The Best Meatball Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 recipe Italian-American Meatballs in Red Sauce, prepared through step 5, including sauce
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 medium bunch fresh basil leaves, divided
• 1 recipe New York-Style Pizza Dough, divided into 3 balls, proofed, and ready to stretch and top
• 1 pound grated full-fat dry mozzarella cheese
• Kosher salt
• 1 1/2 ounces finely grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Scoop out 1/2 cup of the meatball mixture and keep it separate. Roll the rest into small meatballs, each about 3/4 inch across, then set them on a plate and chill the plate in the refrigerator.
2. Set a Baking Steel on the oven's top rack, positioned right beneath the broiler, and heat the oven as hot as it will go.
3. In a medium saucepan, warm 2 tablespoons (30ml) oil over high heat until it shimmers. Add the reserved meatball mixture and brown it lightly, using a spoon to crumble it as it cooks, about 3 minutes. Stir in the sauce and half of the basil, then bring everything to a simmer.
4. Drop the meatballs into the simmering sauce, one at a time. Leave them alone until they begin to firm up, about 2 minutes. Turn them gently in the sauce, then keep cooking, with occasional careful stirring, until they are cooked through, about 3 more minutes.
5. With a slotted spoon, move the meatballs to a bowl or plate, letting as much sauce as you can stay behind. Remove and discard the cooked basil.
6. Put a dough ball on a lightly floured work surface. Press it gently into a rough 8-inch round, keeping the outer 1 inch a little taller. Lay the dough over your knuckles and stretch it carefully into a 12- to 14-inch round about 1/4 inch thick. Move it to a pizza peel.
7. Set the broiler to high. Spoon about 2/3 cup sauce over the crust and spread it evenly, leaving a 1/2- to 1-inch rim uncovered. Scatter one-third of the cheese over the sauce, then add one-third of the meatballs. Finish with 1 tablespoon (15ml) olive oil, the remaining basil leaves, and salt. Slide the pizza onto the Baking Steel and bake until the cheese has melted, the crust is puffed and golden brown, and browned spots appear, 3 to 5 minutes. Move the pizza to a cutting board, sprinkle it with 1/2 ounce Romano or Parmesan cheese, slice it, and serve immediately.
8. Use the same process for the remaining 2 dough balls and the rest of the sauce, cheese, meatballs, basil leaves, oil, salt, and Romano or Parmesan.