Greek Mezze Pizza with Keftedes

If you’ve always wondered what it might be like to turn a Greek mezze platter into a pizza, this recipe answers that question.  And spoiler alert: It’s delicious. The mezze, or Mediterranean platter, can be both vegetarian or meat-based, and usually has popular tapas-style items like falafel, hummus, feta cheese, olives, pita and other dips for sharing—though it varies by region. Here, we turned to Ooni’s own gourmand, former food photographer and Social Media Consultant, Bella, for a Greek mezze pie like no other. 


For the pizza, we opted for a fluffy crust using our Classic Pizza Dough instead of pita bread, and topped it with a combination of labneh—a creamy, spreadable cheese common in Middle Eastern cuisine—and feta cheese. This base pairs exceptionally well with savory sliced keftedes (Greek meatballs). Add to that bright cherry tomatoes, briny Kalamata olives, fresh herbs and the subtle crunch of onion and this pizza brings all the best flavors of a mezze platter into one delectable bite. 


Difficulty

Servings

One 12-inch (30-centimeter) pizza

Prep Time

20 minutes

(excluding dough prep)
Cook Time

60 to 90 seconds

By Bella Castillo

Greek Mezze Pizza with Keftedes

Note

Labneh (sometimes labeled as kefir in the UK) can usually be found in the supermarket aisle where yogurt, sour cream or cream cheese is kept. If you aren’t able to find it, crème fraîche can be substituted. Kalamata is a salty, briny black olive of Greek origin. They may be substituted with any olive you prefer. Any feta will do here, but Bella prefers Bavarian sheep's milk feta for its creaminess. For the dough, we recommend our Classic Pizza Dough, just be sure to set aside 3 to 4 hours for proofing.

1: Preheat your oven for 20 minutes, bringing the baking stone to a temperature between 450 °C to 500 °C (850 °F to 950 °F).

You can check the temperature using an infrared thermometer. Prep your toppings while the oven is heating up.

2: Place your dough ball on a lightly-floured work surface.

Push the air from the centre out to the edge using your fingers. Stretch the dough out into a 12-inch (30-centimetre) round. You can leave your stretched pizza base on the counter, or transfer it to a lightly-floured peel.

3: Top your base with about 21 grams of labneh, spreading it in a thin layer and leaving room for a 1-inch crust.

4: Follow with the sliced meatballs, crumbled feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, olives, and red onion.

5: Finish topping your pizza with a light drizzle of olive oil.

6: Cook your pizza for 60 to 90 seconds, turning it every 20 seconds for an even bake.

7: Top your cooked pizza with another drizzle of olive oil.

Garnish with a few leaves of fresh mint and dill. Zest half of one lemon over the top.

8: Slice, serve and enjoy!

Bella Castillo

Bella is an Austin-based, self-taught cook, an exceptional restaurant-recommender and a former food photographer. She was a Food Network fanatic at age 11, and requested canapés with gravlax and crème fraîche to be served at her sweet 16. Today, she spends her time creating social media content for Ooni, prepping elaborate weeknight meals and budgeting for the good tinned fish.
  • 250-gram Classic Pizza Dough ball
  • Flour, for dusting
  • 21 grams labneh or kefir cheese
  • 3 keftedes, sliced (we like ours about ¼ inch or ½ centimetre thick)
  • 1 to 2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
  • 6 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 8 Kalamata olives
  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  • Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
  • Fresh mint
  • Fresh dill
  • ½ lemon