Meatza, or pizza with a sausage or seasoned meat crust, is a delicious low carb, Whole30, keto, and paleo-friendly alternative to unhealthy takeout!

An overhead shot of meatza, Meatza, or pizza with a sausage or seasoned meat crust.

Meatza is paleo pizza!

Pizza used to be a big deal in our house. Pre-Paleo, Henry and I were pizza freaks. Believe it or not, we once flew 700 miles from San Francisco to Phoenix, Arizona just to eat at the legendary Pizzeria Bianco. (Yes, we’re crazy.) But then, we went Paleo, and our neverending pizza party stopped. Sure, we saw Paleo folks making pizza with alternative flours, and we occasionally tried some gluten-free pizzas. But to me, they always seemed like inferior versions of the real thing.

But inspired by Robb Wolf’s meatza-making on Instagram, I decided to make a pizza with a sausage crust. And lo and behold: It’s amazing. Plus, umami-packed meatza is a million times easier to make than pizza.

Pro tip: Blotting the juices from the sausage crust is mandatory, or you’ll run the risk of your meatza collapsing in a soggy mess. And that would be no bueno.

Is nut cheese Whole30?

Nut cheese is kind of a gray area for folks doing a Whole30. Here is the official stance:

Technically, almond “ricotta” or cashew “cheese” dips are allowed on the program, as long as their ingredients are compliant. But as with Larabars or nut butters, USE YOUR BEST JUDGMENT. If you have an unhealthy emotional relationship with cheese, use cheese as a comfort food, or find cheese is a trigger food for other cravings (like wine or crackers), it’s absolutely for the best that you leave these recreations out of your Whole30. It’s only 30 days.

Ingredients

  • Bulk mild Italian sausage (check store-bought sausage ingredients if doing Whole30)
  • Marinara sauce
  • Cremini mushrooms
  • Red bell pepper
  • Red onion
  • Castelvetrano olives
  • Goat cheese or almond milk ricotta (optional)

How to make meatza

Preheat the oven to 425°F on convection mode (or 450°F on regular mode) with the rack in the middle position, and place a large sheet of parchment on a clean, flat surface.

A piece of parchment paper is placed on a large wooden cutting board.

Spread the bulk sausage on the parchment, and use your hands to form the meat into a rectangle.

A pile of sausage is shaped into a rectangle on top of a piece of parchment paper.

Place another piece of parchment on top of your sausage rectangle…

A rectangular block of sausage is placed between to pieces of parchment paper.

…and use your hands to evenly press down on the sausage between the two sheets of parchment paper.

A meatza crust in between two pieces of parchment paper is pressed flat with two hands.

Then, use a rolling pin to uniformly flatten the sausage until it’s about ¼-inch thick, making sure it’s not too wide or long to fit on a half-sheet (18-inch x 13-inch) rimmed baking pan.

No rolling pin? No problem! Use a metal water bottle or the bottom of a large, flat-bottomed skillet.

A meatza crust sandwiched between two pieces of parchment paper is being rolled flat with a rolling pin.

Peel off the top layer of parchment and transfer the flattened crust (with the sheet of parchment underneath) to a rimmed baking sheet.

A sausage meatza crust is rolled out on a piece of parchment paper with a rolling pin on the side.

Pop the baking sheet in the hot oven and bake until cooked through, about 10 minutes, rotating the tray around at the halfway point.

A raw meatza crust is being placed in hot oven to cook.

The crust should be cooked through with some browning at the edges. Remove the pan from the oven.

A baked meatza crust fresh from the oven.

At this point, you may notice a lot of accumulated sausage juice. Blot the crust well with paper towels.

Blotting the cooked sausage crust with a paper towel to remove some of the cooking grease.

Then, carefully transfer the crust to a clean piece of parchment. Discard the old parchment paper, and wipe away any spilled meat juices from the rimmed baking sheet. Transfer the meat crust (with the parchment) back onto the baking sheet.

Transferring the cooked sausage crust to a clean piece of parchment paper.

Now, it’s time to go crazy with the toppings: Slather a layer of marinara sauce on the meatza crust…

Spreading tomato sauce on the sausage crust of a meatza.

…and add your favorite toppings. Me? I like thinly sliced mushrooms, bell peppers, red onion slices, and olives.

Placing toppings on a meatza.

