Good Eats: Mega Meatball Pizza

If the man in your life is anything like the man in mine, he will love this pizza. It is loaded with ground sirloin, onions, and cheese!

Jim is not a huge fan of pumpkin carving, but when I told him that I would make this pizza for dinner on Friday night, he agreed to humor me by carving pumpkins with me.

If you're not crazy about all of the meat on this pizza, the crust alone is worth making. You can then choose your own toppings.

Enjoy!

Recipe for: Mega Meatball Pizza
From: Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats

Ingredients:
Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling, plus 2 tablespoons
1 pizza dough, store-bought or from your favorite pizza shop
A palmful of all-purpose flour or cornmeal
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary (a couple of sprigs)
Coarse salt
1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 to 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Coarsely ground black pepper, to taste
1 3-ounce can tomato paste
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
A handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 pound fresh mozzarella or brick mozzarella, sliced or grated

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Drizzle a round pizza pan or rectangular baking sheet with EVOO. Dust the dough with flour or cornmeal, then spread out the dough to form your crust. Poke the pizza dough in several places with the tines of a fork. Drizzle the dough with EVOO, then season it with the rosemary and a little salt. Bake for 10 minutes.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the 2 tablespoons of EVOO (twice around the pan), then the meat. Brown and crumble the meat for a couple of minutes, then add the onions and garlic.
4. Season the meat with salt and pepper, then work in the tomato paste using the back of a wooden spoon. Stir in the cheese, parsley, and oregano.
5. Remove the pizza crust from the oven and top with the meat mixture. Arrange the cheese over the pizza, working from the center to the outside edge. Return the pizza to the oven and bake until the cheese is golden, another 10 to 12 minutes.