Meatballs on pizza? Long overdue, actually.

In Italy, polpette are a staple at the family dinner table. On pizza, on the other hand, they are surprisingly rare. We wanted to change that.

The little meatballs have been a fixture in many families for generations. Depending on the region, they are served as a main course or used in sauces, lasagne or even in traditional soups.

Polpette are simple, hearty and exactly what makes Italian cuisine so popular: few ingredients, authentic flavour and recipes handed down from generation to generation.

So that’s why we wondered: why don’t we see them on pizza more often?

A perfect match

For our new Pizza Polpette, we deliberately chose ingredients that complement each other rather than compete.

Our Swiss-beef meatballs add flavour and substance. Then we added aubergines, an integral part of Mediterranean cuisine. Their mild, lightly roasted flavour offers a nice contrast to the meatballs.

The pizza is rounded off with ricotta, ricotta salata, Grana Padano DOP, fresh basil and a little extra virgin olive oil.

The result is not an overloaded pizza, but a balanced combination of bold and refined flavours.

The extra touch: ricotta salata

One ingredient deserves special attention: ricotta salata.

Unlike classic ricotta, ricotta salata is salted, pressed and aged for several weeks. As a result, it loses moisture and maintains its firm, slightly grainy consistency. Instead of creamy, it’s a bit tangy and pleasantly salty.

Our ricotta salata comes from Sardinia, where this speciality is traditionally made from sheep’s milk. After baking, it’s grated over the pizza to add the finishing touch.

It goes particularly well with the aubergines and makes an appealing contrast to the mild ricotta.

A pizza for those who like it hearty

The Pizza Polpette combines several Italian classics on a single pizza: polpette, aubergine, ricotta and mature cheese.

Not loud. Not extravagant. Just the way we like Italian cuisine: honest, simple and full of flavour.

The Pizza Polpette is available now at dieci. Buon appetito!