Supreme Pizza Burgers

Have you ever been faced with this dilemma? Pizza? Burgers? Pizza? Burgers? Well, no longer. With this recipe, you get the "Best of Both Worlds". Man, if I had a dollar for every time I've heard that song in the last year. These aren't just regular pizza burgers, they're SUPREME pizza burgers. I'm not a cheese pizza kinda girl. Even just pepperoni is a little boring to me. I need toppings. Lots of them if possible. These burgers incorporate pepperoni, mushrooms, onion, olives, and of course, cheese. But not green pepper. I forgot to pick an extra up when I was at the market on Monday. Oops.



Here are the ingredients: fresh mushroom, onion, olives, pepperoni, tomato paste, bread crumbs, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. You also need ground beef, provolone cheese, pizza sauce, and salt and pepper. They forgot to line up when I called for the class picture.



I threw everything except for the crumbs and beef into my food processor and pulsed...



until it looked like this. You can use a blender here if your kitchen lacks a food processor.



According to the recipe, you're supposed to stir in the bread crumbs and beef. I didn't want to dirty another bowl or my hands. I tossed the meat and crumbs right on top of everything else and gave the food processor another whirl.



Rather than make the patties in my hands, I used the waxed paper method. Maybe some of you have the following problem: Every time I put my hands into raw meat, whether I'm cutting up chicken or making hamburger patties, something crazy happens with my children. This one gets stuck in a tree. That one tries to eat an ant. These are emergencies, right? In an emergency you have to act fast. You don't have time to scrub potential food borne pathogens from your hands with antibacterial soap. Yet when there is raw meat on my hands, I feel compelled to wash them before rushing to the rescue. So, I offer the waxed paper method. I drop the desired amount of meat onto a piece of waxed paper.



Then I put another piece of waxed paper on top and "smoosh" the meat to the desired thickness.



I pick up the paper with my newly formed pizza patty and flip it onto a plate. Repeat. I use the same two pieces of waxed paper over again until all of the patties are formed.



Now grill. About 5-7 minutes on each side.


Top with a slice of provolone and pizza sauce. These were a big hit with my family!



We had dinner on the deck again. Man, I love the summertime! Dinner under a canopy of leaves in those soft, magical, near twilight hours. Background music of songbirds and the laughter of children. The air filled with smells of freshly cut grass and burgers on the grill. And no mess in the kitchen... what could be better?! The pizza burgers were accompanied by our summer standby, corn on the cob. I also made a salad with homemade ranch dressing and toasted garlic croutons from the Italian bread that I hollowed out for Monday's grilled sub. Delicious!



One last look at the SUPREME Pizza Burger!



Supreme Pizza Burgers from Taste of Home

1/3 cup each chopped fresh mushrooms, onion and green pepper
1/3 cup chopped ripe olives
10 slices turkey pepperoni
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 pound lean ground beef
6 whole wheat hamburger buns, split
6 slices provolone cheese
6 tablespoons pizza sauce
OPTIONAL TOPPINGS:
Sliced ripe olives, fresh mushrooms and/or green pepper rings

In a food processor, combine the vegetables, olives, pepperoni, tomato paste and
seasonings; cover and pulse just until blended. Transfer to a large bowl; stir in
bread crumbs. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into four patties.
Coat grill rack with cooking spray before starting the grill. Grill burgers, covered, over medium heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until a meat
thermometer reads 160° and juices run clear. Serve on buns with cheese and
pizza sauce. Add toppings if desired.

Yield: 6 servings

For a printable copy of this recipe, click here.