I’ve got a little pizza confession.
I don’t love pepperoni, and here’s the kicker—I usually prefer my pizza plain.
Yes, plain.
Plain as in just lots of gooey cheese and nothing else. Plain like the word I jokingly use for my husband’s simple tastes. Plain like what my closet probably should look like at this point instead of resembling an ’80s tween wardrobe.
It’s an embarrassing admission, but it’s honest.
The truth is, it depends on where the pizza comes from. For delivery or those familiar local spots we order from, I’ll take a plain pie. At a pizza-focused restaurant, I’m happy with a plain or margherita but also enjoy sampling creative topping combinations. And when I make pizza at home? That’s when I go wild and pile on whatever sounds good.
As a safe choice though, I usually stick with plain. After five years of marriage and countless pizzas, my husband finally stopped asking what I wanted on mine—he knows: plain.
Also: I once had a pizza stone incident where the cheese burned and stuck to the stone. I seriously considered peeling off that scorched cheese and eating it. I’ve even dropped unbaked pizzas onto the oven floor at 425°F before. Fun times.
This particular pie looks a little messy in the best way—saucy, cheesy, and hot. Trying to slice it perfectly while it’s bubbling is a lost cause. Let it cool? No. Just grab a fork and dig in.
This pie isn’t complicated: mini meatballs (you can swap turkey, chicken, or lamb), fontina and fresh mozzarella, and roasted red peppers. My husband is currently shoving the last slice into his face—actual meatballs on pizza are basically his dream meal.
One more thing: these aren’t ordinary jarred roasted peppers. I used sweet-and-tangy sun-dried-style roasted peppers that add an intense, bright flavor. They’re amazing on toast with goat cheese, on avocado toast, in salads, pasta, sandwiches, and now—pizza.
They’re really flavorful. That’s all.
Mini Meatball Pizza with Fresh Mozzarella + Roasted Red Peppers
1
pizza
2 hours
Pin Recipe
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Ingredients
Dough
-
1 1/8
cups
warm water -
3
teaspoons
active dry yeast -
1
tablespoon
honey -
1
tablespoon
olive oil -
2 2/3
cups
whole wheat flour -
1
teaspoon
salt
Pizza
-
1/2
batch of bite-sized meatballs -
1/2
tablespoon
olive oil -
1 1/2
cups
pizza sauce -
4
ounces
fontina cheese, freshly grated -
8
ounces
fresh mozzarella, sliced -
1
(12-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, or 2 homemade roasted reds
Instructions
-
In a large bowl, combine warm water, yeast, honey, and olive oil. Stir and let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add 2 cups of flour and the salt, stirring until the dough starts to come together but remains sticky. Form a ball with your hands and work in the remaining 2/3 cup flour on a floured surface. Rub the same bowl with olive oil, place the dough inside, turn to coat, cover with a towel, and let rise in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
-
While the dough rises, prepare the meatballs. Heat a skillet over medium heat with the olive oil and brown the meatballs on all sides, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
-
After the dough has risen, punch it down and place on a floured surface. Shape it with a rolling pin or your hands into your desired size—this dough makes one pizza to feed about 3–4 people. Transfer to a baking sheet or pizza peel, cover with a towel, and let rest for 10 minutes.
-
Preheat the oven to 400°F (or follow pizza stone/skillet directions if using those methods). Spread sauce over the dough, sprinkle with fontina, arrange the meatballs, top with sliced mozzarella and roasted red peppers. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly.
Main Course
American
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Cute little balls, right?