Pizza Pot Pie 3 Winks Style

        I was looking on Facebook about a week ago when I came across this video for  pizza pot pie.  It is a dish from a pizza restaurant in Chicago featured on Food Network.  They didn't give the actual recipe, but I decided that I could figure it out for myself.  It didn't come out quite as pretty as the one on the video, but it sure did taste good!  Here is how I did it:

   The Pizza Dough

     When my middle son was in cub scouts, the boys made cookbooks one year to give as gifts to their mothers.  My son included our family pizza dough recipe.  I still have that cookbook and always use the recipe from it when I make pizza dough.  There are a couple of other good recipes in there that I like as well.  I guess I could consolidate into a different book, but I love to remember these cute boys when they were little and you should see some of their handwriting! 

It is getting a little worn out. But, I can't part with it.

This is actually my handwriting.

   Pizza Dough
1 package of yeast, or I use 1 1/2 T.
1 c. plus 2 T. warm water
2 T. shortening
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
3 c. flour

Dissolve the yeast in the water. Proof.  Add the sugar, salt and shortening.  Blend in the flour.  Knead slightly.  Rub dough in oil and let stand for 20 min. to rise.  Makes 2 pizza crusts.  (or 1 thicker crust.)

dough before rising

dough after rising

      While the dough is rising, make the sauce.  The description on Food Network said that the restaurant uses a homemade sausage in the sauce.  I used mild Italian sausage from the store.  I browned it with onions and garlic in a little olive oil.  Then I added two cans of tomato sauce, oregano, basil and a little sugar.  It made a nice sauce. 

   Pizza Sauce
1 lb. mild Italien pork sausage
1/2 small chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, put through a press
1 T. oregano
1 T. basil
2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
1/2 can water
1 tsp. sugar
(seasonings are to taste)
      Brown the sausage in a skillet in 1 T. olive oil with the onions and garlic.  When brown, sprinkle the seasonings over the top and stir all together.  Add the tomato sauce, water and sugar.  Simmer until ready to use.

    Now you are ready to assemble the pie.  Click on the pictures to see the directions.

First, use melted butter to coat the inside of oven ready bowls. These pies are very filling we discovered, so you don't need huge bowls.

Line the bowl with cheese. Food Network said they used Wisconsin Brick Cheese. I used Provolone and white Cheddar. I lined it well in order to keep the sauce in.

Put in the fillings that you want. I used pepperoni and red bell pepper.

And, a few mushroom slices. Food Network used 3 whole button mushrooms. I don't like mushrooms, so I changed it to these fillings. Some people might want olives.

Now, you spoon the sauce over everything.

Now, punch down the pizza dough, roll it out and cut our circular tops and lay them over the top. Then, I brushed them with butter.

     I set all of my bowls on a round pizza pan.  I let them rise a couple of minutes, but I had to be somewhere, so in retrospect, I would have let them rise a little longer if I had enough time.  I slid them into a 400 degree oven and baked them for about 20-25 min., until the tops are nicely browned.

I brushed them with a little more butter when they came out of the oven.

Got one ready to take to a friend.

The bowl is flipped over into another bowl and then lifted off.

Next time, I will make the crust go down the sides of the bowls farther so it will hold everything in better. But, look how yummy and cheesy!

This is pizza! I had to serve it with root beer!

       I made 5 good sized pies.  I think a custard cup size would have been plenty! So, this recipe will make quite a few of these little beauties.  I had dough and sauce left over, so look! I made a regular pizza on the side!

We had food for 2 days! I have to get used to being almost empty nesters.

      I hope you give this recipe a try! Let me know if you figure our any tips to make it easier or better.  I will probably be tweaking it as I make it more often.