Monster Pepperoni And Mushroom Pizza Burger Recipe

When you can't decide between two dishes, sometimes it's worth combining them into exponentially better. That's what Mashed recipe developer Patterson Watkins concluded with this monster pepperoni and mushroom pizza burger recipe, which highlights two comfort food favorites. "Give me any excuse to morph my favorite foods into one massive, sorta ridiculous meal, and I'll jump at that opportunity," she says. For her, that means mushroom pepperoni pizza and a juicy cheeseburger. She raves, "If you are a fan of both (and a lot of melty gooey cheese), give this mashup a try!"

While it's far more of a sensory experience than words could describe, the duo comes together with a base and top pizza crust, tomato sauce, cheese, and a ground beef filling. Think of it as a pizza-burger pie and you're on the right track. As for side dishes to accompany this feast, Watkins notes, "You could go the whole 'pizza side' route or the whole 'burger side' route." Opt for your go-to sides for either meal, or follow Watkins' advice, which ranges from healthy to less so: "Being that this is a meaty, cheesy, bready meal, you might want to include a fresh garden salad or Caesar salad as your side dish," she says. "I am also not opposed to throwing all nutritional balance out the window and scarfing on a side of french fries."

For this one-of-a-kind creation, you'll need ground beef, salt, Italian seasoning, black pepper, unsalted butter, sliced yellow onion, and garlic cloves (peeled and minced). Next, pick up 8-inch premade pizza crusts, pizza sauce, sliced American cheese, grated mozzarella cheese, grated Parmesan cheese, pepperoni slices, and canned sliced mushrooms (drained). If desired, garnish the meal with fresh basil leaves and crushed red pepper flakes.

Preheat the oven to broil on high.

Lightly spritz a 12-inch oven-proof skillet with cooking spray.

Press the ground beef into the skillet in an even layer.

Using the back of a spoon, make divots into the ground beef (this will prevent the burger from puffing up).

Season the burger with the salt, Italian seasoning, and black pepper.

Place in the oven and broil for 15 minutes, or until cooked through and nicely seared.

Remove the skillet from the oven, remove the burger from the skillet, set it aside on a large plate, and discard the pan drippings.

Reduce the oven temperature to 450 F.

Add the butter to the same skillet and melt it on the stove-top over medium to medium-high heat.

Once melted, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes.

Add the garlic to the skillet and continue to cook for 2 minutes. The onions should be tender and brown and the garlic should be tender and fragrant.

Remove the onions and garlic from the skillet and set aside on a small plate.

Place one pizza crust in the bottom of the skillet.

Spoon ¼ cup to ⅓ cup of the pizza sauce onto the crust and spread it out evenly.

Top the sauce with the sauteed onions and garlic, also spreading them out evenly.

Transfer the cooked burger to the skillet.

Top the burger with the American cheese, covering as much of the burger as possible.

Place the remaining pizza crust upside down on the burger.

Spoon the remaining pizza sauce onto the top crust, spreading it out evenly and all the way to the edge.

Sprinkle this evenly with two-thirds of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.

Add the pepperoni and mushrooms, distributing the toppings evenly.

Sprinkle the pizza with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the crusts are golden brown and a little crunchy.

Slice your pizza burger into wedges and serve, with basil and crushed red pepper flakes on the side, if desired.

Pizza crust comes in all shapes and sizes, and Watkins' ingredient list only specifies an 8-inch diameter. When it comes to the thickness, that's up to you. "For me, I am a fan of thicker, more pillowy crusts," Watkins says. "This can give you a more 'bun-like' approach to this recipe." On the other hand, she says, "Thin crusts will give this recipe a more crispy 'patty melt' vibe." You might also want to choose a premade crust with a distinctly puffier edge. "It kinda seals the burger patty inside between the pizzas," Watkins says, and this helps keep the dish contained.

Now, if you usually make your own pizza crust, chances are you won't want to spring for store-bought. However, you'll need the crust to be in the same state as a premade version, so Watkins recommends par-baking it in the skillet you use for the final concoction. "Lightly oil your skillet, press the raw dough into the bottom of the skillet, and thoroughly dock it by poking some holes in the dough using a fork," she instructs. Then, bake it for about 10 minutes at 400–425 F. "You want the crust to be just cooked, not golden or extra crisp (that will come later when we add our toppings and burger patty)," Watkins says. Let the crusts cool before moving forward.

This wonderful mashup features a pizza and burger front and center, two dishes that are endlessly versatile. "Feel free to adorn that top crust with any of your favorite pizza toppings," Watkins encourages. "Pepperoni and mushroom just happen to be my favorites, but I can't see why bell peppers, bacon, sausage, olives, etc., wouldn't be equally as wonderful."

You'll want to avoid overdoing it with several layers of extra ingredients, though. "I would only caution about adding anything more to the inside of your pizza burger (topping the burger, instead of topping the pizza)," Watkins warns. "This might create a steam effect, potentially sogging out your pizza." Instead, stick to layering the top pizza component with extra veggies and meat. If anything, you could add crumbled sausage meat or diced bacon to the ground beef mixture to enhance it.