How to Make Popover Pizza Casserole – Upside Down Pizza Recipe

This popover pizza recipe is a twist on an upside down pizza with a golden popover crust hiding a flavorful filling of meat, sauce, vegetables and cheese.

When I was a little girl, my mom made popover pizza all the time. It was one of her favorite recipes, along with chicken & corn mini pies.

When I was in sixth or seventh grade, the local newspaper sent a reporter and a photographer over to talk to her about her popover pizza. I don’t remember what prompted the visit (I think I may have written a letter, but the details are fuzzy.), but I do remember that the photo was her in her garden, smiling.

My mom died in 2013, and I still miss her. That grief gets better over a very long time, but it never goes away. One thing I have, and will always have, of my mom is her favorite recipes.

That’s where popover pizza comes in.

When you make popover pizza, you can use whatever toppings you normally put on your pizza. My mom liked to put sliced green olives in hers, which is weird because we don’t usually eat green olives on our pizza, but she did, so that’s what I use in ours. You can use chopped onion and green pepper, mushrooms, diced ham, really there is no limit to the possibilities.

How to make popover pizza

1. Preheat oven to 400º.
2. Sauté ground beef and onion over medium heat until ground beef is no longer pink and onion is soft and translucent. Drain.
   
3. Stir tomato sauce, olives, and mushrooms into meat. Add oregano, garlic powder, and salt.
   
   
4. Pour meat mixture into an ungreased 9×13 pan. Top with shredded pizza cheese.
   
   
5. Combine eggs, milk, and oil. Whisk in flour and salt and beat until smooth and well blended.
   
6. Gently pour batter over cheese and meat mixture. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.
   
7. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until top is puffed up and golden brown.
   

While you’re here, check out these other delicious comfort foods:

• Chicken Crust Pizza – The Best Low Carb & Gluten-Free Pizza Recipe
• How to Grill Pizza Dough
• Quick & Easy Pizza Dip Recipe
• 10 Pizzas to Cook on a Pizza Stone

How to Make Popover Pizza - Upside Down Pizza Recipe

This popover pizza recipe is a twist on an upside down pizza with a golden popover crust hiding a flavorful filling of meat, sauce, vegetables and cheese.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 mins

Total Time 40 mins

Course Main Course, Main Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1.5 pounds 93% lean ground beef
• 1 medium onion diced, see note below
• 10 ounces green olives sliced
• 10 ounces canned mushrooms or 16 ounces fresh mushrooms
• 28 ounces pizza sauce
• 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2-1/2 cups shredded cheese pizza blend is nice or a combination of mozzarella and cheddar would work too
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup 1% milk
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 400º.
• Sauté ground beef and onion over medium heat until ground beef is no longer pink and onion is soft and translucent. Drain.
• Stir tomato sauce, olives, and mushrooms into meat. Add oregano, garlic powder, and salt.
• Pour meat mixture into an ungreased 9x13 pan. Top with shredded pizza cheese.
• Combine eggs, milk, and oil. Whisk in flour and salt and beat until smooth and well blended.
• Gently pour batter over cheese and meat mixture. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes, until top is puffed up and golden brown.

Notes

My children will examine food with a microscope to find slivers of onion, so we don't use it in our cooking. Instead, we substitute 1 tablespoon of onion powder, added with the other spices. The flavor is pretty close to the same.

As I said above, my mom always put green olives into her popover pizza, even though green olives are not a traditional pizza topping. I liked it and carry on that tradition. You can substitute black olives if you want or leave them out all together.

Also, you can use whatever pizza toppings you prefer. If you like pepperoni, slice some rounds into slivers and add them. Cubed ham would be nice, as would chopped bacon. You could use green bell pepper, additional raw onion, or any toppings that you like. Add them with the tomato sauce and stir in, or alternately, sprinkle them over the meat mixture just before adding the shredded cheese.

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