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    Wood Fired Meatball Pizza

    Published on November 24, 2022 ᛫ Updated on November 12, 2024 by Chef Markus

    Wood fired pizza, topped with lightly spiced meatballs, mushrooms, red onion, provolone, and a rich tomato sauce, what's not to like!?

    Jump to Recipe

    Making delicious restaurant quality wood fired meatball pizza at home isn't hard, and with Ooni's line of outdoor pizza ovens, anyone can make unique, woodfired pizzas at home any time of the year.

    This meatball pizza recipe is sponsored by Ooni Pizza Ovens. Find more information in our Affiliate Disclosure. All opinions are our own.

    Wood fired meatball pizza fresh out of the ooni pizza oven on a steel pizza peel.

    This post contains affiliate links for which we may be compensated if a purchase is made through the links provided at no extra cost to you. For more information, please read our affiliate disclosure.

    Jump to:
    • Ooni Pizza Oven Review
    • Ingredients
    • The Prep Work
    • Instructions - Assemble & Cook the Pizza
    • Tips for cooking wood fired pizzas
    • Recipe
    • Comments

    Ooni Pizza Oven Review

    We received an Ooni Karu 16 Pizza oven for free to create and test out a few delicious recipes. You can try out our baked cranberry brie pull apart bread, and read our full review of what we thought of the Ooni pizza oven here.

    To sum up our review, the Ooni pizza ovens are fantastic and we absolutely love ours! They are easy to use, clean up is minimal at best, have a very social aspect to them, making them ideal for get togethers with friends and family, and best of all, they create delicious Neapolitan style pizza extremely quickly!

    An Ooni Karu 16 pizza oven with the door open and fire visible in the background.

    Make sure to read the full review where we cover some tips and tricks and other gear that will make using a pizza oven at home that much easier!

    Ingredients

    For the meatballs

    • 800 grams of ground beef
    • 1 whole egg
    • 1 large clove garlic -minced
    • ¼ medium red onion - minced
    • ½ jalapeno (with seeds) - minced
    • ⅛ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
    Ground beef and various ingredients needed to make meatballs displayed in a bowl and on a cutting board.

    For The Pizza Itself

    • 1 batch Neapolitan style pizza dough - we used Ooni's classic pizza dough recipe which yields five 12" pizzas
    • 650ml Classic pizza sauce
    • 300 grams of provolone cheese - shredded
    • 8 oz cremini mushrooms - sliced and sauteed
    • ½ red onion - cut into a thin julienne
    • 2 cups baby arugula
    All the ingredients and toppings needed to assembal and cook a meatball pizza layed out on a black counter top.

    The Prep Work

    Before we get to cooking the actual pizzas in the wood fired pizza oven, you'll need to do the most important part of making good quality pizza: the prep work.

    When cooking pizzas in a pizza oven that only takes a minute or two to cook, it's important to have all the ingredients (so dough, sauce, and toppings) done and ready to go beforehand. This ensures you can quickly assemble and cook the pizzas one at a time as oven space allows.

    The Dough

    Prepare the pizza dough ahead of time, allowing time to proof and shape the individual doughs.

    We chose to use Ooni's classic pizza dough recipe because it's proven to work in the Ooni ovens, is easy to make, and tastes delicious! Get the pizza dough recipe here or use your own favorite pizza dough recipe.

    Kneading a ball of pizza dough on a black counter top with a cook book leaned up in the background
    A ball of formed pizza dough, dusted with flour on a black counter top.

    All the ingredients and instructions in this recipe will yield five 12" pizzas if using Ooni's classic pizza dough recipe.

    The Meatballs

    To make the meatballs, mix the ground beef, egg, minced garlic, onion, jalapeno, and spices in a medium sized bowl.

    Use a small spoon or portion scoop to scoop out evenly sized balls of meat. Keep the balls small and bite sized to make eating the pizza easier. If the meatballs are too large, cut them in half after cooking to make eating them easier!

    All the ingredients for meatballs in a stainless steel bowl.
    Overhead shot of formed, raw meatballs on a sheet pan before baking.

    Bake the meatballs on a sheet pan in an oven (or even the Ooni oven!) at 375F for 10- 15 minutes until lightly browned and cooked all the way through.

    The Remaining Toppings

    Slice the cremini mushrooms and sauté them in oil or butter until golden brown. Season with salt, and pepper and cool.

    Peel and julienne the red onion and set aside.

    Shred the provolone cheese on a box grater and set aside.

    A close up shot of sliced red onion on a white cutting board.
    A block of provolone cheese being shredded on a stainless steel box grater.

    The Sauce

    Any pizza sauce will work for this pizza. Make sure to use a good quality pizza sauce that's nice and rich for maximum flavor.

    Instructions - Assemble & Cook the Pizza

    Once all the ingredients are ready to go you can fire up your Ooni pizza oven and get cooking!

    Heat the oven aiming for about 850F on the baking stone by using the infrared thermometer.

    Dust your pizza peel with flour, and then stretch out your pizza dough to about 10 - 12 inches in diameter. Lay the dough on the peel, and use a large spoon to quickly, yet carefully spread out the pizza sauce on the dough.

    Spread some of the sauteed mushrooms on top of the sauce, followed by the provolone cheese, making sure to evenly cover the sauce, yet not adding to much cheese.

    Top the pizza with the fully cooked meatballs, and julienned red onion.

    Related:  The Complete Guide To Cooking Lobster

    Fire the pizza into the hot Ooni oven, making sure to turn it regularly as the pizza cooks. Don't walk away as the pizza cooks quickly!

