Homemade Pizza Recipe with Meatballs
Making homemade pizza is not just about creating a delicious meal—it’s an experience! Kids love playing with the dough, choosing their favorite toppings, and piling on as much as they like. And let’s be honest, nothing beats the taste of homemade pizza made with love! This recipe features an incredibly flavorful homemade pizza crust and juicy, perfectly seasoned meatballs that will take your pizza night to the next level!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Better Than Takeout – Fresh, homemade, and bursting with flavor!
- Perfect Pizza Dough – A foolproof recipe for a soft and chewy crust.
- Juicy Homemade Meatballs – Packed with flavor and easy to make.
- Customizable Toppings – Make it your own with your favorite veggies and cheese.
How to Make the Best Homemade Pizza Dough
A great pizza starts with a great dough. The key to perfect pizza dough is using fresh yeast and allowing it to rise properly.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Activate the Yeast – In a bowl, mix warm water, sugar, and yeast. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Cover and let it sit for 10 minutes until frothy. If there’s no froth, the yeast is expired, and you’ll need fresh yeast.
- Make the Dough – In a mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Add olive oil and the yeast mixture gradually, kneading as you go.
- Knead the Dough – Knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. It should not be sticky.
- Let It Rise – Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place for 1.5 to 2 hours or until doubled in size.
- Prepare for Baking – Once risen, punch the dough down, knead for a minute, and roll it out to fit your baking pan.
Yield: This recipe makes one 12” thick pizza crust or two 12” thin crust pizzas.
How to Make Juicy Meatballs for Pizza
Homemade meatballs are the highlight of this pizza, adding a juicy, flavorful bite to every slice.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Mix the Ingredients – In a bowl, combine ground beef and seasonings. Mix well for a minute to ensure everything is evenly distributed.
- Shape the Meatballs – Form 10 equal-sized meatballs and set them aside.
- Cook the Meatballs – Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat and fry the meatballs for 8 to 10 minutes until browned and cooked through.
- Prepare for Topping – Let them cool slightly, then cut in half before placing them on the pizza.
Tip: If you’re making two thin-crust pizzas, you can use all the meatballs. Otherwise, avoid overcrowding your pizza with too many toppings!
The Easiest Pizza Sauce (A Secret Shortcut!)
Now, here’s where things get fun and simple! Instead of traditional pizza sauce, this recipe uses ketchup—yes, you read that right! The rich, slightly sweet flavor of ketchup complements the savory meatballs and toppings perfectly, and your kids will love it!
Assembling and Baking Your Pizza
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat the Oven – Set your oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Prepare the Dough – Roll out the dough and transfer it to a lightly greased pizza pan.
- Add the Sauce – Spread the ketchup evenly over the dough.
- Layer the Toppings – Arrange halved meatballs over the pizza, followed by the sliced onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and olives.
- Add Cheese – Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese evenly, avoiding the edges to prevent burning.
- Bake – Place in the oven and bake for 16 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Garnish & Serve – Remove from the oven, garnish with fresh basil leaves, and serve hot!
Tips for the Best Homemade Pizza with Meatballs
- Use Fresh Yeast – Expired yeast won’t allow the dough to rise properly.
- Don’t Overload with Toppings – Too many toppings can make the crust soggy.
- Let the Meatballs Cool – Cutting them while hot can make them fall apart.
- Preheat Your Oven – A hot oven ensures a crispy crust.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use store-bought pizza dough?
Yes! If you’re short on time, pre-made pizza dough works well too. Just follow the assembly and baking instructions.
What other sauces can I use instead of ketchup?
If you prefer, you can use traditional pizza sauce, marinara, or even BBQ sauce for a smoky twist.
Can I make the meatballs ahead of time?
Absolutely! Cook the meatballs a day in advance and store them in the fridge until ready to use.
Final Thoughts
This Homemade Pizza with Meatballs recipe is perfect for a fun family dinner! With a soft and flavorful crust, juicy meatballs, and the easiest pizza sauce ever, it’s a meal everyone will love. Try it out, and don’t forget to share your delicious creations!
Related Recipes
- Chicken Tikka Pizza.
- Cheese Stuffed Meatballs in Creamy Garlic sauce.
- Burger Pizza Recipe.
- Delicious Meatball Casserole Topped with Cheese.
Homemade Pizza Recipe with Meatballs
Ingredients
PIZZA DOUGH
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup warm water you may need less or more when kneading
- 2 teaspoon yeast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
MEATBALLS RECIPE
- 400 gm ground beef
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon dry oregano
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ** Enough oil to fry the meatballs.
