DIY Copycat Olive Garden Meatball Pizza Bowl Recipe
Love Olive Garden’s meatball pizza bowl? Today, we’re recreating the restaurant’s ultimate saucy meatball and pizza mashup with this fun and easy DIY Copycat Olive Garden Meatball Pizza Bowl Recipe! Make this dish for your family at home and enjoy this decadent restaurant-quality entrée without leaving your house!
The first thing you’ll need to do is make a batch of this incredibly easy dough from this 2-Ingredient Bagels recipe (included below).
Simply mix one cup of self-rising flour with one cup of nonfat Greek yogurt (you can also make your own favorite pizza dough recipe or pick up some pre-made dough at the store).
These pizza bowls are pretty easy to make using upside-down bowls as forms. I used four 1-cup-sized Pyrex bowls, but you could use the bottom of a large muffin tin, too. Just make sure to grease the top/underneath well so the bread won’t stick! I learned this part the hard way.
You’ll need to make roughly 12 meatballs (use the simple recipe below), or you can use store-bought meatballs. I sometimes make homemade meatballs ahead of time and store them in the freezer for recipes like this.
DIY Copycat Olive Garden Meatball Pizza Bowl Recipe
yield: 4 SERVINGS
prep time: 20 MINUTES
cook time: 50 MINUTES
total time: 1 HOUR 10 MINUTES
This family-friendly meal idea tastes like saucy meatballs and cheesy pizza had a baby!
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 pound ground beef or ground sausage
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/4 cup finely diced onion
- 2 tablespoons seasoned bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- salt & pepper to taste
For the bread bowls:
- 1 cup self-rising flour
- 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
For the meatball pizza bowls:
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 20 pepperoni slices
Directions
1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix all the meatball ingredients together, roll into medium sized meatballs, and place on a baking sheet about 1/2 an inch from each other.
2
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes until lightly brown and cooked.
3
To make the bowls, mix self rising flour and nonfat Greek yogurt until it forms a dough.
4
Place dough on a floured surface. Cut into four equal portions.
5
Flatten each dough ball, and place over the top of a flipped over bowl. (Make sure to first grease the bowl.)
6
Place all four bowls on a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes until lightly browned.
7
Remove from oven and remove bread from the molds.
8
To assemble the bowls, add some of the cheese to the bottom of bowls, then spoon in sauce, followed by three meatballs and five pepperonis into each bowl. (Really you can adjust ingredient amounts based on preference.)
9
Place bowls on a baking sheet and bake for another 10 minutes or so until cheese is melted, and serve.
What a cheesy-melty-saucy bowl of heaven!
My family loved this unique and yummy dinner idea! It’s kind of a fun twist on making spaghetti and meatballs, and it’s especially easy with the two-ingredient dough.
We enjoyed these bowls with a delicious salad topped with some Olive Garden salad dressing. SO GOOD!!
Make these 3-Ingredient Pizza Crescent Rolls for a fun appetizer or snack!
