Meatza!

So I made my first meatza today for lunch.  Meatza is pizza but instead of a traditional crust made out of dough, I used meat, hence meatza.  The first time I read about meatza it didn't sound too great and wasn't so sure about it so it wasn't high on the list of new things to cook.  However, it was a recipe in one of my new cookbooks, Well Fed, so I decided I would give it a try.  If you are interested in eating the Paleo/Primal way this is a great cookbook to get.  If you aren't sure of what Paleo/Primal is, I plan on doing a blog post about that in the near future.

Anyways, the meatza.  I used approximately 10 oz of ground beef that I had in the fridge.  If  I would have had a full pound then I would have used that but that's just what I had.  I seasoned the beef with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, dried parsley and a touch of crushed pepper for a kick. Then I molded into the bottom of a spring pan (or a cake pan would work) and cooked at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes. 

While the meat crust cooked I made my pizza sauce.  In a small saucepan I sauteed a minced clove of garlic and Italian seasoning in olive oil. Then I added approx 3 oz of tomato paste and 1/4 cup of water.  I let that come to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes.

I also sauteed my veggies while the crust was cooking away.  This is where you can put your own spin on the pizza.  You could use about any veggie really including broccoli or spinach.  I sauteed green and red peppers, onion, and mushrooms. 

When the crust was done, I let it cool for a few minutes, then topped with the sauce, veggies, and a sprinkle of mozzarella.  Then I plopped it in the oven at 400 degrees for another 10-15 minutes, until the cheese was good and melty.

The verdict?  It was very tasty and will definitely make again.  Is it a substitute for pizza....not really.  I've made eggplant pizza with sliced eggplant as the "crust" and grilled it and that was probably more of a better substitute in my opinion.

The meatza can be very versatile though.  You can really use any ground meat as the crust or could use a mixture of ground meats.  You could also make a Mexican style meatza and use salsa as the sauce and top with a Mexi style cheese.   I like recipes like this because you can make it differently every time if you want to and so you don't get bored with it.  Enjoy!