PIZZA TOPPING
- 1 medium size onion cut in thin slices
- ½ green bell pepper cut in slices
- ½ red bell pepper cut in slices
- 7 button mushrooms cut in medium slices
- ½ cup whole black olives pitted
- 1 ¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
PIZZA SAUCE
- ¾ cup ketchup
Instructions
MAKING THE PIZZA DOUGH
- Mix water with yeast and sugar, keep aside for 10 -15 minutes to proof and to make sure that the yeast is good to use. When you see the froth go for the next step.
- In a bowl, whisk or sift flour with salt and then add the olive oil. Gradually add the yeast mixture and knead for 10 minutes. You should get a smooth elastic dough that does not stick to your hand.
- Cover and let it rise in warm place for an hour and a half to two hours, or until it doubles in size.
- Punch the dough and knead for 1 minute. Lightly grease the baking sheet/pan with olive oil. Place the dough in the baking pan and using your hands spread the dough to the shape and thickness you desire. In this recipe, I used a 12-inch pan to make one thick pizza crust.
- After spreading the dough evenly in the baking sheet, poke the whole dough with a fork to prevent it from rising a lot while baking.
MAKING THE MEATBALLS
- In a bowl, add all the meatball ingredients and mix for one minute.
- Form 10 equal size balls and keep aside. You can make smaller or bigger meatballs; it depends on you.
- In a frying pan add enough oil to cover half the meatballs.
- Fry the meatballs for 8 minutes on medium high.
- Place the meatballs on kitchen towel. (if you are making one thick crust pizza don’t use all the meatballs because it will look crowded.)
MAKING THE PIZZA
- Spread the ketchup evenly over the pizza dough.
- Cut the meatballs in half and place them evenly over the pizza.
- Spread the rest of the vegetables evenly on the pizza dough.
- Spread the mozzarella cheese evenly and avoid spreading over the edges of the dough, since that will make the cheese burn while the pizza is baking.
- Bake the pizza in a preheated oven of 400F/200C. Bake for 16 minutes or until the dough is cooked.
- Garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve hot.
Notes
- Use Fresh Yeast – Expired yeast won’t allow the dough to rise properly.
- Don’t Overload with Toppings – Too many toppings can make the crust soggy.
- Let the Meatballs Cool – Cutting them while hot can make them fall apart.
- Preheat Your Oven – A hot oven ensures a crispy crust.
Yummy with meatballs! Meow Popcorn 🙂
You didn’t feed him pizza, right? Meat makes them happy, carbs will only make them ill…I have learned it from the hard way -:((
Thank you Angie! Popcorn didn’t eat it, he was full when we had the pizza and there was no leftover 🙂
Popcorn is so adorable!!!! Also homemade pizza is always so much tastier! I’m loving your version with the meatballs! 😍
Thank you Samina for your kind words 🙂
This pizza looks perfect! I will be putting it on our menu for this week!
What is so special about homemade pizza is that, you get to have all the toppings that you want to include. Thank you for sharing another way of making my pizza extra special.
This is really helpful during COVID19 times when there is a fear of ordering immediate consumption items at home. Thanks to your advise and post, I would bake a surprise for my family!
WOW this looks so AMAZING! I will for sure try out this recipe out. I hope it turns out just as good as your pictures. Thanks for sharing!
Pizza + meatballs = match made in heaven! I’d love to try this!
I realize that I miss eating meatballs with spaghetti and pizza with meatballs.
This looks soooo good! I need to try out this recipe soon. I’m salivating just looking at the pictures!
Mmm yummy, this sounds positively delish! I would be totally down for trying this sometime.
I do love pizza and i have made it at home a few times (with store bought dough though). I never thought about adding meatballs on it, such a great idea for a meat lover.
I love pizza! This looks really delicious and I would love to make one sometime! Thanks for sharing the recipe with us!
This pizza recipe sounds quite easy to make and sounds quite delicious and tasty…glad you shared this with us..love it..
I love eating pizza with meatballs on top. This homemade pizza recipe was meant for me! I am going to have to try this recipe out this weekend!
I like that it has meatballs. The kids would love that it has ketchup.
I love pizza and meatballs, so this is basically my favorite meal! I’ve never made my own dough – we usually just pick up Trader Joes pizza dough!
There are a lot of advantages of making your own home made pizza and indeed you can make the meatballs as large as you like them 🙂
Hahaha Did your cat approve? It does look very well made and delicious.
LOL! The cat didn’t taste it but I guess it was approved 🙂
I have Baked a lot of pizza but I have never baked something like this.this looks extremely delicious.