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Spaghetti and Meatball Pizza

O’Charley’s finds a way to sneak vegetables into a perennial kids' favorite—pizza. Spaghetti squash stands in for traditional pasta in the classic duo of meatballs and spaghetti, and the combo tops a whole-wheat pizza crust, further boosting its healthfulness. It’s listed on the menu as “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and Spaghetti Pizza” after the well-loved children’s book.

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Servings
1
Cuisine Type
  • american
Day Part
  • dinner
  • lunch
Menu Part
  • entree
Main Ingredient
  • Beef
  • Vegetables
  • Bread

Source: O’Charley’s Restaurants (Nashville, Tenn.)

O’Charley’s finds a way to sneak vegetables into a perennial kids favorite—pizza. Spaghetti squash stands in for traditional pasta in the classic duo of meatballs and spaghetti, and the combo tops a whole-wheat pizza crust, further boosting its healthfulness. It’s listed on the menu as “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and Spaghetti Pizza” after the well-loved children’s book. 

Ingredients

3 oz. pizza dough (recipe follows)
3 oz. veggie pizza sauce (recipe follows)
1 oz. low-sodium mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 oz. roasted spaghetti squash
3 ground sirloin meatballs, halved (recipe follows)

Pizza Dough

4 1/2 cups wheat flour
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. fine sea salt
1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
3 cups warm water

Veggie Pizza Sauce

1 1/2 tsp. olive oil, divided
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 1/2 yellow onions, chopped
8 oz. sweet potato, cubed
4 oz. carrot. cubed
32 oz. crushed tomatoes
14 oz. red bell peppers
5 oz. tomato juice
1 1/2 tbsp. salt
1 oz. lemon juice

Meatballs

5 lb. ground sirloin
1 1/2 tbsp. minced garlic
1 1/2 fl. oz. liquid egg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup finely chopped basil
4 oz. panko breadcrumbs

Steps

  1. Preheat pizza stone or pan in 500°F oven. Stretch pizza dough to desired shape and size; transfer to pizza stone. Let rest 2 to 3 minutes. Top with veggie sauce, followed by mozzarella.

  2. Scatter spaghetti squash evenly over dough; top with halved meatballs, flat-side down.

  3. Bake pizza 9 to 10 minutes until done.

Pizza Dough

  1. With wooden spoon, mix flours, salt and yeast in medium bowl. Gradually add water, stirring constantly, until well blended. Mix dough gently with hands to hold it together; form dough into a rough ball.

  2. Transfer dough to large clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap; let dough rise at room temperature in draft-free area until surface is covered with tiny bubbles and dough has doubled in size, about 18 hours.

  3. Transfer dough to floured work surface; gently shape into a rectangle. Divide into 3-ounce balls.

  4. Working with one portion at a time, gather four corners to center to create four folds. Turn seam-side down and mold gently into a ball. Dust dough with flour; set aside and form remaining portions into balls.

  5. Let dough rest, loosely covered with plastic wrap, about 1 hour. Use one ball for each pizza crust.

Veggie Pizza Sauce

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. In skillet, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute garlic and onions in hot oil until soft.

  2. Toss sweet potato and carrots with remaining olive oil. Place on baking sheet and roast 45 minutes or until soft.

  3. In food processor, combine sauteed onion mixture, roasted vegetables and remaining ingredients; process until smooth.

Meatballs

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  In large bowl, combine ground beef, garlic, egg, Parmesan, basil and breadcrumbs; mix thoroughly. Weigh and form into 2-ounce meatballs.

  2. Place meatballs on foil-lined sheet tray and cover with foil. Bake 12 minutes. Remove top foil; bake 6 minutes longer.

  3. Cool meatballs before using.

Read more about:

Recipes
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