Add cheese if desired. I prefer dairy-free cheese or goat cheese (because I don’t do well with cow’s milk cheeses), so I’ll sometimes dollop on some chevre or almond milk ricotta.

Dolloping dairy-free nut cheese on the meatza.

Return the meatza to the oven…

Placing a meatza into the oven to finish baking.

…and bake for 5-10 more minutes or until the toppings are browned.

Meatza fresh from the oven.

Take it out of the oven and let the meatza rest for 5 minutes. Last but not least: Slice and eat!

Side view of meatza topped with red bell peppers, non-dairy nut cheese, olives, and red onions.

Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).


 PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD

Meatza

5 from 9 votes
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Meatza, or pizza with a sausage or seasoned meat crust, is a delicious, low carb, paleo-friendly alternative to greasy take-out! It’s super simple, too!

Ingredients  

  • 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
  • ¼ cup marinara sauce
  • ¼ pound cremini mushrooms thinly sliced
  • 1 small red bell pepper thinly sliced
  • 1 small red onion thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup Castelvetrano olives pitted and thinly sliced
  • ½ cup goat cheese or almond ricotta optional
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Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F on convection mode (or 450°F on regular mode) with the rack in the middle position, and place a large sheet of parchment on a clean, flat surface.
  • Spread the bulk sausage on the parchment, and use your hands to form the meat into a rectangle.
  • Place another piece of parchment on top of your sausage rectangle, and use your hands to evenly press down on the sausage between the two sheets of parchment paper. Then, use a rolling pin to uniformly flatten the sausage until it’s about ¼-inch thick, making sure it’s not too wide or long to fit on a half-sheet (18-inch x 13-inch) rimmed baking pan.
  • Peel off the top layer of parchment and transfer the flattened crust (with the sheet of parchment underneath) to a rimmed baking sheet.
  • Pop the baking sheet in the hot oven and bake until cooked through, about 10 minutes, rotating the tray around at the halfway point. The crust should be cooked through with some browning at the edges. Remove the pan from the oven.
  • At this point, you may notice a lot of accumulated sausage juice. Blot the crust well with paper towels. Then, carefully transfer the crust to a clean piece of parchment. Discard the old parchment paper, and wipe away any spilled meat juices from the rimmed baking sheet. Transfer the meat crust (with the parchment) back onto the baking sheet.
  • Now, it’s time to go crazy with the toppings: Slather a layer of marinara sauce on the meatza crust, and add your favorite toppings. Me? I like thinly sliced mushrooms, bell peppers, red onion slices, and olives. Add cheese if desired. I prefer dairy-free cheese or goat cheese (because I don’t do well with cow’s milk cheeses), so I’ll sometimes dollop on some chevre or almond milk ricotta.
  • Return the meatza to the oven, and bake for 5-10 more minutes or until the toppings are browned.
  • Take it out of the oven and let the meatza rest for 5 minutes. Last but not least: Slice and eat!

Video

Notes

No rolling pin? No problem! Use a metal water bottle or the bottom of a large, flat-bottomed skillet.

Nutrition

Calories: 510kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 43g | Fiber: 2g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

About Michelle Tam

Hello! My name is Michelle Tam, and I love to eat. I think about food all the time. It borders on obsession. I’ve always loved the sights and smells of the kitchen. My mother was (and is) an excellent cook, and as a kid, I was her little shadow as she prepared supper each night. From her, I gained a deep, abiding love for magically transforming pantry items into mouth-watering family meals.

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Recipe Rating




11 Comments

  1. Love the idea of the meatza, but I’ve hesitated on creating this due to the high sodium content of the meat (usually pre-made Italian sausage.) What are your thoughts on making a lower-sodium version?

  2. OMG this looks so good. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as almond ricotta! You learn something new every day.

  3. Made this tonight and didn’t even miss the bread! What do you usually serve with it? We made a kale Caesar but I’m interested in some other ideas!

  4. I can see this one being extremely popular. With so many carnivores among us, the style just makes sense. If nothing else, you’re unlikely to feel deprived eating the dish.

  5. I have made this twice using regular cheese and we love it. Don’t miss the bread at all. One in the oven now.

  6. 5 stars
    Very good especially when the rest of the family is not keto. I’ll partially freeze the sausage next time. No oven issues. The sausage I used was very lean.