Chicago Style Pizza Filling 9 or 10-inch Pan

• 1/3 pound sliced mozzarella cheese
• 2 cups Italian-style whole peeled tomatoes, drained and crushed
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt according to taste
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (more or less to taste.)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

 Place the mozzarella cheese slices in layers on the bottom of the pie (directly on the crust). Next put in the tomatoes and the basil, oregano, garlic, and salt, reserving the Parmesan cheese for the top. Spread this layer evenly. Drizzle olive oil over the top of the pie and you are then ready to bake.Variations: Before you put on the Parmesan cheese and olive oil drizzle, you might like to add any or all of the following according to your preferences:

• Italian sausage, hot, mild, or sweet
• Yellow onions, peeled and diced or sliced
• Pepperoni, sliced thin
• Mushrooms, sliced
• Green sweet bell peppers, cored and sliced thin

You might also like to try less traditional ingredients to make your Chicago style pizza recipe a total original. Bake the pizza pie in a 475°F oven until the top is golden and gooey and the crust a light golden brown. This takes approximately 35-40 minutes. When the pizza is through baking, set the pizza out on cooling rack. Then you can slice it while it’s still hot and gooey. Enjoy this Chicago Deep Dish Pizza recipe at home!