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A couple of weeks ago (or was it a couple of years ago? Or a couple of months ago? Or is it next week? I’m confused) I posted this luscious recipe for Pepperoni Pizza burgers:
Pepperoni Pizza Burgers. Amen.
I took a bite and decided it was pretty much the most luscious thing I’d ever sunk my teeth into…
But then I made this variation…and it blew the first one right out of the water.
Let me show you how I made it.
(Note: I’m using the first few process shots from the original Pepperoni Pizza Burger post, because the meat mixture and the process is exactly the same.)
The Cast of Characters: Ground beef, Italian sausage, mozzarella cheese, marinara sauce, pepperoni, red onion, green bell pepper, canned (you heard me) mushrooms…and Kaiser rolls.
Also (not pictured, because I’m an airhead) Italian seasoning!
Start by throwing some ground beef and Italian sausage into a bowl.
Use your hands to knead the meat together.
Add in some Italian seasoning and knead it around until it’s all combined.
Form the meat mixture into patties…
Then cook ’em in a skillet over medium-high heat until they’re totally cooked in the middle, Maynard.
Cook it for several minutes on the first side, then flip it over to the other side.
Next, lay a couple of slices of cheese on top. This is Provolone, and I love how neatly the round slices fit the patty.
Immediately lay a circle of pepperoni slices right on top.
This is the variation: On top of the pepperoni (pretend I have a ring of pepperoni on top of the cheese; I left it out when I made this version but decided it would be even better with it) lay some very thinly sliced red onion, a ring of sliced green bell pepper, and a good amount of sliced black olives.
Next—and I’m going for the totally classic, vintage-pizza-joint approach here—a pile of canned mushrooms.
On top of the mushrooms, spoon a little bit of marinara sauce…
Then lay another slices of cheese on top. This round provolone is really perfect for burgers, and it melts in a circle and drips down the sizes.
Don’t believe me? Just watch.
To facilitate the melting of ingredients, I inverted a second skillet on top of the first one.
Of course, if you have one of those inventions known as a “lid,” that would be even better!
Holy…help me.
Meanwhile, grill the rolls in a separate skillet with a good amount of melted butter.
As soon as both halves of the roll are nice and toasted…
Spoon a generous amount of marinara sauce on both the bottom and top half.
Sprinkle Parmesan on each half…
Then, uh…oh my goodness. Remove this drippy thing from the skillet…
Then lay it on the bun.
Lemme tell ya, guys: This tasted exactly like a supreme pizza…but in burger form. Just divine.
You’ll love it!
Here’s the handy dandy printable.
