Spaghetti and Meatball Pizza
Source: O’Charley’s Restaurants (Nashville, Tenn.)
O’Charley’s finds a way to sneak vegetables into a perennial kids favorite—pizza. Spaghetti squash stands in for traditional pasta in the classic duo of meatballs and spaghetti, and the combo tops a whole-wheat pizza crust, further boosting its healthfulness. It’s listed on the menu as “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and Spaghetti Pizza” after the well-loved children’s book.
Ingredients
3 oz. pizza dough (recipe follows)
3 oz. veggie pizza sauce (recipe follows)
1 oz. low-sodium mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 oz. roasted spaghetti squash
3 ground sirloin meatballs, halved (recipe follows)
Pizza Dough
4 1/2 cups wheat flour
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. fine sea salt
1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
3 cups warm water
Veggie Pizza Sauce
1 1/2 tsp. olive oil, divided
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 1/2 yellow onions, chopped
8 oz. sweet potato, cubed
4 oz. carrot. cubed
32 oz. crushed tomatoes
14 oz. red bell peppers
5 oz. tomato juice
1 1/2 tbsp. salt
1 oz. lemon juice
Meatballs
5 lb. ground sirloin
1 1/2 tbsp. minced garlic
1 1/2 fl. oz. liquid egg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup finely chopped basil
4 oz. panko breadcrumbs
Steps
- Preheat pizza stone or pan in 500°F oven. Stretch pizza dough to desired shape and size; transfer to pizza stone. Let rest 2 to 3 minutes. Top with veggie sauce, followed by mozzarella.
- Scatter spaghetti squash evenly over dough; top with halved meatballs, flat-side down.
- Bake pizza 9 to 10 minutes until done.
Pizza Dough
- With wooden spoon, mix flours, salt and yeast in medium bowl. Gradually add water, stirring constantly, until well blended. Mix dough gently with hands to hold it together; form dough into a rough ball.
- Transfer dough to large clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap; let dough rise at room temperature in draft-free area until surface is covered with tiny bubbles and dough has doubled in size, about 18 hours.
- Transfer dough to floured work surface; gently shape into a rectangle. Divide into 3-ounce balls.
- Working with one portion at a time, gather four corners to center to create four folds. Turn seam-side down and mold gently into a ball. Dust dough with flour; set aside and form remaining portions into balls.
- Let dough rest, loosely covered with plastic wrap, about 1 hour. Use one ball for each pizza crust.
Veggie Pizza Sauce
- Preheat oven to 400°F. In skillet, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute garlic and onions in hot oil until soft.
- Toss sweet potato and carrots with remaining olive oil. Place on baking sheet and roast 45 minutes or until soft.
- In food processor, combine sauteed onion mixture, roasted vegetables and remaining ingredients; process until smooth.
Meatballs
- Preheat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, combine ground beef, garlic, egg, Parmesan, basil and breadcrumbs; mix thoroughly. Weigh and form into 2-ounce meatballs.
- Place meatballs on foil-lined sheet tray and cover with foil. Bake 12 minutes. Remove top foil; bake 6 minutes longer.
- Cool meatballs before using.