Lunch Lady Pizza Burgers Recipe – pizza sloppy joes simmered in a quick homemade pizza sauce, topped with mozzarella, and served on hamburger buns. SO simple and super delicious. Ground beef, onion, garlic, tomato paste, water, basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, salt & pepper, mozzarella cheese, and hamburger buns. Ready to eat in 30 minutes. I am pretty sure my lunchroom never served something so yummy!
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Pin This RecipeSchool Lunchroom Pizza Burgers
These Lunch Lady Pizza Burgers are a great old school lunch favorite! I came across this pizza sloppy joe recipe in my government school cafeteria cookbook and couldn’t resist trying it. Ground beef, onion, garlic, tomato paste, water, basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, salt & pepper. Serve with mozzarella cheese on hamburger buns. SO simple and super delicious. I am pretty sure my lunchroom never served something so yummy!
How to Make Lunch Lady Pizza Burgers
As I said, this recipe is straightforward to make with only a few simple ingredients. In a large skillet, cook ground beef over medium heat, crumbling until no longer pink. Drain fat. Add onion, garlic powder, black pepper, tomato paste, water, basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, and salt to the browned beef. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
Split hamburger buns. Place bottom halves of hamburger buns on a baking sheet. Place a couple of spoonfuls of the meat mixture on the bottom bun half. Top meat with mozzarella cheese. Bake in a preheated oven for 8 minutes. Serve as an open faced sandwich or add the top bun for a closed sandwich.
Helpful Tips and Frequently Asked Questions
- You can substitute ground turkey for ground beef.
- Feel free to use fresh onions and add bell peppers to the mix. Cook the fresh vegetables with the ground beef so that they soften.
- I use shredded mozzarella cheese. You can use any cheese that you enjoy. Provolone, grated American cheese, or cheddar cheese are great.
- For extra flavor, melt butter and brush it on the hamburger bun halves before placing them on the cookie sheets.
- Can substitute an equal amount of Italian seasoning for the basil, oregano, marjoram, and thyme.
- Are pizza burgers gluten-free? Yes! All of the ingredients in this recipe are gluten-free.
- Can School Pizza Burgers be made in advance? Yes! You can make the meat mixture ahead of time and reheat it before serving.
- Can Old School Cafeteria Pizza Burgers be frozen? Yes! Prepare the meat mixture and let it cool completely. Transfer the meat to a freezer bag and freeze. To reheat, thaw completely and reheat in the microwave or the stovetop.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
What to Serve with Pizzaburger on Roll
These sandwiches are a family favorite. We usually serve them with some chips, fries, or our favorite Italian pasta salad. Here are a few of our favorite recipes from the blog that go great with these lunchroom favorites:
Greek Pasta Salad
Easy Greek Pasta Salad Recipe – seriously THE BEST pasta salad recipe ever! I could make a meal out of…
Creamy Italian Dressing
Creamy Italian Dressing Recipe – our favorite salad!!! Romaine, tomatoes, thinly sliced seedless cucumbers, sliced banana peppers, croutons, parmesan cheese,…
Steakhouse Mac & Cheese
Steakhouse Mac & Cheese – copycat from Seagar’s Steakhouse in Destin, FL – tender pasta baked in a quick camembert…
Lunch Lady Potato Salad
Lunch Lady Potato Salad recipe – a childhood lunchroom favorite! Super simple to make and tastes great! Potatoes, celery, onions, hard-boiled…
Lunch Lady Pizza Burgers
Ingredients:
- 1½ lb lean ground beef
- 2 Tbsp dried minced onion flakes
- ¾ tsp garlic powder
- 1 (6-oz) can tomato paste
- 1¾ cups water
- 2¼ tsp basil
- 2¼ tsp oregano
- 1¾ tsp marjoram
- ½ tsp thyme
- salt & pepper to taste
- 8- oz shredded mozzarella cheese
- 8 hamburger buns
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- In a large skillet, brown the ground beef until no longer pink. Drain.
- Add the rest of the ingredients except for cheese and hamburger buns and stir. Bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Split hamburger buns. Place bottom halves of hamburger buns on a baking sheet. Place a couple of spoonfuls of the meat mixture on the bottom bun half. Top meat with mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 8 minutes. Serve as an open-faced sandwich or add the top bun for a closed sandwich.
Notes:
- You can substitute ground turkey for ground beef.
- Feel free to use fresh onions and add bell peppers to the mix. Cook the fresh vegetables with the ground beef so that they soften.
- I use shredded mozzarella cheese. You can use any cheese that you enjoy. Provolone, grated American cheese, or cheddar cheese are great.
- For extra flavor, melt butter and brush it on the hamburger bun halves before placing them on the cookie sheets.
- Can substitute an equal amount of Italian seasoning for the basil, oregano, marjoram, and thyme.
- Are pizza burgers gluten-free? Yes! All of the ingredients in this recipe are gluten-free.
- Can School Pizza Burgers be made in advance? Yes! You can make the meat mixture ahead of time and reheat it before serving.
- Can Old School Cafeteria Pizza Burgers be frozen? Yes! Prepare the meat mixture and let it cool completely. Transfer the meat to a freezer bag and freeze. To reheat, thaw completely and reheat in the microwave or the stovetop.
Steph
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Pin This Recipe
Italian spin on a Sloppy Joe. Neat!
Looks delicious 😋 my mom made almost identical except tomatoe soup not diluted. I think I’ll try it this week