Jalapeño Popper Pizza with Bacon Meatballs
Sweet, Smoky Heat on a Crowd-Pleasing Crust
Jalapeño popper has crossed over from appetizer to format, showing up on pizzas, sandwiches, and tacos across operator menus. This pizza brings the trend together with a Jones differentiator guests won’t see coming.
The Menu Concept
- Crisp pizza crust topped with a savory spread of cream cheese, fresh jalapeños, scallions, and spices.
- Layered with a trio of mozzarella, Parmesan, and cheddar, and quartered Jones Dairy Farm Pork and Bacon Meatballs.
- Baked to golden brown and finished with fresh cilantro.
Chef’s Notes
The cream cheese spread is the base layer and the binding agent — soften the cream cheese fully before mixing with sliced jalapeños, sliced scallions, garlic powder, and a touch of salt. Spread evenly to the edges of the crust before the cheese trio goes on. A thin, even layer is critical; too thick and the pizza turns greasy.
Quarter the meatballs before topping, not after baking. Scattered quarters give you 4x the surface area for browning and crispy edges compared to whole meatballs.
The cilantro is the finishing element and goes on after the pizza comes out of the oven — never bake fresh cilantro or it’ll turn black and bitter.
For operators wanting less heat, swap fresh jalapeños for pickled. For more heat, sub in serranos or add a drizzle of hot honey at plating.
Menu Fit
- Appetizers & Starters
- Main Courses
- Shareable
- Lunch
- Dinner
- All Day Menu
- Casual
- Restaurants
This menu concept features
Pork and Bacon Meatballs
This menu concept features
Pork and Bacon Meatballs
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