Greek Lamb Pizza

👩🏻‍🍳 Tamara Talks – Pizza Inspiration

Greeks love to dance. And eat. The kalamatiano, referenced above, is a traditional Greek dance and joyful one for sure!

I have always been drawn to Greek flavors. I was still in high school when I first made spanokopita – the traditional Greek savory pastry with spinach, feta, egg, fresh herbs, and butter. Lots of butter. Each layer of phyllo dough is brushed with butter.

I have not enjoyed a piece of spanokopita in years as it just doesn’t meet the definition of “healthy.”  😯 😂However, much of Greek cuisine does, and I do tend to cook a lot of it. The healthy fat (olive oil), garlic, lean proteins, tomatoes are the essence of the Mediterranean diet that I follow loosely.

🍕 About Greek Lamb Pizza

Greek Lamb Pizza is a versatile recipe that can be prepared at a leisurely pace when you have the luxury of time, or prepared quickly with the help of a couple of commercially available products. I have done both. 

You can start with a prepared pizza crust (quickest option). You can buy pre-made dough. You can go all out, and make your pizza dough! The choice is yours.

📋 Ingredients Notes

Here is a quick look at the ingredients in the recipe – it’s handy to use at the grocery store or as a summary of what you need. Skip to the recipe for quantities.

• pizza crust – I have made this with bakery prepared naan, and with pizza dough made in my bread machine with this recipe.  I use half of the dough, and roll it out on my 14″ pizza stone. This is a thin crust. The remaining dough can be frozen for another pizza! Another good option if you don’t want to make your dough, is to buy pizza dough, or a prepared pizza crust found in your grocer’s Italian foods section.
• ground lamb
• shallot
• garlic
• crushed red pepper
• ground cinnamon
• pesto – When basil is in season, I make my own Italian Basil Pesto. I also keep a good quality prepared pesto on hand for pizzas, paninis, etc. It’s a great time saver.
• slow roasted tomatoes – I love to make slow roasted tomatoes. I make a large batch, and store them in zip bags. You can substitute commercially prepared slow-roasted or sun-dried tomatoes. You can find them in the gourmet section of many markets, and on Amazon.
• sliced kalamata olives
• feta cheese
• garnishes – Try parmesan, lemon zest, and/or Italian parsley.

🔪 Instructions

1. Prepare the crust – If using pizza dough, roll out very thin, and place on a pizza stone or baking sheet. If using prepared naan or pizza crust, place on pizza stone or baking sheet. Preheat oven to 450° (425 convection). If grilling, preheat to very hot.
2. Prepare the lamb – In a saute pan over medium heat, break up the ground lamb. I find a potato masher makes this task easier. When lamb begins to brown, add the shallot, garlic, crushed red pepper, and cinnamon. Continue cooking until lamb is completely cooked. Remove from heat.
3. Assemble the pizza – Brush crust with pesto. Top with lamb mixture, sliced tomatoes and kalamatas, and crumbled feta. Bake pizza until pizza dough is cooked and beginning to brown. If using prepared crust, feta should be starting to brown. This takes 7-10 minutes.
4. Finish the pizza – Garnish the hot pizza with parmesan, lemon zest, and Italian parsley. Slice and enjoy!

❓ FAQ

💭 Tips

My bread machine turns out a lot of pizza dough… This recipe makes enough dough for 2 thin crust pizzas. Given that I’m typically feeding 2, I freeze half of the dough for another meal. It’s always exciting to realize I’ve got pizza dough ready to go in the freezer!

Similarly, I freeze half of the ground lamb mixture for another pizza later.

🧂 Useful Stuff

Note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. This helps to offset the costs of maintaining my blog and creating awesome content! 😊

• Pesto
• Slow-Roasted Tomatoes
• Kalamata Olives
• Pizza Stone
• Pizza Cutter

What are you waiting for? Isn’t this Greek Lamb Pizza calling your name? It’s calling mine!