When the Triple D Crew Says “Check This Place Out,” Guy Listens
Not every restaurant recommendation carries the same weight. But when the crew that shoots Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives tells Guy Fieri about a pizza joint right down the street from their house? That’s a lock. That’s how Guy ended up at Red Wagon Pizza in Minneapolis, Minnesota — a neighborhood spot so cozy it feels like you’re inserting yourself into someone’s family tradition.
Because you kind of are.
Three Generations of Pizza Parties
Red Wagon Pizza isn’t just another restaurant with a backstory slapped on for marketing. Owner Peter Campbell’s grandfather started hosting pizza parties in his basement back in the late 40s, bringing the community together around homemade pies. Peter picked up where his grandpa left off when he opened the doors in 2014, and the family photos on the wall prove it — his Nana, his mom, the whole lineage.
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The result? Pizzas that forge in 90 seconds and a tortellini dish that one customer said “looks like it should be a four-star restaurant.”
The Red Wagon Pizza: Sausage Done Right
Guy dove into the signature Red Wagon Pizza, which starts with a dough made from Heritage wheat flour and cold water. The process is precise: tear the mother dough apart in the water to get it nice and milky, add dry active yeast, mix for 2½ minutes, scrape, mix again, add salt, rest for 30 minutes, then another 5-minute mix. The dough rests 24 hours before it’s ready — and Peter checks by stretching it thin. If it splits, the gluten hasn’t developed enough.
The house sausage is equally methodical. Cubed pork butt, bacon, sopressata, garlic, onion, fennel powder, salt, and brown pepper all cure overnight before getting ground and oven-cooked. Every 14-inch pie gets housemade sauce and a blend of half mozzarella, half provolone.
For the Red Wagon Pizza specifically: house sausage, banana peppers, ribboned sopressata, crushed red pepper, housemade garlic salt, and fig-infused balsamic vinegar. Guy called it “Dynamite” — praising the balance, the fresh sausage, the handmade dough, the homemade sauce, and that acid bite from the banana pepper. “It’s an artisan pizza, man,” he declared.
Like the attention to detail in Sausage APPLE Pizza, this is scratch-made cooking that shows in every bite.
Tortellini That Doesn’t Belong at a Pizza Place (But Does)
Then came the spinach ricotta tortellini. Peter makes the ricotta in-house: 2 gallons whole milk, heavy cream, lemon juice, and apple cider vinegar, heated low until the curds separate from the whey. It hangs in cheesecloth overnight for a really dry ricotta. The spinach filling combines ice-blanched spinach, sautéed garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and a bit of oil.
The tortellini gets dropped into a white wine reduction with cheesy béchamel, ham, and fresh peas. Finished with arugula, parmesan, red pepper flake, and oregano.
Guy’s verdict? “Outstanding. Fabulous. I would not expect a tortellini that good to be found at a pizza place.”
The homemade pasta reminded me of the scratch-made ethos behind Real-Deal Vietnamese in Cincinnati, OH — places where nothing comes from a bag.
Tips from Peter’s Kitchen
Test your dough: Stretch it thin before shaping. If it splits, it needs more mixing to develop gluten.
Cure your sausage: Let the seasoned meat sit overnight before grinding — it builds deeper flavor.
Dry your ricotta: Hang it in cheesecloth overnight. That dry texture is essential for stuffed pasta.
Family, Community, Flavortown
Peter’s brother Buck made a cameo — stepping in just to rib Peter about his oblong pizza shaping before getting playfully kicked off camera. It’s that kind of place. As one regular put it: “You can tell the care that goes into it when you take that first bite.”
Looking for more spots like Red Wagon? Browse our full restaurant directory to find your next Triple D destination.