Low Carb Meatza Recipe (aka Meat Crust Pizza)

This easy meatza recipe (aka meat crust pizza) with Italian sausage shows that you can get a fully satisfying low carb pizza experience without the crust. In this recipe, the meat IS the crust!

It’s a little ironic that my favorite pizza toppings are literally just red sauce and cheese. Okay, and basil too. Or sometimes if I’m feeling really wild and crazy I’ll go for mushrooms (YUM). But meat on my pizza just usually isn’t my thing. Enter meatza, which is basically a meat-lovers dream pizza, and I love it!

I don’t know the origin of meatza (can anyone help? If so, please leave a comment below), but the first time I made it was about 10 years ago. I used one of Melissa Joulwan’s recipes from her Well Fed cookbooks. (Side Note: Her recipes are killer, even if you’re not paleo!) And I’ve been making different versions of meatza ever since.

What is a Meat Crust Pizza?

There’s no reason pizza night has to be full of carbs, and if you want something different than cauliflower crust or fathead dough, I have you covered!

When you make meatza, the crust is whatever ground meat you like (e.g., beef, chicken, Italian sausage, etc.), topped with your favorite pizza toppings. It’s basically just a huge, thin hamburger that’s baked with pizza toppings. (And it’s so good!)

Meatza Crust

In its simplest form, meatza crust is just ground meat. However, you can add any seasonings you want, such as:

• Salt and black pepper
• Worcestershire sauce
• Coconut aminos, liquid aminos, tamari sauce, soy sauce, etc.
• Ground spices, such as cumin, paprika, etc.
• Minced herbs, like rosemary, thyme, oregano, etc.
• Minced garlic
• Grated onion

TIP: I like to use Italian turkey sausage (instead of ground beef or another ground meat) because it’s already seasoned. Just buy it in bulk (not stuffed into links), and look for one that doesn’t have sugar added.

Meatza Toppings

The sky is the limit when it comes to toppings! Here are a few ideas:

• Red sauce
• White sauce (similar to Alfredo sauce, or just spread on ricotta cheese and some garlic sautéed in olive oil)
• Cheese
• Olives
• Onions
• Mushrooms
• Bell peppers
• Banana peppers

TIP: If you add veggies that have a lot of water (such as mushrooms and/or bell peppers), slice them very thinly or quickly sauté them first before topping the meatza pie.

Ingredients

Instructions

Think of this meat based-pizza as a big, thin burger with pizza toppings. It’s really easy to make!

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Spread the sausage out to a circle about 10 inches in diameter on a large baking tray. Bake until fully cooked, about 20 minutes at 400F. Gently blot off the excess liquid once it’s cooked before adding the toppings.
2. Turn the oven up to 425F. Spread the pizza sauce on top of the cooked meat. Sprinkle on the cheese.
3. Top with the green bell pepper, red onion, and olives (or use any pizza toppings you like!). Bake until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes at 425F. Serve warm.

TIP: Once cooked, you can run it briefly under the broiler after that if you want the cheese to brown in spots. (IMPORTANT: Don’t line the tray with parchment paper if you want to broil your meatza; leave the tray unlined or line it with foil.)

Frequently Asked Questions

More Low Carb Pizza Recipes to Try

• 3 Cheese Keto Fathead Pizza Crust
• Low Carb Deconstructed Pizza Casserole
• Pizza Salad With Crispy Pepperoni Chips
• Zucchini Pizza Bites
• Pizza Dip

This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on September 23, 2019 and updated on June 12, 2026.