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Monday, October 27, 2014

Potluck Perfect: Meatball Pizza Casserole

So.
Over Thanksgiving, after a very exciting Michigan win over Penn State, we went to my mom's.  We heard about her adventures in Italy, enjoyed a delicious stuffed pork tenderloin meal, and I caught up on my What's Cooking reading.
The problem with moving as much as J and I have is that I no longer get What's Cooking Magazine.  As one gigantic advertisement for Kraft, it's absolutely brilliant.  That you have to pay for it?  Eh, not nearly as much.  So when it stopped showing up, I ended up embarking on the Magazine Challenge of the past 2 years.  Perhaps not getting the magazine is not all bad.  I've actually made lots of new stuff that is really good.
But when given a chance to watch some TV and flip through magazines, I found myself drawn back into all the interesting things you can make with Kraft.  I saw this, and knew we'd enjoy it.  We did.  For many, many nights.  It would freeze well, too.  I probably should have done that.
I present to you now Kraft's Meatball Pizza Casserole:

Ingredients:
For the Meatballs:
2 lbs ground beef
1 pkg Stove Top Stuffing Mix
2 eggs
1 c warm  water
1 onion, finely chopped
For the Casserole:
1 Kraft Pizza Kit
1 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp water

Method:
1.  Make the meatballs:  Preheat the oven to 400F.  In a large bowl, combine all ingredients with your hands.  Shape into 24 meatballs, and place on a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.
2.  Make the casserole:  While the meatballs bake, make the dough of the pizza kit.  Allow to rise in a warm, draft-free location.
3.  Remove meatballs from the oven and raise the temperature to 425F.  Grease a 9x13" pan.  Divide dough in half.  On a floured pastry sheet, roll out half the dough into a rectangle slightly larger than 9x13".  Place the dough into the prepared pan, letting it go up the sides of the pan.
4.  Pour half the pizza sauce onto the dough and spread evenly.  Place the meatballs on the sauce (4x6).  Sprinkle with mozzarella and the Parmesan packet from the kit.
5.  Roll remaining dough into a 9x13" rectangle and drape over the meatballs and cheese.  Brush the dough with the beaten egg, and sprinkle with the herb package from the pizza kit.
6.  Bake at 425F for 20 minutes, until golden.
From Kraft Canada 


I was surprised at the size of these meatballs.  But they smelled so good in the original bake.  They smelled so good in the baking casserole too.

But everything fit into my 9x13".  I hadn't made a Kraft pizza kit in years.  It's surprisingly simple, and the dough doesn't rise like my own.  I had thought about adding a chopped onion to this, but decided that there was enough in the meatballs.
I was supposed to put the herb package inside, but I forgot.  I liked how it made the top look when baked.
And there was no denying how it tasted.  We ate this for 3 nights, but it easily could have been 4.  It's sturdy, so it could be frozen in foil and reheated.  Another winner from Kraft!

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