Put your slow cooker to work and try this unbelievable pizza. The crust turns out pillowy on the inside and crispy on the outside. Make it a fun cooking project and have the kids help.
1 lb. homemade pizza dough (your recipe), or frozen pizza dough, thawed
2 T. cornmeal
3 T. butter
1 shallot, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 t. dried Italian seasoning
1 1/2 t. sugar
1 t. salt
2 c. shredded Italian blend cheese
1/2 lb. Italian pork sausage, cooked
Parmesan cheese and freshly chopped parsley, for garnish
Roll the pizza dough out onto a large piece of parchment paper, making sure to roll and stretch to dough into an oval 2 inches longer and 2 inches wider than the crock of the slow cooker. Sprinkle dough with cornmeal; press into both sides of the crust. Then use the edges of the parchment paper to lower the crust into a large, oval 6-8 quart slow cooker crock.*
Saute onions in butter in a saute pan for 1-2 minutes; add garlic; saute 2 minutes; add crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, sugar and salt; simmer for 5 minutes; remove from heat.
Meanwhile, cook the pork sausage in another skillet, breaking meat apart with while cooking. Discard grease.
Spread the cheese over the bottom of the pizza crust. Lift and stretch the sides of the dough so they stand up past the cheese. Using a lotted spoon, sprinkle the crumbled sausage over the cheese; spread the tomato sauce over the sausage. Lift and stretch the sides of the crust again so it's above the edge of the sauce.
Cover the slow cooker with a long piece of paper towel; place the lid over the paper towel and pull it tight to help catch excess moisture.
Slow cook the pizza for 2-4 hours on High, or 4-6 hours on Low.
When ready to serve, lift the pizza out of the crock using the edges of the parchment paper; sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese and parsley. Cut into 4 pieces.
4 servings.
* This recipe works best in a large, oval 6-8 quart slow cooker.
** You can make pepperoni deep dish pizzas, or any kind you wish. Spread pizza sauce over the bottom of the crust then top with cheese and additional toppings.