Can’t decide between pizza and burgers? A pizza burger is the answer!
Pizza Burgers
Served open face, a pizza burger is the comfort-food dinner you didn’t know you needed. Everybody in the family will love these! It’s also a fresh take on burgers, which can get tiring and stale when you use the same recipes over and over again.
These made-from-scratch, ground-beef patties feature pizza sauce for a punch-y dose of tomatoes. They are then placed on a bun with melted mozzarella cheese on top. Consider this a healthy dinner, too, as each burger is only 205 calories.
Prep time takes just 5 minutes. Because you’re broiling in the oven for only a few minutes, they’re ready fast—in 6 minutes. No need to stand over the stovetop or grill as you flip the burgers.
Ingredients for Pizza Burgers
- Ground beef: For this recipe, you need 1½ pounds of ground beef to make 12 servings.
- Onion: Use a yellow onion. These are not as sharp-tasting as white onions, and become sweeter when cooked.
- Pizza sauce: This is sold in a can, tube or jar and is essentially crushed tomatoes, olive oil and seasonings such as oregano, basil and garlic.
- Mushrooms: Any mushroom will work here but since you’re combining it with other ingredients, there’s no need to choose a specialty variety. White button mushrooms are just fine.
- Oregano: Dried oregano is sold in the spice section at grocery stores. Compared to fresh oregano, dried is an easier way to ensure it’s evenly distributed throughout a recipe.
- Hamburger buns: White, pretzel or wheat buns for this recipe—your choice.
- Mozzarella cheese: To make this recipe even healthier, use part-skin mozzarella. You can either buy pre-shredded or grate your own from a block of mozzarella.
Directions
Step 1: Cook the beef mixture
In a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet, cook the beef and the onion over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink, three to five minutes, breaking the beef into crumbles. Drain the meat. Stir in the pizza sauce, mushrooms, sugar and oregano, and mix well.
Editor’s Tip: If you’ve got fresh tomatoes and the right spices, you can make your own pizza sauce using our recipe that’s entirely plant-based and has zero sugars. This is a healthier swap for store-bought pizza sauce.
Step 2: Assemble the pizza burgers
Spoon the beef mixture onto buns and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
Step 3: Broil the burgers
Place the buns with the beef mixture on top on ungreased baking sheets. Broil 4 inches from the heat until the cheese is melted, about two minutes.
Pizza Burger Variations
- Stuff with mozzarella: Make these pizza burgers extra cheesy by not only topping with mozzarella but also stuffing the beef mixture with mozzarella.
- Add hot honey: This trending ingredient—basically honey sauce infused with habanero—tastes amazing on top of a pizza burger. Just a drizzle and you’re all set! You can buy this at most stores.
How to Store Pizza Burgers
While there’s nothing better than a hot burger you’ve just made, you can freeze these pizza burgers for quick lunches later. You can also store them in the fridge, as long as the burgers are in an airtight, covered container.
Can you freeze pizza burgers?
Yes, you sure can! But don’t just freeze the leftovers. Prepare them using this tip. Place the split and toasted buns on a baking sheet. Spoon the meat mixture onto the buns, then freeze for one hour. Transfer these to freezer-safe airtight containers.
How long do pizza burgers last?
Cooked pizza burgers can keep in the fridge for four days.
Can you make pizza burgers ahead of time?
Absolutely! There’s nothing better than a time-saving lunch or dinner. The best approach is to cook the meat mixture the day before, then spoon it onto the bun the next day, followed by broiling as the recipe calls for.
How do you reheat pizza burgers?
If pulling these out of the freezer, thaw them completely in the refrigerator and sprinkle with cheese. Broil 4 inches from the heat until heated through and the cheese is melted, about two minutes.
Pizza Burger Tips
What should I serve with pizza burgers?
Given the mozzarella cheese and pizza sauce, these burgers definitely lean Italian, so pair them with some of our classic vegetable Italian side dishes, such as white beans and spinach, Italian mushrooms or two-bean tomato bake.
Can I make these vegetarian?
Instead of ground beef, buy meatless crumbles and then follow the recipe.
What happens if I turn these into sliders?
As long as you’ve got the right size bun—such as King’s Hawaiian pre-sliced slider buns—it’s all good. Just follow the recipe as you normally would, reducing the size of the beef mixture on each bun to allow for the smaller surface area.
Open-Faced Pizza Burgers
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
25 min
Yield
12 servings
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1 can (15 ounces) pizza sauce
- 1 can (4 ounces) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 6 hamburger buns, split and toasted
- 1-1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Directions
- In a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink, 3-5 minutes, breaking beef into crumbles. Drain. Stir in the pizza sauce, mushrooms, sugar and oregano; mix well. Spoon onto buns; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
- Place on ungreased baking sheets. Broil 4 in. from the heat until cheese is melted, about 2 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
1 each: 205 calories, 8g fat (4g saturated fat), 36mg cholesterol, 357mg sodium, 15g carbohydrate (4g sugars, 1g fiber), 16g protein.
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I'm not sure where I first saw this pizza burger recipe, but I'm glad I did! My family requests this meal often. A dash of oregano livens up canned pizza sauce. —Sharon Schwartz, Burlington, Wisconsin
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