Baked Meatball Pizza with Homemade Tomato Sauce & Cheese
This hearty and flavorful dish combines juicy herb-infused meatballs, a rich tomato sauce, and melty Graviera cheese, all served on a crisp baked pizza base. It's a fun and satisfying twist on classic comfort food — ideal for sharing!
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 500 g ground beef
- 1 medium egg
- ½ bunch fresh mint finely chopped
- ¼ bunch fresh parsley finely chopped
- 1 tsp garlic finely chopped
- 70 g bread crumbled
- 50 ml milk
- 80 g onion finely chopped
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- sunflower oil for frying
For the sauce:
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic finely chopped
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 500 ml water
- 1 tbsp honey
- salt
- pepper
- olive oil
- 50 ml white
For the Dough:
- pizza dough (divided into 2 portions; store-bought or homemade)
- flour, for dusting
- olive oil, for drizzling
For serving:
- 200 g Graviera cheese cut into pieces (or Gruyere/Provolone)
Instructions
Prepare the pizza base:
- Preheat the oven to 220°C / 430°F (top and bottom heat) and place a baking sheet upside down in the oven to heat.
- Divide the pizza dough into two equal parts. On a floured surface, roll out each portion into a round (approx. 15 cm / 6 inches wide). Drizzle lightly with olive oil.
- Carefully flour the hot baking sheet, place the dough rounds on it, and bake for 15–20 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.
Make the meatballs:
- In a large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients except the sunflower oil. Mix thoroughly by hand until well combined.
- Shape into small meatballs and fry in sunflower oil over medium heat until browned and cooked through.
- Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.
Cook the sauce:
- Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add olive oil, onion, and garlic. Sauté for about 5 minutes until softened.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes.
- (Optional) Deglaze with white wine and cook until the alcohol evaporates.
- Add water and honey, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for 10 minutes until slightly thickened.
Assemble and Serve
- Place the baked pizza bases on serving plates.
- Spread the warm tomato sauce over each base.
- Top with the meatballs and scatter the Graviera cheese pieces over the top.
- Melt the cheese using a kitchen blowtorch or place under a broiler for 1–2 minutes, until bubbly and golden.
- Serve immediately while hot.
Notes
Chef’s tip:
- Knead the meatball mixture very well to achieve a fluffier result.
- For an even stronger flavor, place the meat mixture in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Graviera can be substituted with Gruyère or a sharp provolone if unavailable.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!