Meatza, or pizza with a sausage or seasoned meat crust, is a delicious low carb, Whole30, keto, and paleo-friendly alternative to unhealthy takeout!
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 recently, 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.
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.
No rolling pin? No problem! Use a metal water bottle or the bottom of a large, flat-bottomed skillet.
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!
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
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
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!
Liz Chan says
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?
nomnompaleo says
You can always make your own sausage at home and that way you can control the sodium content!
Lauri says
Looks delicious! But Michelle, how do you keep your oven so clean! You must clean it all the time 🙂
nomnompaleo says
No way! We shot this recipe right after we got a new oven. It looks pretty dirty now…
Jacinta Keeble says
OMG this looks so good. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as almond ricotta! You learn something new every day.
Heidi Wyss says
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!
Nutrition You Can Use says
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.
Jo Valentine says
I have made this twice using regular cheese and we love it. Don’t miss the bread at all. One in the oven now.
Charity says
Would this work if I used bulk Italian chicken sausage? Or does it need to be pork sausage?
Michelle Tam says
It should work with chicken sausage as long as it isn’t too lean.