Description
Lunch Lady Pizza Burgers combine the savory flavors of seasoned ground beef simmered in a rich tomato herb sauce, topped with melted mozzarella cheese on a toasted hamburger bun. This easy-to-make, kid-friendly recipe offers a delicious twist on traditional burgers with the comforting taste of pizza in every bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Main 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 dried basil
- 2¼ tsp dried oregano
- 1¾ tsp dried marjoram
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- Salt & pepper (to taste)
- 8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
- 8 hamburger buns
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 400ºF (204ºC) to ensure it’s ready for baking the assembled burgers.
- Brown the ground beef: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef until it is no longer pink, breaking it up with a spoon as it cooks. Once cooked, drain the excess fat to reduce greasiness.
- Prepare the pizza sauce: Add dried minced onion flakes, garlic powder, tomato paste, water, basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, salt, and pepper to the browned beef. Stir well, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and let it simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld and the sauce to thicken slightly.
- Assemble the burgers: Slice the hamburger buns in half. Arrange the bottom halves on a baking sheet. Spoon a couple of generous spoonfuls of the meat and sauce mixture onto each bottom bun. Then, sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese evenly over the meat layer.
- Bake and serve: Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for about 8 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and started to bubble. Serve the burgers open-faced or add the top bun to make a closed sandwich.
Notes
- For extra flavor, you can add sliced pepperoni or olives on top of the cheese before baking.
- Use lean ground beef to reduce fat content and avoid excessive grease.
- Leftover pizza burger filling can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Feel free to substitute hamburger buns with hoagie rolls for a different texture.
- You can add a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes to the meat sauce for a spicy kick.
