When I am looking for a dinner recipe that is quick, easy, and cheap, pizza burgers come to mind.  They come to mind when I am not looking for that kind of recipe, too, because they are just that good.

When I was growing up in Pennsylvania we used to go to this pizza place that was called Frankie and Johnny’s.  I don’t remember a whole lot about it except that the seats were blue vinyl, it smelled heavenly, and they had the best hoagies, pizza, and pizza burgers in the known universe.

One thing that you may not realize is that pizza sauce is different in different parts of the country.  I have lived on both coasts as well as in the middle, and there is no pizza sauce anywhere like what you get in the Philadelphia area.  I don’t care what anyone says.  The sauce in Texas is too bland, in Chicago it is too sweet, and in California it is too…sophisticated.  I love the heavy-oregano-sweet peppers-anise-spicy-tomato flavor of East coast pizza.

I never could replicate it just right and I never seemed to be able to find a canned sauce that was right…until I tried Newman’s Own Sockarooni Pasta Sauce.  Wow.

This is the real deal.  A lot of times if I don’t have time to make sauce this is what I use, it is perfect for pizza…and pizza burgers.

Oh yeah.  Pizza burgers. ahem…..Pizza burgers are like Sloppy Joes but not.  The sauce is a tangy pizza sauce (perfectly reproduced by the aforementioned sauce) and then you melt mozzarella over the top.  Add some chips or fries and you have an awesome, quick, easy and cheap dinner.  If you have time try serving these on homemade hamburger buns, and add garlic powder in with the salt when you are making the dough.  Yum.

Pizza Burgers

• 2 lbs of  lean ground beef, browned and drained.
• I jar Newmans Own Sockarooni Pasta Sauce
• 8 hamburger buns
• 1 to 2 cups mozzarella cheese (depends on how much cheese you like) OR 8 slices provolone

1. Pour the sauce over the cooked meat.
2. Spoon the mixture on a large hamburger bun.
3. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese or lay a slice of provolone over the top.
4. Put under the broiler just to melt the cheese.
5. Put the other half of the bun on top and eat when hot.

Serves 8

Image:Marye Audet (c)2009

Post from: Baking Delights