The Mighty Meatball Pie
Recipe and photo provided by U.S. Pizza Team director Brian Hernandez
- 8 oz. dough
- 8 oz. pizza sauce
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- ¼ c. Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 c. (4 oz.) cheddar cheese, shredded
- ¼ c. green onions, chopped
- 12 fully cooked meatballs (1/2 oz.), halved
- 1 c. (4 oz.) mozzarella cheese, shredded
Preheat oven to 425°. Place rolled-out dough on a pizza stone or a lightly oiled pizza pan. Spread your pizza sauce. Add mixture of Parmesan, garlic powder and Italian seasonings. Sprinkle cheddar cheese and arrange meatballs. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese and top with green onions. Bake at 425° for 12 to 15 minutes. Makes a 12” pie.
The Magnificent Meatball
Like pizza making, creating the perfect meatball is an art unto itself. Fried or baked, grilled or braised, made with beef, pork or turkey, meatballs can be served as a main course, in a hero sandwich or paired with spaghetti to the delight of children (and adults!) everywhere. But meatball pizzas have gained in popularity as well in recent years, with styles ranging from sweet and spicy Greek meatballs made with lamb to hearty Tex-Mex creations packed with meaty heat. Some adventurous types have even experimented with Swedish meatball pies. Just remember that large meatballs tend to weigh down the crust—many chefs prefer to cut their meatballs into smaller slices. Here are some examples of meatball pizzas in restaurants across the country:
The Rock Wood Fired Pizza & Spirits (therockwfp.com), with locations in Colorado, Oregon and Washington, sampled The Who in naming its Meaty, Beaty, Big & Bouncy meatball pie. It starts with a tomato sauce base and, in addition to meatballs, features a generous helping of pepperoni, sweet sausage, peppered bacon, ham and mozzarella.
Meats of all types reign supreme on the Godfather pie at Angelina’s Pizzeria (ginospasta.com/angelinaspizzeria.htm), located in Salinas, California. In addition to meatballs, the Godfather boasts pepperoni, salami, Canadian bacon and sausage.
Alaskans love their meatballs, too, particularly the Meatball Parmesan pizza at Moose’s Tooth Pub & Pizzeria (moosestooth.net) in Anchorage. It comes loaded with meatballs in marinara sauce, mushrooms, black olives and green peppers, plus mozzarella, provolone, Parmesan, fresh basil and garlic oil.
The Meatball Pomodoro Fresco comes highly recommended at Regina Pizzeria (reginapizzeria.com) in Boston. In addition to Regina’s special meatball recipe, it’s prepared with marinated tomatoes and mozzarella, plus Romano and Parmesan cheeses, and finished with garlic sauce and fresh basil.
Meatball Marketing
Offer a weekly Monday Night Meatballs or Meatball Madness promotion featuring your best meatball pizza recipes paired with a hearty beer.
Create attention-grabbing names for your meatball pizzas, such as the Meatball Monster, Great Meatballs of Fire (for spicy recipes) or the Mama Mia Meatball Pie.
Target kids with a Meatball Magic promotion spotlighting a magician who entertains from table to table and a menu featuring meatball pizzas, spaghetti and meatballs, and meatball subs.