    Firing an ucooked meatball pizza into a lit Ooni Karu pizza oven with a stainless steel pizza peel.
    A meatball pizza cooking inside a Ooni pizza oven lit with a wood fire.
    Taking out a meatball pizza from the Ooni pizza oven.
    Wood fired meatball pizza fresh out of the ooni pizza oven on a steel pizza peel.

    Once done, remove the pizza from the oven, top with fresh arugula, slice, and serve!

    Tips for cooking wood fired pizzas

    • For best results when cooking with your Ooni pizza oven, temperature control is key. To make this easy, Ooni sells a handy infrared thermometer that can tell you exactly how hot the pizza stone is. This ensures you have evenly cooked pizzas every time!
    • Turn the pizza often, about every 15 to 30 seconds or so to prevent scorching on one side. The hotter the pizza stone and ambient air temperature, the more you will have to turn the pizza.
    • While Ooni recommends cooking pizzas at very high temperatures with a full flame to achieve a classic 60 second cook time, it is easier for beginner pizza cooks to cook at lower temperatures. Don't worry the pizza will cook just the same, it will just take a little longer.
    • If using the Ooni Karu with wood or charcoal, use a high quality fuel to ensure even temperatures in your oven. Add small amounts often and in-between cooking pizzas to maintain even temperatures.

    Recipe

    A meatball pizza fully cook and displayed on a perforated steel pizza peel in front of an ooni pizza oven.

    Wood Fired Meatball Pizza

    Chef Markus
    Topped with juicy meatballs, mushrooms, provolone, red onion and arugula, this pizza is jam packed with delicious flavors. Serve it at your next get together with friends for an unforgettable meal!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved!
    Prep Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins
    Course Entree
    Cuisine American
    Servings 5 12" pizzas
    Calories 858 kcal
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    1 Ooni Karu 16" Pizza Oven

    Ingredients
      

    For the meatballs

    • 800 grams ground beef
    • 1 whole egg
    • 1 large clove garlic minced
    • ¼ medium red onion minced
    • ½ whole jalapeno with seeds - minced
    • ⅛ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

    For The Pizza Itself

    • 1 batch Neapolitan style pizza dough
    • 650 ml Classic pizza sauce
    • 300 grams provolone cheese shredded
    • 8 oz cremini mushrooms sliced and sauteed
    • ½ whole red onion cut into a thin julienne
    • 2 cups baby arugula

    Instructions
     

    The Dough

    • Prepare the pizza dough ahead of time, allowing time to proof and shape the individual doughs.
      A ball of formed pizza dough, dusted with flour on a black counter top.

    The Meatballs

    • To make the meatballs, mix the ground beef, egg, minced garlic, onion, jalapeno, and spices in a medium sized bowl.
      All the ingredients for meatballs in a stainless steel bowl.
    • Use a small spoon or portion scoop to scoop out evenly sized balls of meat. Keep the balls small and bite sized to make eating the pizza easier. If the meatballs are to large, cut them in half after cooking to make eating them easier!
      Overhead shot of formed, raw meatballs on a sheet pan before baking.
    • Bake the meatballs on a sheet pan in an oven (or even the Ooni oven!) at 375F for 10- 15 minutes until lightly browned and cooked all the way through.

    The Remaining Toppings

    • Slice the cremini mushrooms and sauté them in oil or butter until golden brown. Season with salt, pepper and cool.
    • Peel and julienne the red onion and set aside.
      A close up shot of sliced red onion on a white cutting board.
    • Shred the provolone cheese on a box grater and set aside.
      A block of provolone cheese being shredded on a stainless steel box grater.

    The Sauce

    • Any pizza sauce will work for this pizza. Make sure to use a good quality pizza sauce that's nice and rich for maximum flavor.

    Instructions - Assemble & Cook the Pizza

    • Heat the oven aiming for about 850F on the baking stone by using the infrared thermometer.
      An Ooni Karu 16 pizza oven with the door open and fire visible in the background.
    • Dust your pizza peel with flour, and then stretch out your pizza dough to about 10 - 12 inches in diameter. Lay the dough on the peel, and use a large spoon to quickly, yet carefully spread out the pizza sauce on the dough.
      All the ingredients and toppings needed to assembal and cook a meatball pizza layed out on a black counter top.
    • Spread some of the sauteed mushrooms on top of the sauce, followed by the provolone cheese, making sure to evenly cover the sauce, yet not adding to much cheese.
    • Top the pizza with the fully cooked meatballs, and julienned red onion.
    • Fire the pizza into the hot Ooni oven, making sure to turn regularly as the pizza cooks. Don't walk away as the pizza cooks quickly!
      Firing an ucooked meatball pizza into a lit Ooni Karu pizza oven with a stainless steel pizza peel.
    • Once done, remove the pizza from the oven, top with fresh arugula, slice, and serve!
      Wood fired meatball pizza fresh out of the ooni pizza oven on a steel pizza peel.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 858kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 52gFat: 51gSaturated Fat: 23gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 2gCholesterol: 156mgSodium: 1871mgPotassium: 1163mgFiber: 4gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 1329IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 526mgIron: 7mg

    Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.

    Keyword meatball pizza, ooni pizza recipe, wood fired pizza
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    Red Seal Chef Markus Mueller. Owner of Earth, Food, and Fire

    Chef Markus Mueller

    Hey there! Welcome to Earth, Food, and Fire where you'll find delicious and easy to follow recipes, backyard gardening info, and everything you want to know about cooking from scratch at home.

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