olive cheese pizza with feta stuffed crust
You are the pizza queen, stuffed and sweet, only 25minutesto maaaaaake oh yeaaaaah.
Fucken nailed it.
There’s pizza, then there’s stuffed crust pizza. I grew up on those Digiorno supreme stuffed crust pies that I’m sure are still just as bomb as they were when I was a kid – for real, you can crap on storebought pizza all you want, but they certainly have their place even in adulthood. Sometimes it’s just real cozy to pull a pizza out of the freezer, pop it in the oven, and chow down with no bra on and some mindless TV droning in the backdrop.
Yes, I think there’s a certain glamour in that caliber of laziness. Creature comforts, if you will. A long day at work calls for a whole lotta lavish nothingless, you know? I’ve had many days of that sort where doing more than lifting a finger to make a meal feels daunting.
But, homemade pizza exists when you want to bump up the volume on your dinner table. I make pizza most weekends nowadays because it’s fun and I love lounging around watching baseball with J on these hot afternoons, when going outside is less appealing than almost anything.
This dude is a damn good pie when you’re really yearning for cheese. Not only do we pile plenty of shredded mozzarella on top, but the thick poofy crust is stuffed with an herbed feta blend. Fab. A salty surprise that’ll make even crust haters reach for another slice.
Not convinced yet? We’re going with minimal ingredients that still pack a wallop, and you can make it as homemade as you wish by swapping store bought pizza dough and pizza sauce for your favorite recipes. This will impact the prep time, but is well worth it if you’ve got the minutes to spare.
Incr-feta-ble
Yeah okay that was a stretch.
Don’t feel intimidated by stuffed crust – it’s quite simple, and meant to be imperfect. Well worth the extra little step.
To start, get the oven to 500 degrees, nice and scalding, and grab your pizza dough. I use a whole pound of dough but cut it in half to make two smaller pizzas, so that’s how the recipe card is written. You’re welcome to make one giant pizza if you’d prefer.
Push the dough into a circle about 12 inches wide. Usually, I recommend making the edges thicker than the center, but here you want it pretty even since you’ll be folding the dough to encase the feta.
Crumble your feta and toss with fresh oregano, garlic cloves, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Sprinkle around the perimeter of your stretched crust, leaving a slight border. Then, fold the crust over to cover the feta and pinch the seam to seal.
Brush your pie with olive oil, poke the center a few times with a fork, and bake naked a few minutes until lightly golden.
Now, don’t worry if your crust pops open a bit and exposes the feta. Adding the toppings later will help reseal your seam, and honestly, no one will notice the snafu.
Olive You
Now to add your toppings. Wee!
Spread some pizza sauce on your pie, then throw on a batch of mixed olives. I used Moroccan green olives and kalamatas, but use what you have and enjoy. Top off with lots of mozzarella, and hell, if you have some feta leftover, throw that on, too.
Bake the pizza to melt the cheese and get it all gooey and sumptuous. Top off with fresh herbs, slice, and nosh!
I don’t really have a consistent homemade pizza sauce recipe, else I’d share that with you. I am, however, real close to a homemade dough that I love, so be on the lookout for future pizza recipes and a note about what I do to make a nice puffy crust. I’m no pizzaioli, just a homecooking derp, so don’t be making me out to be some sort of artisanal mastermind when I do put it out in the world.
Honestly, you deserve pizza, whether you had a great day or a shit day or any day in between. So make this, damn it.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
She’s my pizza pie:
Herb Roasted Cherry Tomato Pesto Pizza
olive cheese pizza with feta stuffed crust
Ingredients
- 1 lb pizza dough, homemade or store bought
- 2/3 cup pizza sauce, homemade or store bought
- 6 oz feta cheese
- 2 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 cup low-moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 cup mixed olives, halved
- fresh oregano and basil, to serve
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Sprinkle corn meal onto a large baking sheet.
- In a bowl, crumble the feta and toss with oregano, garlic, pepper flakes, and a pinch of black pepper.
- Split the pizza dough into two balls. Working with one, press, push, and twirl into a circle about 12 inches in diameter. Sprinkle half of the feta mixture around the perimeter, leaving a 1/4 inch border. Fold the dough over the feta and pinch the seam to seal.
- Brush the dough with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and poke all over with a fork. Parbake for 6 minutes until the crust is slightly golden. Don't worry if the sealed edges pop open a bit – the toppings will help fill in the gaps.
- Spread half of the pizza sauce over the crust. Top with half of the olives, then half of the mozzarella. Return to the oven and bake for 6-8 minutes longer until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Repeat all steps with the second ball of pizza dough.
- Serve hot with fresh herbs!
