Christmas Pizza (Sicilian Stuffed Pizza)

The Donne family that I married into trace their heritage back to Sicily where their relatives made Sicilian Christmas Pizza. This is the special family recipe we have every Christmas!

Have a very pizza Christmas!

When I went to my first Christmas at the Donne’s house, everyone was talking about Christmas pizza. As this was not a tradition in my house, I wasn’t sure what type of pizza to expect. This is not your typical triangular New York slice; rather, it’s a deep dish stuffed pizza filled with ground beef, spinach, and gooey, melted cheese.

This recipe can be traced back to Thomas’s great great grandmother, Michelina Gentile, who was from Sicily. It has been passed down and is a Christmas tradition. In fact, Thomas’s aunt Layton told me that the family thought it was taboo to make the recipe on any day other than Christmas Eve!

Sfincione (Sicilian Christmas Pizza)

In doing a little research to see if other people also eat “Christmas pizza” I found recipes for sfincione. According to Serious Eats “The etymology of sfincione isn’t completely clear, but the most likely answer is that it comes from the word for sponge, a reference to its tall, airy texture.”

While our Christmas pizza is not open faced or made with a light and airy focaccia-like crust, I can see how the recipes might have been similar many years ago.

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Last year at Christmastime (before our kitchen was sledgehammered!), Thomas and I photographed the step-by-step process so we could digitize this recipe to share with the many of you who have asked for it over the years.

Christmas Pizza Recipe

The base of the recipe is ground beef, frozen spinach, onions (yes onions!) and American cheese that melts so well right under the top layer of crust. While you certainly could make your own dough, our family buys pre-made dough from Whole Foods that we think is quite delicious! John mentioned that he often adds a container of mushrooms (sautéed with the onions) and extra parmesan cheese sprinkled into the top layer of his pizza for extra flavor.

While this recipe is a bit time intensive, it’s also great for feeding a crowd! The recipe is also easily doubled, which is what we did in these photos. You can make the filling in advance so that the day you cook it you’re only assembling the layers and baking it. The Donne family has it on Christmas morning, and for lunch or a light dinner for days after Christmas. It’s so good the day after Christmas when all the presents have been opened!

Ingredients

2 lbs. of 90/10 ground beef
2 packages of frozen chopped spinach
2 yellow onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoons dried oregano
1/2 container of Kraft parmesan cheese
3 large eggs, whisked
1 package of fresh basil, finely chopped
2 containers of already made pizza dough – can buy at the grocery store or from your favorite pizza place
1 package of Kraft American cheese slices, 30 slices
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

The family feels strongly that the parmesan be Kraft (not fresh parm) and you use American cheese – other cheeses do not melt the same. Another note is that the American cheese is preferably the kind that comes stacked but NOT the individually wrapped ones.

Materials

1 roll of paper towels (for the spinach)
Sheet pan

How To Make Christmas Pizza

Step 1: Preheat oven and Brown meat

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brown the meat in a skillet over medium heat with olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste.

Step 2: Drain the meat

Put cooked meat in a colander to drain out the liquid – very important step!

Step 3: Sauté onions and garlic, then drain with paper towels

Sauté’ onions in the skillet on medium heat with olive oil til translucent. Push cooked onions out to the edges of the pan and turn to medium/low – add a little olive oil in the center of the pan and add the fresh chopped garlic, stir for 1 minute. Place about 10 paper towels stacked on top of each other on the counter, put the onion/garlic mixture on the paper towels. Wrap the paper towels around the onion mixture to drain out any liquid.

Step 4: Cook spinach and then drain as well

Heat bagged spinach until well thawed and warm. It just needs to be thawed, not necessarily cooked much beyond that. You can heat it in the bag or in a glass bowl in the microwave or in a pot on the stovetop. Repeat the same process with the spinach that you did with the onion mixture – squeeze out all the liquid – very important so the crust won’t get soggy.

Step 5: Mix meat, onions, and spinach together with cheese, egg, basil and oregano

In a large bowl mix the meat, onions and spinach. Add parmesan cheese, whisked eggs, fresh basil, dried oregano.

Step 6: Grease baking sheet

Have a large baking sheet and grease with olive oil if you don’t have nonstick. Some cornmeal will prevent sticking as well.

