Did you know that America’s favorite comfort food is, by more than double the next most popular choice, pizza? It’s convenient, easy to eat, and hits every one of the true American food groups (bread, cheese, ground meat, and tomatoes). About 94% of Americans eat pizza regularly and delivery is available nearly everywhere.
But what if you can’t eat a significant amount of the ingredients in your favorite food? While gluten-free options are now much more plentiful than they were five years ago, they still aren’t exactly the most paleo of choices, usually containing other grains and additives you probably don’t need to be consuming. Besides that, many people can’t eat the sauce, Stacy included, and much of the paleo community is avoiding cheese (especially the low-quality found at most restaurants)!
Our Cashew Cheese recipe (below) also works as a cheese-substitute for casseroles,
is a great addition to make soups creamy, contains vegetables, and is even vegan!
When we first went paleo, pizza was the food we definitely missed the most. So, thanks to an off handed comment by a friend, “who needs the bread? I’ll just take more meat”, we embarked on the quest to make a more friendly and more delicious version of pizza!
Stacy’s favorite: roasted pear, roasted garlic, caramelized onion, arugula & prosciutto meatza
While there are LOTS of Meatza recipes on the internet, since this recipe was first published in our 3rd cookbook, Real Life Paleo, we’ve gotten tons of compliments on it. The flavor and texture of the meat bottom actually holds-up to picking up and eating a slice – and the herb bend is perfectly reminiscent of your favorite traditional pizza flavors.
How do we do it? It’s very simple: make a crust out of sausage, spread on tomato or faux-mato sauce (use the marina spice blend), spread on a cashew cheese sauce, and then top it with everything you love about pizza!
It can become a fun party night, like it often is at our house, with people picking out their favorite toppings and making their own. Make Your Own Meatza Night is ALWAYS a hit with our family & friends! The best part is that it’s much easier than making your own gluten-free dough at home, and you can whip it up in only a half hour or so. Less if you prepare your crusts ahead of time!
Matt’s favorite: Supreme with fresh tomatoes, peppers, onions, mushrooms, olives, and fresh basil
So if you’re in the mood for a pizza night, but don’t want to make a poor substitute with a gluten-free crust, try a Meatza!
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 C tapioca flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp dried oregano leaves
- 1 tsp kosher or sea salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Either 1/2 C FauxMato Sauce or pizza sauce
- Either use mozzarella or cashew cheese sauce (see recipe below)
- 1 pear, cored and sliced
- Roasted garlic, thinly sliced
- 4 ounces prosciutto (add after cooking)
- Arugula leaves (add after cooking)
- Tomato slices
- Bell pepper slices
- Sliced mushrooms
- Sliced black olives
- Roasted garlic, thinly sliced
- Fresh basil, chiffonaded (add after cooking)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the crust ingredients. Using your hands, mix until fully
- incorporated.
- Divide the mixture in half and form into two 10-inch circles with slightly thicker rims on 2 rimmed baking sheets.
- Bake for 10 minutes until cooked through.
- Let cool for 10 minutes, and then add about 1/4 cup of the sauce and then 1/4 cup of the cheese over each crust.
- Add the toppings of your choice (or use the suggested prosciutto, arugula, and pear or supreme toppings) and return to the oven for another 15 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 C raw cashews
- 1/4 C cauliflower florets
- 2 1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/4 C water
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tsp kosher or sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, cover the cashews with water and allow to soak for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Steam the cauliflower over boiling water or in a covered bowl in the microwave for 10 minutes until very soft and easily pierced with a fork. Remove to a food processor or blender and pure?e until smooth.
- Drain the cashews and place in the food processor along with the remaining ingredients. Pulse until smooth, adding a tiny drizzle of water to achieve the desired consistency, if needed. You may need to tap the bowl against the countertop several times between pulses to release the air bubbles.
- Keep chilled in an airtight container for up to several days, or store in the freezer.
As for toppings, we’ve shared a couple of our favorites but encourage you to use your own imagination! We’ve tried lots of things successfully! The boys enjoy a ham and pineapple Hawaiian pizza while the grown ups have loved roasted Brussels sprouts, artichokes, broccoli and spinach. And of course you’re welcome to add the perennial pizza topping champion, pepperoni, if you want!
The only rule with pizza is not to let it go to waste! Reheating in the oven with an egg on top makes an amazing breakfast!
Recipe & photos from Real Life Paleo – if you like this recipe, you’ll love our cookbook!
