Italian Meatball Pesto Pizza

Worth the Bite is back, and this time our buddy Morgan from @crybabyculinary is proving that some of the best meals you'll ever make don't happen in a fancy kitchen. They happen around a campfire.

This episode comes straight from the Colorado wilderness, where we're turning a handful of simple ingredients into a restaurant-quality pizza that honestly has no business tasting this good in the middle of the woods.

Here's the beauty of Force of Nature's Italian Meatballs:

they're already packed with incredible flavor, so half the work is done for you. Pair them with fresh pesto, creamy mozzarella, crunchy pistachios, and fresh basil, and you've got a pizza that feels elevated without being complicated.

Whether you're cooking in your backyard or at your campsite, this recipe proves that incredible pizza doesn't require a restaurant. Just a few quality ingredients, a hot pizza oven, and a little time around the fire.

Trust us on this one. This pizza is absolutely worth the bite.

Makes one 12-inch pizza

Ingredients

• 1/3 bag Force of Nature Beef Italian Meatballs - cooked and cut in half

• 250g sourdough pizza dough

• 4 tbsp pesto, divided

• 5 slices fresh mozzarella

• 1/4 cup pistachios, chopped

• Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

• Handful of fresh basil, chopped

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Preparation

Cook the Italian Meatballs in a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the pan, let cool slightly, then cut each meatball in half.

Lightly dust a cutting board with flour and stretch your pizza dough into a 12-inch circle. Spread about 3 tablespoons of pesto evenly across the dough, then arrange the mozzarella slices and the halved meatballs over the top.

Dust your pizza peel with flour, transfer the pizza onto the peel, and cook in a hot pizza oven until golden brown and beautifully charred. If you're cooking in a Gozney at around 700°F, this takes about 2 to 3 minutes. Rotate the pizza every 25 to 30 seconds so it cooks evenly.

Transfer the pizza to a cutting board and finish with the remaining pesto, chopped pistachios, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and plenty of fresh basil. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Morgan's Cooking Tips

Buy your pizza dough from a local pizza shop. One of my favorite pizza hacks is to skip making dough from scratch and pick up a fresh dough ball from your favorite neighborhood pizza shop. Most places will happily sell you one for just a few bucks, and it's an easy way to make restaurant-quality pizza at home without all the extra work.

Make it gluten-friendly. Swap the sourdough pizza dough for your favorite gluten-free pizza dough and use almond flour, or your favorite gluten-free flour blend, instead of all-purpose flour when stretching the dough and dusting your pizza peel. You'll end up with a pizza that's just as delicious and completely gluten-friendly.

Don't stress about perfection. Pizza is supposed to be fun. If your circle isn't perfectly round or your toppings shift around a little, who cares? Get it hot, get it crispy, and enjoy it with the people around you.