Pizza in a Slow Cooker? Yes, and Maybe

For those of you who are familiar with my 2004 cookbook, Fresh From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker, you know that I like to test the boundaries of what’s possible to cook in a slow cooker — from cheesecakes, to seitan pot roast, and yes, even vegan haggis, recipe here.

So it should come as no surprise to learn that I’ve been experimenting with making pizza in a slow cooker for my upcoming new slow cooker cookbook.  As you can see in the photo at the top of this post, it is possible to make pizza in a slow cooker.  The question is, do I want to?  I’m not sure…maybe you can help me decide.

When I served my first slow cooker pizza to Jon, I was mostly just excited that it worked.  Sure it was thicker than our usual “thin and crispy” crust, and it was oval-shaped, since it conformed to the shape of my large slow cooker.  But still.  It was pizza, right?  And guess what, it tasted good — that is, if you like a Sicilian style “thick and chewy” pizza.

But the real issue stems from the question Jon posed as he ate his second slice: “Why would you want to make pizza in a slow cooker that takes around 2 hours to cook when you can make one in the oven in 12 minutes?”  It was then that I realized my answer “Because I can!” may not be enough of a reason to justify including the recipe in my new book.

So I put it out to you, dear readers.  Can you think of a reason why you would want to make pizza in a slow cooker?  The fate of this recipe may lie in your hands!