Caramelized Onions and Roasted Bell Peppers Meatza

I can’t even count the number of times I have come across Meatza recipes since I took the paleo leap… I never really caught on to them, though. I dunno, something about the concept of replacing pizza crust with ground beef left me feeling sort of meh…

I mean, ground beef and pizza crust probably have as much in common as Superman and Papa Smurf do. So how could this Meatza thing even compare with real pizza? To me, it was basically a giant beef patty, baked and garnished with all kinds of different toppings.

Yummy sounding, undoubtedly! But totally not pizza. And definitely not something I cared to try…

But then one morning, for some obscure reason, I woke up with this crazy craving for exactly that: a giant rectangular (had to be rectangular, don’t ask why. Circular just wouldn’t have cut it) beef patty, baked and garnished with caramelized onions, roasted bell peppers and soft and tangy goat cheese.

Hey, I know I’m not supposed to do dairy anymore, but I’m having a real hard time letting go. Besides, I had this cheese in the freezer already, so I figured I’d better use it than let it go to waste…

Plus, I had to make this at least somewhat pizza-like, and pizza without cheese? Now that’s a concept that’s really hard for me to grasp.  And while the dish I ended up creating still had nothing to do with pizza, I’m happy I included the cheese. Its creaminess and tanginess really helped bring all the flavors together and elevate this dish to the next level.

That said, I’m not even certain that this really qualifies as meatza. Honestly, I don’t really know how to label it, and I don’t really care…. All I know is it was good. Darn good. And satisfying, too.

A culinary experience I’ll be wanting to repeat time and time again, while experimenting with loads of different flavor combinations.

Care to make one with me?

We gotta start by making the “crust”. Or well, the base, anyway. The giant beef patty!

So gather all the necessary ingredients and add them to a fairly large mixing bowl.

Knead this with your hands until well combined.

Or well, if you’re like me, with one of your hands. Seriously, I hate getting my hands dirty so bad that I’ll often use only one of them when performing tasks that are particularly messy, like kneading dough, or meat… Hey, that way at least one of ’em stays happy with me.

Weirdo, I know! You can say it, I’m not gonna resent you…

With your fingers (all 5 or 10 of them), spread the meat evenly across a greased baking sheet, taking care to form a little “crust” along the edge, for a more authentic look.

Take the stems off the mini-peppers, cut them in half and remove the seeds, if any. Place the peppers in a broiler pan and drizzle them with a little bit of extra-virgin olive oil, then sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

Place both the crust and the mini peppers in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until the meat is browned and the peppers are nicely roasted.

In the meantime, add the sliced onions and ghee to a heavy skillet (preferably cast iron ) set over medium heat.

Cook, stirring often, until the onions turn a nice golden color, about 15 minutes. Add the sage, salt and pepper, stir well and set aside.

Remove the par-cooked giant beef patty and roasted bell peppers from the oven. If you find that the meat has released a fair amount of liquid while cooking, you’ll want to carefully drain that.

Then, spread the caramelized onions across the top of the meat base…

…followed by the roasted bell peppers…

… then crumble the goat cheese and sprinkle the chopped walnuts.

Return the meatza to the oven for an additional 15-20 minutes, until the edges get nice and crispy and the cheese starts to barely turn golden.

Cut your meatza into 6 pieces, dribble with a little bit more extra-virgin olive oil and garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

Of course, you could eat this immediately, but know that it reheats fantastically well in the microwave, which makes it a superb option for lunch at the office.

Personally, I’ve been loving it at breakfast with a side of pan fried eggs and avocado…

Can’ t think of a much better way to start the day right!

Print Recipe Rate this Recipe

No ratings yet

Caramelized Onions and Roasted Bell Peppers Meatza

Servings: 6

Ingredients

FOR THE MEAT CRUST

• 900 g 2lb grassfed ground beef
• 1 cup raw cauliflower, grated
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp dried mustard
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds, crushed
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp Himalayan salt
• 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

FOR THE TOPPINGS

• 2 large onions, sliced
• 3 tbsp ghee, or make your own
• 1 teaspoon fresh sage
• 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• 200 g sweet mini peppers
• 1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 100 g unripened soft goat cheese
• 50 g walnuts, chopped

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375F and grease a 9" x 13" baking sheet well with ghee or lard.
• Add all the ingredients listed under “meat crust” to a large mixing bowl and knead with your hands until well combined.
• With your fingers, spread the meat evenly across the greased baking sheet taking care to form a little “crust” along the edge, for a more authentic look.
• Remove the stems off the mini-peppers, cut them in half and remove the seeds, if any. Place the peppers in a broiler pan and drizzle them with a little bit of extra-virgin olive oil, then sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
• Place both the crust and the mini peppers in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until the meat is browned and the peppers are nicely roasted.
• Meanwhile, add the sliced onions and ghee to a heavy skillet (preferably cast iron ) set over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the onions turn a nice golden color, about 15 minutes. Add the sage, salt and pepper, stir well and set aside.
• Remove the meat and peppers from the oven. If you find that the meat has released a fair amount of liquid while cooking, you’ll want to carefully drain that.
• Spread the caramelized onions across the meat, followed by roasted bell peppers, crumbled goat cheese and chopped walnuts; return the meatza to the oven for an additional 15-20 minutes, until the crust gets nice and crispy and the cheese starts to turn golden.
• Cut your meatza into 6 pieces, dribble with a little bit more extra-virgin olive oil and chopped fresh parsley.
  

Nutrition

Calories: 1kcal

Author: Sonia! The Healthy Foodie

If you’ve tried this recipe, please take a minute to rate the recipe and let me know how things went for you in the comments below. It’s always such a pleasure to hear from you!

You can also FOLLOW ME on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and TWITTER for more delicious, healthy recipes!