Grandma’s Spaghetti Pizza
I bet that most of the people reading this have no idea what a Grandma Pizza is. The Grandma Pizza originated in Long Island by Italian Grandmothers that had many people in their families to feed and over time developed a pizza dough that did not require any kneading. The pizza is baked in a large sheet pan with plenty of olive oil to create a crispy crust.
I am all about the sheet pan pizza. When I was little, my mom would make Chef Boyardee pizza the same way. I loved pizza night.
In developing this pizza, I wanted to change it up and play around with the toppings.
Although most pizza fanatics will be outraged, this pizza has spaghetti as the main topping. Okay, before you click off this blog post, hear me out.
The spaghetti, along with the whole milk mozzarella, creates a creamy layer that works perfectly with the tangy tomato sauce. The crispy crust ties this amazing pie together. It is pizza perfection!
The next time you are thinking about throwing a box of Chef Boyardee into your shopping cart, consider taking it up several notches and make a pizza, that would make your Grandma proud.
Grandma’s Spaghetti Pizza
This is Grandma's Spaghetti Pizza, the queen of the square-shaped pie. My toppings are unorthodox, but so good!
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 envelope active dry yeast
- 2 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the bowl plus 1/2 cup for the bowl
- 2 tsp salt
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for surface
Pizza Sauce
- 28oz can whole peeled tomatoes
- 2 anchovies
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup basil leaves
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Toppings
- 16 oz shredded whole milk Mozzarella
- 1 cup cooked spaghetti
- 1 cup Cooked Meatballs cut in half
- 1 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
Instructions
Instructions for dough
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Stir together yeast and 1¾ cups warm water (105–110°) in the bowl of a stand mixer; leave it to rest until yeast starts to foam, about 10 minutes.
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Mix in 2 Tbsp. of oil, then salt and 2 cups flour. Using the dough hook, mix until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add another 2 cups flour, a cup at a time, mixing until incorporated and a rough dough forms, about 3 minutes.
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Increase speed to medium and mix until dough is soft and elastic and starts to pull away from sides of the bowl, 5–6 minutes. It will still be somewhat sticky. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Chill 24 hours or up to 48 hours.
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Coat an 18×13" rimmed baking sheet with remaining ½ cup oil. Turn out dough onto a rimmed baking sheet and let sit 10 minutes to take off the chill. Gently and gradually stretch dough until it reaches edges and all four corners of the baking sheet. (If the dough springs back or is stiff to work with, let it rest a few minutes before continuing. You may need to let it rest more than once.)
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Cover dough on baking sheet tightly with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place (but not too warm!—about 70° is ideal for the yeast to grow) until it is puffed and full of air bubbles, 30–40 minutes.
Instructions for Pizza Sauce
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Drain tomatoes and pulse with anchovies, garlic cloves, olive oil, and basil leaves in a food processor until mostly smooth (some texture is okay); season with salt and pepper. The sauce is not cooked prior to being added to the pizza.
Instructions for assembling pizza
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After dough is prepared in the baking sheet, add the cooked spaghetti liberally over the dough.
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cover spaghetti with mozzarella , taking care to cover spaghetti completely to prevent it from drying out.
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add sauce by tablespoon in dollops around the pizza
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place meatballs, cut side down throughout the pizza.
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sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake at 400 for 30-35 mins. Let sit for 10 mins before cutting.