I'm just gonna cut to the chase and say these two words: cheeseburger pizza. CHEESEBURGER PIZZA. And I'm also gonna tell you from the get go, The Mister deserves credit for this one. Yes, this larger-than-life pizza is for reals. It's taking me to my happy place because cheeseburger + pizza= ???.
First things first, let me tell you a story before we get into why your life is incomplete without this pizza. When I was pregnant with Little Man, all I ever wanted was to eat meat. One night, I woke up The Mister up because I had a serious craving for a cheeseburger, hold the bun but keep the trimmings , on top of a slice of pizza. Yes, that actually happened. And as I was getting ready to get defensive about my wierdo cravings, and blame it on Little Man, The Mister jumped right in and told me that my craving was a real food thing. An actual pizza he grew up eating.
"Tell me more," I heard myself saying.
"It's pizza topped with crumbled burger, diced onions, pickles, and everything you have a regular cheeseburger," he replied.
"Even mustard and cheddar cheese?" I asked.
"Even mustard and cheddar cheese," came his answer.
So I set out the next evening that same night, to make this unicornly pizza. I mean, how could I not? Crispy crust, tangy pickles, crunchy red onions, oodles of hamburger meat, zesty cheddar cheese, and the mustard. Oh that bright, tart mustard. Never skip the mustard.EVER.
I've improved on the recipe since I first made it years ago and it's become a staple in my house for pizza night, when I make homemade pizza. This pizza and butternut squash with goat cheese pizza for the most epic pizza night(s).My life is laced with butternut squash like this lasagna, or this stew, or these lentils.
Cheeseburger pizza is the essence of every childhood birthday party, summer celebration, food delivery, and I-need-a-night-in-comfort-food. The convergence of bbqed burgers (without using the grill) and comfort validating pizza is a natural marriage and a world where you can have your cake and eat it too. Except in this case, ya'know, it's have your pizza and burger and eat it too. My ideal world.
Have I mentioned that it's very easy to put together? It's the perfect pre-prep meal if you make the dough and sauce beforehand. Or you can use this multi-purpose marinara. Or you can get ready made crust and sauce from the store. You can also mix and brown the meat before hand. Basically, you can assemble the entire pizza the night before or in the morning and simply bake before dinnertime. Just cover tightly to prevent the pizza from drying out.
Should you choose to make the crust and sauce yourself, it's not very complicated. Especially if you have a stand mixer. The mixer is going to do most of the work and you'll end up with a perfectly soft crust. All you're doing is drizzling in liquid and flour to proofed yeast using the dough hook attachment and watching it knead this crust to develop the gluten, let rest, punch down, let rise again and roll out. If you plan on making the dough in advance and assembling the pizza later, refrigerate, and bring it to room temperature an hour before rolling out.
This sauce is a must try. It's a 5-minute sauce. All you're doing is mixing a few ingredients together and heating them for 5 minutes to deepen the flavors. It ends up being way cheaper than buying jarred sauce, not to mention better tasting. The lightness of the sauce never fails to surprise me. It doesn't weigh the pizza down the way an overly tart sauce can because I cut the tartness with a little bit of sugar. Tip: always cut the tartness of canned tomatoes with a little bit of cane sugar.
The recipe for the dough makes enough for three 12-14 inch pizzas, which lasts in the fridge for up to a week. The sauce yields about 3 cups of sauce and stores in an airtight container, in the fridge, for up to 3 weeks for quick snack making (think pizza bagels and breakfast pizza) when the craving hits.
Don't forget to instagram your m&s creations: @mannaandspice!
Cheeseburger Pizza
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 8 1x
Ingredients
- for pizza:
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 pizza crust (recipe follows)**
- ¾ cups pizza sauce (recipe follows)**
- ¼ cup chopped red onion
- 1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese
- 1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese
- 6-8 pickle slices
- 1 tbsp yellow mustard (you can squeeze directly onto pizza)
Instructions
- PREHEAT OVEN to 425 degrees.
- MAKE THE CHEESEBURGER TOPPING: in a medium bowl, combine ground beef, salt, worcestershire sauce, pepper, garlic powder, and chia seeds.
- Heat a pan on medium heat and add ground beef mixture. Cook until beef is cooked through. Drain excess fat and set aside until ready to assemble pizza.
- ASSEMBLE THE PIZZA: spread pizza sauce evenly over crust. Top with mozzarella and 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Spread cooked ground beef, onions, and pickles. Top with mustard, spread evently over pizza. Top off with remaining cheddar cheese.
- BAKE for 13-15 minutes, until cheese is melted and crust is to desired doneness.
- Serve hot.
Notes
**for the sauce:
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp salt
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp basil
for the crust (makes 3 12-14” pizzas):
6-7 cups flour
⅓ cup olive oil
2 tsp salt
½ tsp garlic powder
2 tsp sugar
3 tsp active yeast
3-4 cups warm water (warm or tepid)
MAKE THE CRUST: in the bowl of stand mixer, combine yeast and sugar with 1 cup water. Stir to dissolve yeast and allow to proof for 8-10 minutes. The mixture should rise and become bubbly. Attach the dough hook and start off on the lowest speed setting. Slowly add flour, one cup at a time. In between cups, add salt and garlic powder. Slowly drizzle in olive oil. Add water, 1 cup at a time, until the dough starts to come together.
Gradually increase the speed and continue to mix until a ball forms. if the dough is too wet, add flour, ¼ cup at a time. If it is too dry, add warm water, ¼ cup at a time. Knead for 10 minutes.
Lightly oil a large bowl, for the dough into a ball, cover loosely, and let rise in a warm place for 45-mins to 1 hour, until doubled in size.
Punch the dough down, cover and let rise again in a warm place.
Divide into 3 even balls and roll out crust to desired thickness.
MAKE THE SAUCE: In a saucepan, combine all ingredients, stir and bring to boil on medium heat. Reduce, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Store in airtight container and refrigerate if not using immediately.
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