Easy Skillet Cheese Pizza for Two
This easy pizza recipe for two delivers a golden, crispy crust and cheesy top using just a skillet and oven—no pizza stone needed. With a quick homemade sauce of tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil, this vegetarian pizza uses just a few ingredients to achieve maximum flavor.
Equipment
- 12-inch oven-safe skillet
- Food processor (optional but recommended)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
- ½ cup canned diced tomatoes drained (juice reserved)
- 1 small garlic clove minced
- ⅛ teaspoon table salt
- 1 batch Basic Pizza Dough room temperature (or 8 ounces store-bought dough)
- 4 ounces whole-milk mozzarella cheese shredded (1 cup)
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat & Prepare Pan: Move oven rack to upper-middle and preheat to 500°F. Coat a 12-inch ovenproof skillet with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
- Make the Sauce: In a food processor, pulse tomatoes, garlic, salt, and 1 tablespoon olive oil until coarsely chopped (about 12 pulses). Pour mixture into a measuring cup and top with reserved tomato juice until the liquid reaches ½ cup.
- Shape & Top the Dough: On a floured surface, roll dough into an 11-inch circle. Lay it in the skillet and adjust to fit. Spread sauce over the dough, keeping a ½-inch margin along the edge. Evenly sprinkle mozzarella and Parmesan on top.
- Cook on Stove: Place skillet over high heat. Cook until the dough along the edge sets, the pizza puffs, and the underside gets brown spots when checked with a spatula—around 3 minutes.
- Bake in Oven: Move skillet to the oven and bake until the crust turns deep golden and cheese bubbles and browns, 7–10 minutes. Using oven mitts, remove the hot skillet and transfer pizza to a cutting board. Let rest 5 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Variations
Easy Skillet Pizza with Fontina, Arugula, and Prosciutto
- Use 1 cup shredded fontina instead of mozzarella.
- Omit Parmesan.
- Toss 1 cup baby arugula with 2 teaspoons olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- After baking, top with 2 ounces of thinly sliced prosciutto and arugula.
- Mix 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 minced garlic clove, and ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes.
- Brush this mixture over the dough before saucing.
- Reduce mozzarella to ¼ cup and omit Parmesan.
- Top with ½ cup crumbled goat cheese and ¼ cup halved kalamata olives.
- Cook 2 bacon slices (chopped) in a skillet until crisp, 5–7 minutes. Drain.
- Mix ½ cup ricotta, 1 sliced scallion, ⅛ teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper.
- Reduce mozzarella to ¼ cup and omit Parmesan.
- Add mozzarella to pizza, then dollop ricotta mix (1 tbsp each) before baking.
- After baking, top with cooked bacon and another sliced scallion.
- Store-bought dough is perfectly fine—just make sure it’s at room temperature.
- The skillet not only shapes the crust but gives it a head start on cooking for that perfect crispy bottom.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!