When you can't make up your mind between a cheeseburger & a pizza - have both! This Double Cheeseburger Pizza will satisfy both your cravings.
This pizza is for all of us who, as Jimmy Buffett would say, like our carnivorous habit. It's a cheeseburger in paradise pizza with a sesame seed bun, er, I mean crust. Now, I like mine with lettuce and tomato, a big kosher pickle and a cold draft beer. Can you tell I'm a Jimmy Buffett fan? At first I couldn't decide how to add the sesame seeds, because who wouldn't choose a sesame seed bun if they had the chance. I decided to use them just on the outside edge of the crust. It added just enough of that slightly toasty flavor to make it memorable. (see those delicious little sesame seeds just waiting to be eaten?!)
I also decided to add pickle pieces to it and see what it tasted like. It really is a surprising addition that adds a delicious flavor to the mix and pairs well with all the other ingredients. If you're hesitating about adding it, just go ahead and do it, you won't be sorry. (Don't you just want to drool over all those delicious toppings!)
From the beginning, this cheeseburger pizza was a big experiment. It was one of those nights where my husband couldn't decide between hamburgers and pizza so I thought, why compromise, when we could have both. And let me tell you, it turned out so delicious that it's now one of my husband's favorite pizzas that I make. ( Yay, a little pat on the back for me). It comes out best using a pizza stone (if you like crispy crust) but can be made on a cookie sheet as well.
The kids will love helping you put this pizza together but, if they're like most kids, you will probably have to leave the arugula off. I know I would get a "ewww" face from my grandson if I added it.
Enjoy!
DOUBLE CHEESEBURGER PIZZA
Ingredients
- Pizza dough, from bakery or refrigerated Pillsbury thin crust pizza dough
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic or 1 garlic clove
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tomato, chopped
- ½ cup thinly sliced onion, cut in half (I use a sweet onion but you could use a yellow or red one)
- 1-½ cup mozzarella, shredded
- ¾ cup cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 large dill pickle, chopped small
- ¾ cup favorite spaghetti sauce
- 3 Tablespoons barbecue sauce or A1 sauce
- 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
- Cornmeal
- Garnish: arugula
Instructions
- Remove dough from refrigerator and let sit for 1 hour at room temperature.
- When ready to prepare, preheat oven to 500 degrees and place pizza stone in oven for 30 minutes. If you don’t have a pizza stone you can skip this step.
- Cook ground beef with minced garlic until brown and cooked through.
- Grate cheeses and mix together. Chop tomatoes, onions and pickle.
- Sprinkle a little cornmeal on counter and roll out to a circle that fits your pizza stone or, if using a cookie sheet, roll into a rectangle to fit. Sprinkle sesame seeds on outer edge of crust and gently tap into place.
- To assemble: I like to wait until the pizza stone is hot, generously sprinkle with cornmeal and place dough directly on hot stone then assemble ingredients. If using a cookie sheet, sprinkle with cornmeal and place rolled dough on sheet.
- Spread with a little olive oil. Mix spaghetti sauce and barbecue sauce and pour sauce on top, spreading to within ½" of edge. You don’t want to get it too close or it will overflow onto your oven.
- Place cooked ground beef on top of sauce followed by tomatoes, onion and pickle. Sprinkle cheeses on top.
- Place in oven and cook for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is crispy to the touch. Remove carefully and slide onto wooden cutting board. Sprinkle with arugula and serve.
If you love pizza, check out our other yummy pizza flavors!
