Pumpkin Pizza With Pumpkin Chicken Meatballs!

Pumpkins are the best!! They're healthy, they rock sweet and savoury dishes, Cinderella rode in one to the ball, Dwight from the office got one stuck on his head...do I need to keep going?

So how do you use a pumpkin? Jack-o'-lanterns, pies, soups and finished, right? Where's the pizza? Exactly!

This is how I made a pumpkin pizza topped with pumpkin and chicken meatballs. It's actually not as pumpkiny as it looks or you'd expect. Very subtle pumpkin flavor that really pops the next day when you eat it cold. You gotta try this cold!

Pumpkin dough

-420g mashed pumpkin

-450g flour

-60ml olive oil

-1 tsp salt

-1 tsp basil

-1/2 tsp sugar

-1/2 tsp garlic powder

-Pinch of black pepper

Tools

-Big pot to boil

-Strainer

-Big bowl to mix

-Spatula

-Dough scrapper

-Parchment paper

-Pizza sheet

Pumpkin chicken meatballs

-500g minced chicken

-150g mashed pumpkin

-3 tbsp flour

-3 tbsp bread crumbs

-1 tsp salt

-1 tsp dried basil

-1 tsp garlic powder

-1/2 tsp sugar

-Pinch of black pepper

Sauce

-One can of diced tomatoes

Tools

-Big bowl

-Spatula

-Sauce pan

-Sauce spoon

Pizza toppings

-Mozzarella cheese

Pumpkin dough

-420g mashed pumpkin

-450g flour

-60ml olive oil

-1 tsp salt

-1 tsp basil

-1/2 tsp sugar

-1/2 tsp garlic powder

-Pinch of black pepper

This dough is easy to make and doesn't need to rise. I used a sweet kabocha, because they're dry, dense and starchy like a potato. You don't need to use kabocha, but you'll need more flour if you use a western pumpkin because they're moist and kinda spongy.

To make mashed pumpkin

-Peel

-Cut in half

-Clean out the seeds and brains

-Cut into cubes

-Boil until tender

-Strain

-Mash in a bowl using a fork

To make the dough

-Add all of the pumpkin dough ingredients to a big bowl and mix with a spatula until the dough forms.

-Place the dough on a floured surface and knead for 3 minutes.

-Use a dough scrapper and sprinkle on flour as you knead until you have a nice dry and formed dough ball.

-Roll the dough out and place it on a pizza sheet lined with parchment paper. Fold over and press down the edges with a fork.

Pumpkin chicken meatballs

-500g minced chicken

-150g mashed pumpkin

-3 tbsp flour

-3 tbsp bread crumbs

-1 tsp salt

-1 tsp dried basil

-1 tsp garlic powder

-1/2 tsp sugar

-Pinch of black pepper

*The meatballs are cooked raw in the sauce.

Cooking the meatballs this way means that they stay tender even when cooked. You can brown them first if you prefer.

The Sauce

-One can of diced tomatoes

-Half a can of water

-2 tsp dried oregano

-1/2 tsp salt

-1/2 tsp sugar

-1/2 tsp garlic powder

-Pinch of black pepper

My local market was out of minced chicken, so I bought 500g of boneless chicken breast and put all of the ingredients in a food processor. Food processors are great, but not fun to clean.

It’s easier to buy minced chicken, mix everything together, form the meatballs by hand, dropping them one at a time into the simmering sauce.

Adding the raw meatballs to the sauce

-Bring the tomatoes and water to a simmer

-Add the meatballs one at a time.

-Add the seasoning on top

-Simmer for about 30 minutes.

*The meatballs will hold form in 5-10 minutes. You can start stirring the sauce once they hold. I quartered the meatballs with my wooden sauce spoon as they cooked, to make them easier to eat on the pizza.

They will be fully cooked after simmering for 30 minutes. It's difficult to eyeball the doneness, because of the pumpkin color.

Top the pizza with the sauce, meatballs and mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 210c for 30-35 minutes or until the bottom is golden brown.

For real...it's good!