Deep Dish Meatball Pizza
Pull out the springform pan…for pizza! Filled with 2 types of cheese, meatballs and seasonings, this Deep Dish Meatball Pizza is a fun way to mix up pizza night!
This Deep Dish Meatball Pizza post is sponsored by Cabot Creamery, but the recipe and opinions are entirely my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Spiced!
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I’m a planner. I love lists, and I especially enjoy marking things off of said lists. Usually we have our meals for the week planned out in advance, but every so often we end up with a random extra night. The leftovers didn’t last quite as long as I expected. It happens. I opened up the freezer to see what we had, and the next thing I knew I had this Deep Dish Meatball Pizza ready for the oven.
Now that might sound a bit silly to have this entire recipe ready to go without much forethought – but hear me out! We keep a variety of staples on hand at all times. Sandwich bags of frozen pesto. Vacuum-sealed packs of pulled pork, brisket and homemade pastrami. Several varieties of Cabot cheese. And I usually have an onion or two in reserve, as well.
This Deep Dish Meatball Pizza came about once I saw the frozen ball of pizza dough. Normally I make our pizza dough homemade, but I remember picking up some store-bought dough a while back. I think it was on a buy one-get one sale, so the second one went into the freezer. Pizza dough freezes especially well – just make sure to thaw it back to room temperature before rolling it out.
Deep Dish Meatball Pizza
I was tempted to make a ‘traditional’ pizza here. However, our friends made a deep dish pizza like this for us a few months back, and I wanted to try it out here at home. The secret? A springform pan. Yup, like the kind you use for cheesecakes. You could also use a cast iron skillet here, but it’s really fun to pop open the springform pan and see the deep dish pizza sitting on the cutting board!
Meatballs are another one of those items that we also keep on hand. Whenever I use up the last meatballs, I’ll make a large batch the next time and just freeze the extras. I’ve included my meatball recipe below, but you could also substitute store-bought meatballs. (That meatball recipe is spot on, though – I highly recommend it!!)
Cheese. If you’ve followed this blog for a while, then you certainly know about my love for Cabot. Cabot is a co-op owned by farm families throughout New York and New England. That means the farmers who make Cabot products also own the company. Every member has a vote, and the co-op aims to deliver the greatest benefit to all of its members.
Fun fact: Did you know that for every $1,000 spent at a food co-op, $1,606 goes back into the local economy? Pretty cool, huh? Oh, and in the case of Cabot, they make some pretty fantastic products, so it’s a win-win. Tasty food that helps the community? Count me in there!
We always keep a variety of Cabot cheeses in our fridge. Our go-to’s are Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Horseradish Cheddar (so good when mixed with eggs!) and several types of sharp cheddar. For this Deep Dish Meatball Pizza, I went with a combination of Monterey Jack and Seriously Sharp Cheddar. The result? Fantastic!
Substitutions
I highly recommend the meatballs here, but there are plenty of ways you can change up the ingredients in this pizza:
- Omit the meatballs and add pepperoni.
- Go for the diced ham + pineapple thing.
- Leave off the toppings and go with a classic cheese pizza – you can’t go wrong there!
- Add your favorite pizza toppings – bell peppers, mushrooms, olives…have fun with it!
- If you really want to mix things up, try changing the types of cheese! Pepper Jack instead of Monterey Jack will bring a bit of a spicy kick. Cabot’s Garlic Herb Cheddar Cheese would be a great addition here, too. Again…have fun with it! (I do recommend a combination of ‘melty cheese’ like Monterey Jack and cheddar.)
You can’t really go wrong when you combine pizza dough with cheese, meatballs and seasonings. However, this one was especially fun because of the deep-dish-in-a-springform-pan thing. I had a lot of fun making this pizza…and even more fun eating it. We curled up on the couch with this pizza and watched a little bit of college basketball and a little bit of Netflix. It was a successful night!
I hope you and your family enjoys this Deep Dish Meatball Pizza as much as we did here in our house. Cheers!
Did you make this Deep Dish Meatball Pizza at home? Leave a comment or better yet snap a photo and tag me (@Spicedblog) and Cabot (@CabotCheese) on Instagram – we’d love to see your version!
Deep Dish Meatball Pizza
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- ⅓ cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
- 2 Tbsp milk
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ medium white onion finely diced
- 8 oz. ground beef
- 8 oz. ground pork
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tbsp fresh Italian parsley minced
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
For the Deep Dish Pizza
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ large yellow onion diced
- {optional} 1 jalapeno seeded and diced
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1½ tsp Italian seasonings
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 16 oz. pizza dough
- ½ cup pizza sauce
- 1 cup shredded Cabot Monterey Jack cheese
- 2 cups shredded Cabot Seriously Sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
For the Meatballs
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
- Using a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs and milk; let soak for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the olive oil to a medium frying pan and place over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the diced onions and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until onions begin to soften.
- Transfer onions into bowl with bread crumbs. Add all of the remaining meatball ingredients (beef, pork, egg, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano and red pepper flakes). Mix until just combined. (Tip: Take care not to overmix or the meatball may be tough.)
- Divide mixture into 24 equal pieces. Place meatballs ½” apart on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until meatballs are fully cooked.
- Note: Feel free to use as many of the cooked meatballs as you want in the pizza. We used ~½ of the meatballs and froze the rest for other meals.
