Meatball Pizza

Total Time: 1 hr 43 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr 30 mins Cook Time: 13 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 slice bread, crust removed, torn into tiny pieces
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 lb italian sausage (mild or hot)
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 cup minced yellow onion
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 3 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1 (15 ounce) portion new york-style pizza dough, at room temperature (new york-style pizza dough)
• unbleached bread flour (for dusting)
• 3/4 cup new york-style pizza sauce (new york-style pizza sauce)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 cups coarsely shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
• 10 cooked italian-style meatballs
• fresh ground pepper

Recipe

• 1 to make the meatballs: preheat oven to 450°; set aside a large rimmed baking sheet (nonstick is preferred).
• 2 in a small bowl, toss the bread with the milk; let soak 5 minutes.
• 3 meanwhile, in a big bowl, using your hands or a heavy wooden spoon, mix together the beef, sausage, egg, garlic, onion, parsley, cheese, oregano, worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper.
• 4 add in the soaked bread; mix until well combined.
• 5 using a spoon or small quick-release ice cream scoop; form the ground meat mixture into 2-inch meatballs.
• 6 arrange the balls 1-inch apart on baking sheet.
• 7 bake about 20 minutes, until nicely browned and cooked through (makes 36 meatballs; freeze what you don’t use for this recipe).
• 8 to make the pizza: position oven rack on the second lowest level in the oven and place a baking stone on the rack.
• 9 position another rack in the upper third of the oven; preheat to 500°.
• 10 coat a 12-inch pizza pan or screen with cooking spray; lightly dust dough with flour.
• 11 place dough on prepared pan/screen; gently stretch into a 12-inch round.
• 12 top the pizza: spread the pizza sauce evenly over the dough, leaving a ½ inch border.
• 13 sprinkle the garlic over the sauce; sprinkle mozzarella over the top.
• 14 distribute onion and bell pepper over the cheese.
• 15 cut the meatballs in half and place them, cut side down, evenly over the cheese.
• 16 gently press them into the cheese; grind fresh pepper over the top.
• 17 place pizza in the oven on the upper rack; bake about 10 minutes, until the crust is crisp and golden brown.
• 18 using a pizza peel, lift the pizza off the pan/screen and place the crust directly on the baking stone.
• 19 remove the pan/screen from the oven; continue baking pizza 2-3 minutes, until the bottom of the crust is golden brown.
• 20 using the peel, remove pizza from oven to a cutting board; slice into wedges and serve immediately.