DOMINO’S: ULTIMATE DEEP DISH AMERICA’S FAVORITE FEAST PIZZA

SAVE: 275 CALORIES, 39 G FAT, 13 G SAT. FAT

When I saw that Domino’s calls their pepperoni, sausage, and mushroom pizza “America’s Favorite Feast,” I was surprised. How on earth did mushrooms get included on “America’s Favorite” list? Not being a huge mushroom fan myself, I figured there are plenty of toppings that beat out mushrooms.

Much to my surprise, there aren’t. Mushrooms are, in fact, loved by more Americans than I’d realized. According to surveys done by the pizza industry, mushrooms rank number 3 behind only pepperoni and sausage. I was so shocked the night I realized this that I mentioned it to my friend Michelle, who is also not a mushroom fan. I couldn’t believe how impassioned she was, immediately exclaiming, “I can totally believe it; every time I order a pizza with anyone, they want mushrooms. What’s up with that?”

Well, so, this isn’t my favorite pizza, but it’s obviously the favorite for a lot of people, so I’m officially outnumbered. And I’m okay with that. Enjoy.

1 recipe Domino’s Ultimate Deep Dish Pizza Dough

1 tablespoon light butter, melted

Olive oil spray

1½ cups sliced button mushrooms

Flour for work surface

1 recipe Domino’s Pizza Sauce

6 ounces (2 cups – 2 tablespoons) finely shredded low-fat mozzarellacheese, divided

2 ounces (34 slices) packaged turkey pepperoni, divided

1 recipe Domino’s Sausage, divided

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

PREPARE the dough. Set aside to rise.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat the bottom and sides of a 14" nonstick round deep-dish pizza pan with the butter. Set aside.

Lightly mist a nonstick baking sheet with oil spray. Place the mushrooms, not touching, on the baking sheet. Bake for 2 minutes, or until the mushrooms start to release liquid.

When the dough has doubled, gently punch it down and place on a lightly floured surface. With a lightly floured rolling pin or hands, roll or pat into a 14" circle (if you’re new to making pizza, see “How to Form a Perfect Crust” for more advice on how to do this). Transfer to the reserved pizza pan. Starting from the center, pat and stretch the dough to the edges of the pan to form a ½" border that’s about twice as thick as the rest of the dough. Allow to stand for 30 seconds. If the dough contracts, restretch it gently. With a fork, poke about 20 times to evenly perforate the dough.

Spread evenly with the sauce, leaving a bare ½" border. Sprinkle half of the cheese evenly over the sauce. Top with about half of the pepperoni, sausage, and mushrooms. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese and the remaining half of the pepperoni, sausage, and mushrooms. Sprinkle on the garlic powder.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cheese melts and the crust is golden. Allow to sit for 5 minutes. Cut into 8 wedges.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS (2 SLICES PER SERVING)

Each serving: 591 calories, 30 g protein, 98 g carbohydrates, 8 g fat, 3 g sat. fat, 6 g fiber

Original Domino’s Ultimate Deep Dish America’s Favorite Feast Pizza (2 large slices): 866 calories, 34 g protein, 84 g carbohydrates, 47 g fat, 16 g sat. fat, 6 g fiber

DRIVE-THRU To save time when you want this pizza right now, prepare one or more batches of the sausage in advance for the freezer. Pack in a waxed paper–lined plastic container, in layers separated by waxed paper. Freeze for up to 2 months. No need to thaw before placing on the pizza.