Pepperoni Pizza Burger

It is birthday season at our house as our three kids all have birthdays within a one month period. One of the traditions we have started is that they get to pick what dinner will be on their birthday. My oldest son just turned 10. Yes, I now have a 10-year-old and it is crazy to ponder that reality. He has grown up so fast! Anyway, his choice for dinner was a repeat of what he picked last year: homemade burgers! A year ago I made Black and Blue Burgers and posted the recipe on the site.

This year, I wanted to make him a different burger, so I went Italian. Specifically, I thought of a pizzeria and imagined what a Pepperoni Pizza Burger would taste like. Everyone loved them, especially the birthday boy.

Pizza sauce, melted mozzarella and pepperoni work as the perfect toppings for this burger.

Make your favorite burger, or use the recipe below for a nice and easy Italian spiced burger.

Put a dollop of pizza sauce on the cooked burger.

Place a nice handful of grated mozzarella on top. The sauce holds the cheese and keeps it from falling off.

Top with pepperoni slices and put in a 450F oven for about 5 minutes. AMAZING!

Pepperoni Pizza Burger

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

Author: Steve Cylka

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 pound extra lean ground beef
1 egg
½ cup bread crumbs
¼ cup milk
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp basil
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp butter
6 tbsp pizza sauce
⅔ cup grated mozzarella
24 pepperoni slices
4 burger buns

Instructions

Knead together the ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, milk and spices. Form into 4 burger patties.
Heat a cast iron skillet medium/hot and melt the butter. Place the burgers on the skillet so they sear and create a crust. After about 3-4 minutes, flip the burger to create the crust on the other side. Cook the burger a little bit rarer than your preference as they will cook some more in the oven.
Place on a baking sheet.
Put 1½ tablespoons of pizza sauce on each burger. Sprinkle grated mozzarella on top of the pizza sauce. Place 6 pepperoni slices on each burger.
Broil the burgers in a 450F oven for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melting and the pepperoni is crisping.
Serve on a toasted bun.