ll need pepperoni, diced ham, mozzarella cheese, Colby Jack cheese, pizza sauce, Pillsbury pizza dough, and a little thyme seasoning.

I used 6 ounces of mozzarella and 4 ounces of Colby Jack, so there’s definitely no shortage of cheese here. You’ll also want a little spray oil for the cast iron skillet. That’ll make your life a lot easier when it’s time for the flip.

How To Make It

Start by heating your smoker or oven to 350 degrees. Spray the inside of a cast iron skillet with a little oil, then cover the bottom with pepperoni slices.

Add the mozzarella, diced ham, pizza sauce, and Colby Jack cheese. Stretch the pizza dough over the top of everything, season it with thyme, and tuck it into the skillet.

Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the pizza dough is cooked through and nicely browned.

When it comes off, don’t immediately try to flip it. Give it a few minutes to rest first. Place a cutting board over the skillet, carefully flip the whole thing over, then lift the skillet away.

That’s when you get to see if all this upside down pizza business actually worked.

Wrapping Up

This is just a fun way to change up pizza night without making things complicated. You’re still getting pepperoni, ham, sauce, and a ridiculous amount of melted cheese, but cooking everything upside down in the cast iron makes it a little different.

I’d definitely recommend using a cutting board that’s bigger than your skillet when you do the flip. And don’t forget that skillet is going to stay hot for a while.

Slice it up, let the cheese do its thing, and you’re good to go.

Upside Down Pizza: Easy Cheesy Pepperoni Bake

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• Pepperonis
• 1/4 cup diced ham
• 6 oz Mozzarella cheese
• 4 oz Colby jack cheese
• 1/4 cup Pizza sauce
• 1 tube of Pillsbury pizza dough
• 2 tsp Thyme seasoning

Instructions

• Heat your smoker or oven to 350 degrees.
• Spray oil in pan to prevent sticking.
• In a cast iron skillet, cover the bottom with pepperoni slices, then add mozzarella cheese, ham, pizza sauce, then Colby jack cheese.
• Cover all ingredients with pizza dough, season with thyme and then place into oven/smoker for 15-20 minutes.
• Let rest before flipping over onto cutting board and slicing.