Old School Pizza Burgers Recipe

These old-school pizza burgers are a nostalgic mix of savory ground beef, melted mozzarella cheese, and rich pizza sauce layered on toasted open-faced buns. They're baked until golden and bubbly for that classic cafeteria-style flavor everyone remembers. You'll love how quick and easy they are to make for busy nights or casual get-togethers. Pin this vintage recipe now to bring a taste of the past to your next family dinner.

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Why is this the best old-school pizza burger recipe

This old-school pizza burger recipe is divine. This is a "quick and easy" burger recipe.  Plus, it has a nostalgia from our old cafeteria days. That's why they taste so good; they remind us of our childhood, bringing a smile to the table. Not only does it bring smiles, but this meal is also a conversation starter for your family. You'll have a reason to talk about your elementary school days again!

The ingredients for this easy recipe are common and inexpensive. You probably have most of the simple ingredients already in your pantry, and the remaining couple are available in most grocery stores.

Pizza burgers freeze really well (raw or cooked), so you can make a bunch and store them for a future meal. You can even double or triple the recipe for a great make-ahead or meal prep meal. Just add buns, and bake the cheese, and freeze.

Pizza burgers make an amazing after-school snack. They may not be served by lunch ladies anymore, but these easy pizza burgers can be wrapped up and handed out when the kids get home. They're an easy and healthy way to hold them over til dinner time.

What you'll need to make the best pizza burger recipe

Equipment

• 12-inch skillet - It needs to have enough space to cook the ground beef with veggies and spices, and pizza sauce.
• Baking sheet - You'll need this to melt the cheese and bake the burgers.
• Parchment paper - This prevents the buns from sticking to the baking sheet and makes for easy clean up.

Ingredients

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See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information.

• ground beef - Normally for burgers, you're going to want to buy an 85/15 ground beef so that the burgers are moist and juicy. (The numbers refer to the amount of fat, so you can expect to lose 15% of 85/15 beef in fat when you cook it.) For these pizza burgers, it doesn't really matter, partly because you're drowning the ground beef in pizza sauce, and partly because you're not forming a big, all-beef patty. All that to say that I recommend the leanest ground beef you can afford. I buy 90/10 because that's the leanest my grocery store carries.
• olive oil - You'll use this to sauté the onions and peppers. Any neutral oil will be fine or melted butter.
• onion - The onion and pepper give the ground beef extra flavor, but they should be finely diced because you don't want chunks of onion in your pizza burger.
• bell pepper - Also finely diced because you don't want big chunks of anything in your pizza burgers. Any color pepper is fine. If you want to make your pizza burgers spicy, feel free to use a fresh jalapeno instead of a bell pepper.
• pizza sauce - A jar of pizza sauce from the grocery store is fine. Pizza sauce is thicker and more seasoned than marinara or pasta sauce. They are not interchangeable.
• black pepper - To season the ground beef mixture. Feel free to use more or less as you prefer.
• salt - As with the black pepper, feel free to use more or less to your preference.
• dried basil - This gives the pizza sauce a little extra oomph.
• garlic powder - You need garlic to make any kind of pizza! I normally press some fresh cloves of garlic into the veggies a minute before I add the ground beef, because I prefer the fresh flavor, but garlic powder is the traditional lunch lady ingredient.
• hamburger buns - Any hamburger buns will work. We prefer potato rolls or sweet Hawaiian rolls at my house. You can also use English muffins, which make excellent pizzas. (Check out my English muffin breakfast pizzas over here.)
• mozzarella cheese - Feel free to use mozzarella, a mozzarella and provolone blend, a pizza blend, or even an Italian blend. Some people will tell you that you must grate your own cheese or it won't melt properly. I am here to tell you that's malarkey. I always buy shredded cheese from the grocery store, and the only one that doesn't melt well is that Parmesan, and even that melts if you cook it long enough.
• fresh parsley, oregano, or Italian seasoning - This is optional and is just for garnish.

How to make school pizza burgers recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.  Set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and peppers and stir frequently for 2-3 minutes.
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3. Add the ground beef to the skillet with the onions and peppers, breaking up any large clumps. Stirring occasionally, cook until the meat is well-browned throughout.  (Placing a lid on the pan will help the meat cook faster and more evenly.)
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4. Drain the excess grease from the skillet and return the pan to the stovetop. 
5. Add the pizza sauce, black pepper, salt, basil, and garlic powder to the skillet and mix well.  Remove from heat.
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6. Split the buns (or English muffins) and place each half, face up, on the lined baking sheet. Use a large spoon or measuring cup to scoop ⅓ cup of the seasoned meat onto each half. Top each with 2-3 tablespoons of shredded cheese.
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7. Bake on the middle rack of your preheated oven for 8-10 minutes.
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8. Let rest for 5 minutes and garnish with fresh chopped parsley or Italian seasoning before serving.

Substitutions & variations

This Classic Cafeteria-Style Pizza Burger recipe can easily be customized to everyone's liking. Try using cheddar or pepper jack cheese or an endless number of toppings like pepperoni, sausage, or mushrooms.

Pizza sauce is preferred for this recipe for two reasons: the flavor, and it's thicker than traditional spaghetti sauce which helps keep the meat together.

If you prefer spicier pizzas, add 1-2 tablespoons of hot sauce to the pizza sauce and/or garnish the top with a pinch of red pepper flakes.  Adding chopped jalapenos instead of bell peppers to the onions is also an option.

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For a lower-fat and lower-calorie option, substitute ground turkey or chicken for the ground beef, or even a plant-based meat option.

To make the Cafeteria-Style Pizza Burgers crunchier, toast the buns or muffins prior to assembly.

Can I make old school pizza burgers in advance?

Yes! Assemble the pizza burgers on the baking sheet up to and including the cheese topping. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Remove the pan from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking time. Bake at 375°F for 15 minutes or until heated completely through. The cheese should be melty and just starting to brown.

Storing leftovers

Store cooked pizza burgers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.  Longer than that, and they will start to get soggier than even re-baking can fix.

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How do I reheat leftover pizza burgers?

For best results, reheat in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes or in an air fryer at 325°F for 5 minutes. Using a microwave to reheat will make the buns soggy.

Check out more delicious burger recipes

• Chili Burgers
• Hawaiian Burgers on the Stove
• Air Fryer Burgers Taco-Style
• Homemade Black and Blue Cheese Burgers
• Air Fryer Turkey Burgers Recipe
• Cheeseburger Soup from Taste of Home

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