For the Deep Dish Pizza
- Increase oven temperature to 450°F.
- Using a large skillet, add butter and olive oil; place skillet over medium heat.
- Once butter has melted, add onions and jalapeno; sauté, stirring occasionally, for 6-7 minutes, or until onions have softened.
- Add minced garlic, Italian seasonings and salt; stir and continue sautéing for 1 more minute.
- Meanwhile, roll pizza dough into a 11” circle. Press dough into bottom and 1” up the sides of a greased 9” springform pan.
- Spread pizza sauce on top of the dough.
- Using a large bowl, combine cooked meatballs, sautéed onion mixture and both cheeses. Transfer mixture into pan on top of pizza sauce.
- Bake at 450°F for 20 minutes. Tent top of pizza with foil and continue baking for 5-7 more minutes. Let pizza cool 10-15 minutes before releasing springform pan and slicing.
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Cant wait to make this soon for me for the meatballs can i use almond milk and mushrooms and for the pizza can i use vegan butter and cheeses i love pizza soooooooooo much i never had deep dish meatball pizza before perfect for my after office meals love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
Yes! Pizza is one of those fun recipes where you can change the ingredients out to match your own preferences. Mushrooms sound great in this one! I also recommend the deep dish approach here, Ramya – it’s a fun way to mix up the traditional pizza!
Totally drooling at this deep dish pizza! What a great tip using a springform pan! I’ve made it once before in a round cake pan and it was a pain to release. Will need to try this soon!
Exactly! I’ve done pizzas in cast iron skillets before, and those were fun…but as you noted, they are a bit difficult to slice and serve. A springform pan is the secret! I hope you enjoy this one, Michelle! 🙂
I’m not a fan of deep dish, although I’m also not “not a fan.” I’m somewhere in the middle. I mean, I always say I don’t like deep dish, but I live in Chicago, so it always seems to show up somewhere or another, and I always eat it. And I always have seconds. And probably thirds. So how much of “I’m not a fan” can anyone really believe of someone who can eat three pieces of deep dish? But with meatballs, it makes sense! I could be completely on board with that. I’ll probably have four pieces.
I know what you mean here, Jeff. Deep dish isn’t the first thing that calls to me when I think “pizza.” Chicago deep dish is a thing in and of itself…I get it. But then whenever I have deep dish, I think “man, that was really good!” Either way, this was a fun (and easy) way to mix up pizza nights here at our house!
This is outstanding! I’ve made Chicago pizza before, but never with meatballs. It’s truly brilliant!
Haha – thanks, Mimi! This one came about purely because we always keep meatballs in the freezer. So when I was craving a pizza, I decided “hey, let’s add meatballs!” 🙂
That is one amazing pizza David! I am drooling here looking at it. (And it’s only just breakfast time here, ha ha!). There’s just so much to love about this pizza. Added to list of “must make’s”!
Hey, you can have pizza for breakfast. I won’t tell anyone!
I make a lot of pizza, but I’ve never made a deep dish pizza! I am adding this to my list to make! The meatballs look amazing!!!
So I don’t know how “authentically deep dish” this one is, Kathy…but I have to say the springform pan is a fun little trick to mix up pizza nights! I definitely recommend it!
Keeping a list definitely keeps me organized (and helps me to remember things). I always have an ongoing grocery list and it definitely comes in handy whenever I go (though, sometimes I forget to take the list, lol). I don’t often have deep-dish pizza, but I do love it and this one with all the meatballs and cheese looks so so good!! I bet it’s super hearty and would be so much better than delivery. Love to give this one a go! Perfect for Friday night.
Haha – I’m with ya, Dawn! I need that list. And like you said, there was that one time when I forgot the list. I had to call Laura and she took a picture of the list and texted it to me – doh! 🙂 This really is a great recipe for Friday Night Pizza Night…cheers!
This is why i love your recipes. you always gives a interesting side to your dish. this time with meatballs. loved the dish really. thanks for sharing the recipe.
Thank you so much, Aditi! This is a really tasty and fun recipe for sure!
I’m often amazed by how many possible interpretations and variations one culinary idea could bring. Let’s say bread + meat + cheese. Nothing really new, right? But dozens if not hundreds of various ways to enjoy it. And we are not even counting the global cuisines yet. Probably, if were to start a food challenge “Meat Flatbread Every Day”, the entire year won’t be enough.
By the way, does this sound like a good challenge haha?
You make a great observation, Ben. At the end of the day, if you have bread + meat + cheese, you are on the way to something good. Whether it’s a sandwich or a pizza or something in between, it’s gonna be good! I like the sound of your challenge – let’s start it! haha!
i don’t think we have deep dish pizza here david, but meatballs and pizza?? a winning combo.
Hey – you could start the deep dish trend down there, Sherry! 🙂
This deep dish pizza looks decadent delicious, David! What a great idea to use a springform pan!
Thanks so much, Marissa! This really is a fun way to mix up pizza night! 🙂
I’ve never seen deep dish pizza here David but I think it would be a winner. Love meatballs and this looks so comforting and delicious. Great recipe thanks
Deep dish is available here in the States, but it’s certainly not as common. This one is really fun to make at home, and the meatballs add so much flavor! Thanks, Pauline!!