Greek Meatza with Creamy Feta, Kalamata Olives and Red Onion
There is much about meatza that makes our mouth water: the juicy, high-protein meat “crust,” the toppings that satisfy our cravings for pizza and the fact that we can eat it with our hands like traditional pizza. But even the most carnivorous among us have to admit that some meatza recipes, the ones smothered in sauce and tons of gooey cheese, can be a bit of a gut bomb. We’re not saying it doesn’t taste good, we’re just saying that after a few bites we’re on the verge of a meatza-induced food coma.
We figured there had to be a way to make meatza that wasn’t so heavy, a meatza that looked less like something we’d eat alone in front of the TV and more like something we could serve at a dinner party. We wanted to change our meatza up a bit, but didn’t want to make the recipe more complicated or less flavorful. We’re happy to report we have succeeded on all fronts.
This Greek-inspired meatza has a crust made from juicy ground beef seasoned with fresh thyme and garlic, a thin layer of sauce and a simple but incredibly flavorful trio of red onions, kalamata olives and feta cheese to top it off.
The sharp, briny feta brings tons of flavor and a creamy texture without becoming greasy or adding too much dairy. Because the flavor of quality feta is so bold, we find that a mere 1/3 cup is enough, but you can use as much as you like if you tolerate dairy well. Along with the feta, the bold combination of red onion and kalamata olives makes every bite exciting and satisfying without straying too far from traditional pizza flavors. The meat “crust” is thick enough to hold together without being too thick and heavy.
This is not your momma’s meatza; it’s a little more refined, a little less over the top, but we guarantee you’ll think it’s just as good.
Makes 6-8 square pieces
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 2 eggs
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried onion powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (optional)
Toppings:
- 1/4 cup (or more to taste) of your favorite pizza/tomato sauce
- 1 cup pitted kalamata olives
- 1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup or more crumbled feta
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line a rimmed 11×17 pan with parchment paper. The rim is important so the grease is contained while the meat cooks.
In a large bowl combine the meat, eggs, thyme, oregano, onion powder, salt and garlic. Whisk the egg with a fork then get your hands in there and thoroughly combine the eggs with the meat.
Spread the meat out evenly and thinly over the entire pan, stretching it all the way to the sides.
Bake for 10-12 minutes and remove from the oven.
Turn on the oven broiler to high.
The meat will have shrunk by several inches. We like to gently scrape off the top to remove excess grease and then transfer the meat to a new pan. (You can also just drain any liquid or grease that has gathered in the pan and finish baking the meatza in the same pan.)
Spread pizza sauce on top, leaving a little rim around the edges for a “crust.” Cover the meatza with toppings. Broil for 5-7 minutes, until cheese is soft and toppings are lightly browned.
Grab a copy of Primal Blueprint Quick & Easy Meals for over 100 Primal Recipes You Can Prepare in 30 Minutes or Less
Posted By: Worker Bee
Oh yum, yum, yum! I’m so running to Ingles this morning and getting an onion and some olives because this is SO going to be my lunch!
That looks great, meatza is one of my favorite paleo dishes. Will definitely try this variation soon.
it’s what’s for dinner, tonight. THX!
This is soooooo gonna be my dinner tonight. Finally some good use to those pounds of minced grass fed meat!
Hi Albert,
I struggled for years with all the ground beef that came with our half cow, until last fall I finally came up with the paleo solution – big ass salad with TACO meat. It’s awesome. Salad has lettuce tomato cuke red onion carrots avocado red pepper, meat is ground beef yellow onion and homemade taco seasoning and dressing is evoo red wine vinegar a little balsamic vinegar s&p mustard a drop or two of pomegranate molasses. I never get tired of this salad, and between just 2 of us, we polished off 80# of ground in 6 months.
True meat lovers pizza!
i think i might try that with some ground lamb that i already have. looks good!
Yum!! Meatza is awesome. I can’t wait to try this variation!
I think Primal pizza would be better made with an almond flour or cauliflower or sweet potato crust.
no way! meatza is one of kind not requiring any carb base/crust
Looks great! I made a Primal pizza last night with almond flour crust (almond flour, salt, baking soda, olive oil, egg, spices – Gluten-free Almond Flour Cookbook recipe), topped with a little sauce, some leftover meatloaf (Everyday Paleo recipe – yum), onion, roasted red pepper, and a little cheese. It was delish and more importantly my two-year-old thought so too!
If you love onion like I do, instead of onion powder, coarsely chopped sweet onion adds more body to the “meatza”, and I love the extra crunch in the “crust”.
I’ve never tried a meatza before and ive been primal for 14 months… thats going to change this week!
