PIZZA BURGERS

Pizza Burgers

I was looking through some of my mom's old recipes, and found this old treasure!  When I was growing up, Pizza Burgers were always a favorite lunch for every kid in the school - the one day that everyone ate a hot lunch and brought money for extras!  

​I grew up in the 60's and 70's and attended Robbinsdale, MN public schools (School District #281).  You can ask anyone from that area that grew up in those days, and everyone will agree that one of our favorite lunches were the Pizza Burgers.  

Pizza Burgers - Robbinsdale School District 281 Favorite Lunches

AUTHENTIC SCHOOL PIZZA BURGER RECIPE:

Through the years I've tried a few different recipes for homemade Pizza Burgers, but we were lucky enough to have Lucille Knutson living across the street from us when I was little. She was the head cook for District #281 and was kind enough to share the authentic school recipe with my mom. 

The secret to this recipe is to let the cooked meat mixture chill overnight before adding in shredded American cheese the next day.  Note that you NEED to use American cheese - no Kraft singles for this tasty treat!  And this lunchtime favorite has to be spread on slices of white bread - nothing else has quite the same result! 

Some people say that food triggers strong memories.  I'm not kidding you, but if you close your eyes when eating these warm from the oven, you will be instantly transported back to our school lunchroom and memories of favorite lunchtimes with school friends!

All these years later, we still talk about Pizza Burgers and how everyone would run back up to see if they had any extra.  Fun times and great memories!

School Pizza Burgers

PIZZA BURGERS                  (Robbinsdale School District 281 Recipe)

Growing up, it was always a red-letter day when they served Pizza Burgers in Robbinsdale School District #281.  Lucky for us, the gal across the street worked as the head cook and was able to share the recipe!
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Pizza Burgers

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon butter
1 lb. lean ground beef
3 Tablespoons chopped onion
1/3 cup catsup
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
½ teaspoon oregano
1-1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vinegar
¾ teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups American cheese (shredded or cubed)
 
 
HOW I MAKE THIS:

1. Melt butter in a large frypan.  Add ground beef and cook until browned, drain excess oil.
2. Add onion and cook until tender. 
3. Add the catsup, tomato paste, oregano, brown sugar, vinegar, dry mustard and salt; simmer over low heat, stirring frequently until well blended and heated through..
4. Remove from heat.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.
5. The next day, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
6. Add shredded American cheese into meat mixture and stir until well-blended.
7. Place the bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet, and scoop about ½ cup of the filling onto each slice of bread.
8. Bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.

 
YIELD:  12 servings

Originally posted July 2010; revised and reposted January 2021.
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