If you are looking to start a weekend of summer fun on the right foot, why not treat your family to a cast iron breakfast pizza brimming with everything from scrambled eggs and ham to veggies and sausage? A blanket of cheese brings it all together and makes breakfast a fun and filling venture to get you fueled for a day of hiking, swimming, fishing, and more!
As is often the case, this recipe is tweakable. I suggest sticking with the soft scrambled eggs, but what you add to them is entirely up to you. Yes, that means you can make this meat-laden recipe into one suitable for vegetarians simply by letting your garden replace the sausage and ham. Get creative and enjoy the challenge.
Fruit is an obvious accompaniment at the breakfast table. Because this is a fairly intense meal, I'd steer clear of muffins, cinnamon rolls, or other baked goods. A brunch-friendly salad could also make an appearance. I just add coffee and juice and call it breakfast!
Cast Iron Breakfast Pizza
- 1 round of pizza dough (this can be store-bought or homemade - I made mine in my bread machine)
- 2 T. olive oil
- 1 T. butter
- 6 eggs
- ¼ c. heavy cream
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- 4 oz. crumbled, cooked breakfast sausage
- 4 oz. diced ham
- ⅓ c. diced onion
- ⅓ c. diced green pepper
- 1 ½ c. grated mozzarella cheese
Make sure your pizza dough is at room temperature or slightly warm. Preheat the oven to 550°F. You can preheat later, but bear in mind that it takes a bit of time for most ovens to reach that temperature.
Pour the olive oil into a cast iron skillet. Rotate the skillet to fully cover the bottom of the skillet. Place the round of pizza dough in the pan and press lightly to cover the bottom of the skillet; cover with plastic wrap while you prepare the toppings.
Heat the butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Soft scramble the eggs (whisk them with the cream and salt and pepper before adding them to the pan). They should be shiny and not quite set when you remove them from the heat. Add the sausage, ham, onion, and green pepper to the skillet and toss to combine.
Remove the plastic wrap from the cast iron skillet and, using your fingers, gently press into the dough to make little divots in the dough and extend the dough at least 1 ½ inches up the side of the skillet. Add the egg mixture topping to the top of the crust and generously sprinkle the grated cheese evenly over the crust and toppings.
Bake the pizza in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until the crust is crisp and the cheese is perfectly melted. If you find that the bottom of the pizza is not crisp enough, you can put the hot skillet (use oven mitts!) on a stovetop burner over medium heat to crisp it a bit more. A few minutes ought to do it. Allow the pizza to cool another 10-15 minutes before slicing into 8 slices.
- Yields: 4 servings
- Preparation Time: 45 minutes plus dough-making time if making from scratch