Pizza Pot Pie Is Trending—but How Is It Different from Chicago Deep Dish?

Searches are surging on Pinterest as foodies embrace this unique melty mashup.

If you've heard the term "pizza pot pie" as of late, it's because the internet can't get enough of the (deep) dish.

According to Pinterest Predicts Weekly, a collection of insights on the platform that "highlights actionable search trends among Pinterest users across categories, regions and demographic groups," there were three times more searchers for "pizza pot pie" in the last three weeks compared to the previous three weeks.

"In the kitchen, food combinations that wow the senses are trending this week—making one of our favorite 2024 trend predictions come true!" the report says. It's referring to its anticipated rise of Melty Mashups in its 2024 Trend Report: "This trend takes two ooey-gooey, treat-yourself favorites and marries them to make mouth-watering, melty mashups like 'burger quesadillas' and 'pizza pot pies.' Gen X and Boomers will feast on this all-new food fusion in 2024."

Related: Get Ready to Add Melty Food Mashups to Your Regular Dinner Menu In 2024

Pizza Pot Pies aren't a new concept. Restauranteurs have been serving up their creative renditions of the dish for years—one of the originals was served up at the Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Company in 1972.

"The Pizza Pot Pie is an individual serving, 'made from scratch' with triple-raised Sicilian bread-type dough; a homemade sauce consisting of olive oil, fresh garlic, onions, green peppers, whole plum tomatoes and a special blend of cheeses; sausage made from prime Boston butts; and doorknob-size, whole, fresh mushrooms," a description on the restaurant's website reads.

Related: Bubble Pizza Is a Childhood Favorite Worth Reviving

For the past couple of years, users on TikTok and other social media platforms have caught on and expressed their obsession. Many of the viral videos show or mention the famed Pizza Pot Pie from Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder, and almost all the comments scream love for the dish—but Pinterest users have just hopped on the saucy trend, bringing it into kitchens of home chefs.

While you might be thinking Pizza Pot Pie sounds a lot like classic Chicago-style deep dish pizza, that assumption could possibly offend some Chicagoans and isn't quite true. It's basically if a deep dish had a baby with a pot pie: Chicago deep dish is built with layers of cheese, toppings, and chunky tomato sauce in a thick, buttery crust. A pizza pot pie is like that but in reverse.

Related: Deep-Dish Chicken Pot Pie

There are a variety of different ways to cook a perfect Pizza Pot Pie, but the key ingredient is an oven-safe skillet. You cook your fillings—everything from broccoli and bell peppers to sausage and onions—before adding in flour, tomato sauce, and seasonings. Then you make your pizza dough, which acts as your pie crust. The top gets a sprinkle of mozzarella, brushed with oil, and topped with pepperoni.

The ooey gooey, cheesy, and saucy filling inside the crispy crust is a comforting dish not unlike a pizza and also not unlike a pot pie. It's a new, improved, third thing, and you can find plenty of recipes for it on Pinterest now.

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