Step 7: Roll out dough

Roll out one of the packages of dough in a rectangle shape to fit the pan. Use flour on the countertop so it won’t stick. It’s better to have too much than too little. You don’t want the crust to be too thick but too thin and it will tear. You can cut off the excess on the edges after you put the second piece on top.

Note we made two pizzas to feed a crowd!

Step 8: Add the filling

Put filling on top of the dough in the pan getting it thick enough to cover and up to all the edges. The filling will be about 1/2 inch thick.

Step 9: Add cheese layer

Place sliced cheese across and down over the whole pizza filling overlapping the cheese by about a 1/4 inch. This makes it extra cheesy. Layton says do not forget the cheese!! She did one year and it wasn’t an easy problem to undo : )

Step 10: Roll out second dough and add on top

Roll out second package of dough in the same shape and fold over once and then twice so it is easier to pick up and place on the filling. Then open up to cover all the filling. Pinch it around the edges with only about 1/4 inch crust because it will double in size when it cooks. You don’t want too much crust. So you will need to cut extra dough around the edges of the pan as you go around the edges.

Step 11: Make slits and bake for 30-40 minutes

Make slits on top in the shape of a Christmas tree for decoration (or do a big MC like we did for Merry Christmas!) and bake for approximately 30 – 40 minutes. Remove from oven when it is golden brown and the cheese is bubbling through the slits.

Enjoy hot out of the oven!

How To Store Christmas Pizza

After you’ve had your fill, we cut up the remaining pizza into slices and store in glass containers in the fridge, heating up once slice at a time. You’ll want to reheat in the oven so the crust gets nice and crisp. I will preheat a little in the microwave to ensure the middle is hot too.

Send guests home with some extra pieces wrapped in foil and carried in a paper bag!

Christmas Pizza

This baked, deep dish stuffed pizza filled with ground beef, spinach, and lots of gooey cheese.

Keyword ground beef, pizza, spinach

Cook Time 40

Ingredients

2 lbs of 90/10 ground beef
2 packages of frozen chopped spinach
2 yellow onions finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 tablespoons dried oregano
1/2 container of Kraft parmesan cheese
3 large eggs whisked
1 package of fresh basil finely chopped
2 rounds of pizza dough
1 package of Kraft American cheese slices 30 slice pack
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.   
Brown the meat in a skillet over medium with olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste. Put cooked meat in a colander to drain out the liquid – very important step!
Sauté’ onions in the skillet with olive oil til translucent on medium heat. Push cooked onions out to the edges of the pan and turn to medium/low – add a little olive oil in the center of the pan and add the fresh chopped garlic, stir for 1 minute. Place about 10 paper towels stacked on top of each other on the counter, put the onion/garlic mixture on the paper towels. Wrap the paper towels around the onion mixture to drain out any liquid.
Cook bagged spinach in the microwave or in a stockpot until thawed and warm. Repeat the same process with the spinach that you did with the onion mixture – squeeze out all the liquid – very important so the crust won’t get soggy. 
In a large bowl mix the meat, onions and spinach. Add parmesan cheese, whisked eggs, fresh basil, dried oregano.
Have a large baking sheet and grease with olive oil if you don’t have nonstick. Some cornmeal will prevent sticking as well. Roll out one of the packages of dough in a rectangle shape to fit the pan. Use flour on the countertop so it won’t stick. It’s better to have too much than too little. You don’t want the crust to be too thick but too thin and it will tear. You can cut off the excess on the edges after you put the second piece on top. 
Put filling on top of the dough in the pan getting it thick enough to cover and up to all the edges. The filling will be about 1⁄2 inch thick. 
Place sliced cheese across and down over the whole pizza filling overlapping the cheese by about a 1⁄4 inch. This makes it extra cheesy. 
Roll out second package of dough in the same shape and fold over once and then twice so it is easier to pick up and place on the filling. Then open up to cover all the filling. Pinch it around the edges with only about 1⁄4 inch crust because it will double in size when it cooks. You don’t want too much crust. So you will need to cut extra dough around the edges of the pan as you go around the edges. 
Make slits on top in the shape of a Christmas tree for decoration and bake for approximately 30 – 40 minutes.
Remove from oven when it is golden brown and the cheese is bubbling through the slits.