Upside Down Pizza is a fun, new way to make everyone’s favorite food, pizza. It is like a pizza pot pie, by baking a crispy crust on top! Fill it with ground beef and your favorite pizza toppings for an easy weeknight dinner!
Upside Down Pizza
Pizza is a staple food in our household. I swear that my kids would eat it every single night if I’d let them. But sometimes I am needing a break from carryout pizza, so we decided to make something different!
Enter, upside-down pizza! This recipe feeds the pizza needs, but lets me have a little more control what I am putting in there (whisper voice, I sneak veggies inside!)
This is such an interesting take on our beloved dish that makes it in a fun, new way. It was an absolute hit at our house and I think it will be in yours, too! I can’t wait for you to give Popover Upside Down Pizza a try. 
What is a Popover Upside Down Pizza?
Basically, an upside-down pizza is exactly what it sounds like, a pizza that has been turned over in a pot-pie like dish.
Instead of having your crust on the bottom with all of the toppings and cheese on top like you would in a normal pizza, an upside-down pizza is the opposite. It has the toppings (in this case a meat mixture) on the bottom then the melty, gooey cheese in the middle, and finally the crust is on top of it all.
You can still “top-it” with all of your traditional pizza favorites, but they are just mixed into the meat mixture! The meat addition makes for a heartier meal and I love using ground turkey or chicken as ground meat substitutes (they don’t even notice the difference).
Ingredients
Meat Mixture:
- 1.5 lb lean ground beef
- ½ large yellow onion (diced finely)
- 1 24 ounce jar of Ragu Old World Style Traditional Spaghetti Sauce
- 1 7 ounce package Gallo Pepperoni, chopped
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Cheese Layer:
- 1.5 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
Crust Topping:
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups of whole milk, room temperature
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1.5 cups of all purpose flour, sifted through mesh into bowl
- ¾ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup shredded parmesan
How to Make Upside Down Pizza
- PREPARE glass 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- BROWN ground beef and break small pieces.
- ADD onions, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, and pepperoni.
- ADD spaghetti sauce and let simmer.
- SPREAD the meat mixture to the bottom of the baking dish and top with shredded mozzarella cheese.
- PLACE in the oven at 400 degrees while you make the crust mixture. (TIP: You want your baking dish to be very hot when you pour the crust mixture into it.)
- MIX together sifted flour, eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and salt. (Don’t over mix.)
- POUR the crust mixture over the meat mixture, (making sure to get the top all the way to the edges of the casserole dish).
- SPRINKLE ⅓ cup of shredded parmesan cheese over the top of the bubble up top.
- BAKE at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, or until the bubble up top has puffed up and is a deep golden brown color.
- SERVE immediately.
Tips
Following these tips will help greatly in making sure your Upside Down Pizza turns out perfect on your very first try!
- A glass dish is the best option for cooking this recipe! It will turn out better if you use a glass dish.
- It is very important that your eggs and milk are at room temperature for this recipe, and that you sift your flour into the bowl. If not, the mix for the bubble top won’t puff up at all, and the recipe won’t turn out as you see in the photos.
- Make sure that your baking dish is very hot before adding the crust mixture or again, the recipe will not turn out as shown. Put it in the hot oven before adding the crust!
- DO NOT open the oven while cooking this recipe! You want to keep all of the heat in so that the pan gets nice and hot. When you cook it for with the crust mixture, make sure that the top of the puff is golden brown before you open the oven door (look through your oven window!)
Add-Ins & Substitutions
MEAT: You can use any type of meat. I prefer ground beef, but ground chicken or ground turkey will be great as well and perfect if you are trying to stay away from red meat. My son is a vegetarian and we love to use meatless crumbles and my other kids cannot even tell a difference!
TOPPINGS: You can add in any of your favorite pizza toppings to the meat mixture. Some of our favorites are green pepper, olives, and spicy sausage. You can really add in pretty much anything and it will be delicious!
More Easy Dinner Recipes
Lasagna Casserole | Better Than Takeout Fried Rice | Bourbon Chicken | Hamburger Casserole | Easy Tater Tot Casserole | Potato Chip Chicken Tenders
Upside Down Pizza
Video
Ingredients
Meat Mixture
- 1.5 lb lean ground beef
- ½ large yellow onion diced finely
- 1 24- ounce jar Traditional Spaghetti Sauce I used Ragu Old World Style
- 7 ounces Pepperoni chopped
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp Italian Seasonings
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Cheese Layer
- 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Crust Top
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 ½ cups whole milk room temperature
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1.5 cups all purpose flour sifted through mesh into bowl
- ¾ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a glass 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large skillet cook ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain grease and return ground beef to the skillet and use a meat masher to break meat into small pieces.
- Add onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often so they do not burn. Add minced garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring often.
- Add Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, and pepperoni. Stir well and continue to cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until pepperoni is cooked and heated through.
- Add spaghetti sauce to the meat mixture and stir well. Let simmer for 3 minutes.
- Add the meat mixture to the bottom of the baking dish and spread out evenly using a rubber spatula. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Place in the oven at 400 degrees while you combine the bubble up top mixture. You want your baking dish to be very hot when you pour the bubble up mixture into it.
- In a separate medium mixing bowl combine sifted flour, eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and salt. Use a large spoon to mix together. Don’t over mix. (NOTE: This batter will be a bit runny and should be able to pour onto the top of the casserole)
- Remove the baking dish from the oven and pour the bubble up top over the meat mixture, making sure to get the top all the way to the edges of the casserole dish. Sprinkle ⅓ cup shredded parmesan cheese over the top of the bubble up top and place in the oven.
- Cook at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, or until the bubble up top has puffed up and is a deep golden brown color.
- Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
Jenn’s Notes
- The eggs and milk have to be room temperature or it won’t rise (bubble up).
- Be sure to sift your flour into the mixing bowl.
- Make sure your baking dish is HOT before you add the crust mixture (see step where we put it in the oven while mixing the crust mixture).
- Do NOT open the oven while cooking. It will not bubble up if you do!
- Look in the oven (without opening door, hopefully, you have a window) to make sure the top is puffed up and golden brown before opening the oven door.
- Use a glass dish if possible.
Nutrition Info
You and your family are going to love your Popover Upside Down Pizza. You will get the same saucey, cheesy pizza flavors and the crust you love, but in a new and exciting way! This has become a favorite in our household, and I’m willing to bet it will in yours, too.
I’m curious to know how it taste, I have never heard of this, thank you for sharing the recipe.