This “Legendary” Frozen Pizza Is So Good, I Had It for Dinner 4 Times This Week

I lived in New York City for the last six years before recently moving back to my hometown of St. Louis. As much as I loved my favorite pizza spots in New York, there is no pizza like a St. Louis-style pizza. Let me explain.

For those just hearing the hype, St. Louis-style pizza is characteristic for its superthin, crispy unleavened crust that’s more akin to matzo or a water cracker than bread. It’s loaded with gooey Provel cheese — a local cheese that’s a cross between provolone, cheddar, and Swiss with a touch of liquid smoke — and is cut crosswise into small squares (with triangles at the edges). My fiancé, who’s from New York, often refers to it as “appetizer pizza” because it’s so easy to eat. 

Imo’s Pizza, a local pizza shop in St. Louis I grew up with, has perfected the St. Louis-style pie. As it turns out, you can now order its frozen pizzas on Goldbelly. I tried a four-pack to see if they’re just as good as the ones you get at the shop — and was surprised at how close they tasted to the original.

Imo’s Pizza is a St. Louis institution. The first shop opened in 1964, and now there are close to 100 across the Midwest. You’ll even find frozen Imo’s pizzas at the grocery store in St. Louis. I was excited to see you can buy them frozen on Goldbelly, too, so everyone can try the deliciousness that is the St. Louis-style pizza (promise me you’ll at least try it once?). 

Goldbelly offers a four-pack of Imo’s pizzas for $72.95 with seven different topping options to choose from, including pepperoni, cheese, bacon, and deluxe (a pizza packed with sausage, bacon, onions, green bell peppers, and mushrooms). You truly can’t go wrong with your toppings here. I choose those four — and they’re all supremely delicious. 

No matter which pies you order, they’ll all be 12 inches, which Imo’s says is big enough to feed as many as three people (or perhaps one very hungry St. Louis-style pizza fan). The pizzas come frozen surrounded by dry ice, so be careful when unboxing (I used oven mitts to cover my hands)!  

As a longtime fan of Imo’s, I already knew I liked the pizzas. The question was does the quality really hold when I order them frozen from Goldbelly. Dear reader, I’m delighted to tell you it absolutely does. 

After taking all four pizzas out of the box, I popped them directly into the freezer. Then, when I was ready to bake, I preheated my oven to 450°F and set them straight onto the heated rack in the oven. I did try making a couple of the pizzas on top of foil over the rack, and that was a mistake. The crust did not come out nearly as crispy, so learn from me: Just put it right on the rack. 

The pepperoni, cheese, and bacon pizzas all take between 11 and 14 minutes to cook, while the deluxe takes a few extra minutes at 14 to 18 minutes. When I baked them on the rack, I was shocked at how crispy they turned out. It was seriously on par with what you get at the shop. 

My favorite part of Imo’s pizzas is that the ultra gooey Provel cheese melts and basically mixes with the tomato sauce. It’s a little sweet, tangy, and slightly smoky. It keeps me coming back for bite after bite. 

Of all the toppings, my favorite is the bacon. Imo’s lays full strips of crispy bacon across the top, and it’s truly so much more flavor-packed than bacon bits. I highly recommend it if you’re someone who eats meat.

I received my pizza pack on a Friday evening, and by Saturday night, half the pizzas were already gone. So if you need a delicious, fun, easy-to-make dinner (or four), stock up. While you do that, I’ll be adding another four-pack to my cart …

Buy: Imo’s Pizza 4-Pack, $72.95 for 4 (12-inch) pizzas at Goldbelly

What’s your favorite frozen pizza? Tell us about it in the comments below.

This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: This “Legendary” Frozen Pizza Is So Good, I Had It for Dinner 4 Times This Week