Cheese??? I guess my fundamentals came from a different source. I was under the impression that dairy was not paleo. Is it just cows milk to be avoided, or some modern part of milk processing we’re avoiding? Is organic milk OK? Or just goats milk? Fill me in people I’m still a relative newby.
Hey man – a little dairy here and there is okay for some people. Especially the raw, fermented options (fermented means cheese, yogurt, kefir, etc). Its something Mark Sisson calls a “sensible indulgence”. Some people are much more strict (sometimes out of necessity), but most people who eat primal/paleo throw in a little cheese or yogurt here and there and are none the worse for it. Somewhere on this site there is a “Definitive Guide to Dairy” that explains this in more detail.
Eating paleo/primal is like religion – everybody has their own version. There are no paleo police. You can choose whatever works for you & your body. Enjoy!
(I would like my meatza with lamb also!)
Eating paleo has made me feel so much sharper and more vibrant throughout my day. And the additional protein intake has helped me put on at least ten pounds of muscle, without a single change to my workout routine!
The only meatza I have ever had was at a friends house a few years ago. His “meatza” was really just a pizza loaded with ham, sausage, and pepperoni on it though. This is definitely a much healthier option. I look forward to trying it.
Looks amazing! Small meatza squares would make for awesome hors d’oeuvre.
Hey, good idea!
If you’re going to do it as hors d’oeuvres, before cooking the meat, use a pizza cutter to cut it into the size you will need.
You can make square meatballs like this too,(quicker than rolling balls) after scoring them to the size you want.
You’ll have to go thru them again after cooking, with the pizza cutter, but it’s just cooked meat juices you’re cutting.
Wow! Looks fabulous!! Gonna make it next week… Now, where on earth do I get “parchment paper”??
most large-chain grocers carry it now. It’s with the foil, freezer paper, cling wrap, etc.
I think it’s just called ‘baking paper’ here in Australia, yeah?
You get parchment paper in the regular grocery store. It’s usually near the aluminum foil and plastic wrap, although you may find some on the baking aisle. It REALLY helps with keeping foods from sticking to baking pans.
This sounds amazing! I bet it would be fantastic with artichoke hearts added as well!
I have yet to get to making a meatza. I think I will do one with bacon first, but this recipe is going on the calendar for this month – sooner than later!
Never tried this before. It looks delicious! This is definitely on my “foods to try” list
Wow that looks amazing. Mark I think you are the only person in the world that doesn’t take a day off, I think it’s the energy you got from the Primal Living.
For the past week or so I tried your approach to diet, ( not that I need to diet ). And I have to say I feel more energetic, vs before where I did consumed a lot of carbohydrates ( so I can have more intense workouts ). My energy levels went up with your approach, and I am going to stick with it longer to see how I do. Thank you for all this amazing info you are posting.
Omg. I wanna try this, it loos so good.
*looks
There are more benefits the longer you stay off grains/other starches and eat good protein (grass fed meat, wild fish, pastured eggs, etc.). It only gets better with time. For all the people I know who have switched to low carb and have gotten off of grains (including myself), it took about a month before they stopped getting grain/starch cravings altogether. I don’t even see starchy things as food any more. It’s just effortless.
I agree! I actually just got back from a baby shower where there was nothing but carbs! They had sad looking sandwiches (more bread than meat), a HUGE plate of bread with some sort of dip in a bread bowl, thin wafers and cake. Nothing looked appetizing! Good thing I had my primal breakfast of eggs, bacon, spinach and berries, I was COMPLETELY ok skipping out on lunch.
So delicious! I added thinly sliced tomato, and sprinkled with fresh ground pepper and dried basil.
Thanks for this, it’s one of my new favs.
BTW, it goes exceptionally well with this easy to make sauce:
http://www.elanaspantry.com/bbq-sauce/
I can’t stand mince meat. Would rather have a bready-type base.
Just made this for my husband, son, and myself tonight — used lean, hormone free ground beef, a little tomato sauce, red onion, gorgonzola cheese, kalamata olives, and crumbled bacon…Oh – My – Goodness — YUM!!!
Made it for dinner tonight. Only change was we added fresh tomatoes from the garden.
We just bought a fore quarter of beef so we have plenty of hamburger meat. Feels good having a small freezer 2/3 full of good meat.
Oh lord, this looks amazing. Definitely adding to the list of recipes I want to cook next.
Our local organic farm shop sells packs of fresh buffalo mince and venison mince. They make for interesting gamier versions.
And anchovies! With tomatoes, olives and anchovies – my perfect meatza!
Praise be to Grok..that is AMAZING! This calls for a special trip to the store…gotta go…