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Our 2021 Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Dinner Menu.
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Crispy Tomato Herb Cheese Pan Pizza, a simple, delicious pizza made in a skillet, baked in a super hot oven, that comes out soft, extra cheesy, and with crispy edges. Similar to a deep dish pizza, just not as thick. The herb mix mix on top gives this pizza even more flavor. It’s classic, but different. Every last bite of this pizza is delicious and leaves you wanting more. It’s savory, a touch spicy, and perfect for serving as an appetizer or dinner.
When the family is town, I make all their favorites, and pizza is, of course, one of everyone’s favorite. I can’t deny, cooking for so many people almost every night is a lot. The key is to cook dishes that everyone will eat and enjoy.
Pizza is so awesome because you can customize the toppings or simply go classic with cheese and pepperoni. There’s not a lot of people who don’t enjoy a good slice of pizza!
This pizza isn’t my usual thin crust. It’s just a little thicker with crispy edges and a soft cheesy middle.
The key is to cook this in a skillet in the oven at a high temp. The skillet heats the edges leaving crispy cheese all around the pizza, it is so delicious. Kind of a cross between a thin crust and a Detroit style pizza.
Start preheating your oven to 450° as soon as you decide you’re making pizza. You want to get the oven nice and hot.
At the same time, place your ball of pizza dough on an oiled skillet, preferably cast-iron, but you can use any oven safe skillet. Now let it rest, the longer you can let the dough sit on the skillet the better. Thirty minutes will do the trick, but if you have the time, shoot for anywhere up to two hours. This allows the dough time to get puffy, create wonderful air pockets, and develop more flavor too.
For the toppings, I wanted to create two pizzas. One more classic, that everyone in the family would enjoy. And then a mushroom pizza too.
I’m sharing the classic, but with my updates, that I think make it even better.
I use a homemade mix of Italian seasonings and garlic, which is KEY. The seasonings add so much flavor and really make the pizza better than the average.
Add a bit of cheese, then the sauce, and more cheese. I love to top with pepperoni, but that’s totally optional.
Bake in the upper position of the oven and in 20 minutes you’ll have amazing pizza and your kitchen will smell incredible. But most importantly, you’ll have a delicious pizza to enjoy for dinner with the fam.
As soon as the pizza comes out of the oven. Slice it, top with extra cheese and maybe some herbs, then eat. So very cheesy, herby, and just delicious!
My family, all my brothers included, said this was one of my best pizzas. And guys, the boys don’t mess around when it comes to pizza.
Looking for other simple winter dishes? Here are my favorites:
One Pot Spicy Pesto Cheese Baked Rigatoni
Sheet Pan Buffalo Chicken Pizza
My Family’s Favorite Pesto Pasta Bolognese
Lastly, if you make this Crispy Tomato Herb Cheese Pan Pizza, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
This recipe is super easy and the pizza is delicious! Fun weekend dinner to make with the kids!
Hey Sara,
Happy Sunday!! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it!! ? xx
I’ve been experimenting with homemade pizza on Fridays and tried this recipe last night. It was amazing! I used the pizza dough recipe from your first cookbook, and my husband raved about the crust. It cooked so perfectly in the skillet — made me look like a better pizza cook than I am! The herb and spice blend perfectly complemented the crust, sauce and toppings. Thanks for sharing both of the recipes — I’ll be returning to them often.
Hey Julie,
Happy Sunday!! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it!! ? xx
This recipe was easy and my pizza was delicious! I will try making my own dough next time but the store bought one was fine. I will definitely be making this again!
Hey Ashley,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Can’t wait to try this! Where is the link for your dough recipe? Thanks.
Hey Julie,
Here is the link for a whole wheat pizza dough. My classic pizza dough recipe is in the HBH Super Simple cookbook.
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/whole-wheat-spinach-artichoke-pizza/
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Omg!!! Seriously the best pizza ever!! My husband fell in love with the pizza. Obviously I loved it also! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Hey Samantha,
Happy Friday!! Love hearing that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xxT
We really loved this pizza, it had great flavor and cooked up perfectly. I would probably do a thinner crust but that’s just a preference, my husband loved the thick crust.
Hi Jess,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a go, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
This was a nice easy dinner for a lazy and snowy Sunday. I’m going to make up some more of your dough and keep in the freezer so we can easily make this again sometime soon!
Hi Jennifer,
I really appreciate you giving the recipe a try, so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week! xxT
Absolutely delicious! The spices add so much flavor. I made my own herbed pizza dough then followed your recipe. My husband and I both loved it. ?
Hi Lori,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a winner! xxTieghan
Adapted this to be thin crust instead thick and OMG it is seriously amazing! I also used Rao’s marinara instead of classic pizza sauce. I enjoy this pizza more than from an actual pizzeria!
Hi Megan,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed!! ?xTieghan
Sorry correction a 10.25 skillet?!
Yes, that will work:) xTieghan
Hi Tieghan, can I do this recipe on a pizza peel instead of a skillet? Thank you!
Hi Kalie,
I’ve never fully cooked a pizza on a pizza peel, they are typically used to just remove pizzas from the oven. Let me know if you give the recipe a try! xx
Would this work with just an 8 inch skillet?!
Hey Jen,
Yes, that will work well for you! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
We made this on a cold, snowy afternoon in Nova Scotia and it was so delicious that we made a second one right afterwards! Cheesy, crispy crust and savoury herb mix – simply perfect!
Hey Stacey,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for making it. Have the best weekend! xT
My sometimes-grumpy 20-y-o son gave this a thumbs up, which in regular non-grumpy people terms means it was stellar! Mine came out very “bread-y” – an inch high at least – but the edges were crisp and delicious with the cheesy herbs. Thank you for creating! ?
Hey Linda,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it. Have the best week! xTieghan
Hi! Could you also post the recipe for the mushroom version of this pizza? It looked soo good on your Instagram, but I don’t see it on your website!
Hi Elizabeth,
You just change the toppings to mushroom:) Please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I made this last night for dinner bc I had all
of the topping ingredients ( leftover from making the pull apart pizza rolls for a Christmas Day app!) and this was absolutely delicious. I make homemade pizza often but my husband said this was the best one yet! Thank you for another easy to follow and absolutely delicious recipe!
Hi Jen,
Awesome!! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Happy Holidays!? xT
I made this pizza tonight (homemade Dough and all) and it was amazing. I have such a hard time getting homemade crust to get crisp on the bottom but not with this recipe. This is a Friday night or football Sunday crowd pleaser. Can’t wait to test it out with different toppings.
Hi Richelle,
Awesome!! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Happy Holidays!? xT