Pizza Buns

The elementary school I attended back in the 1950's used to make these, and were a favorite of most everyone. My wife and I spent a lot of time trying to recreate these when we were first married. Our kids (now in their 30's) still request these when they come to visit. We use canned pizza sauce but spice it up. Left-overs are easily reheated in the toaster oven.

• Preparation Time: 10 mins
• Cooking Time: 35 mins
• Total Time: 45 mins
• Calories: 341 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 pound ground beef
• ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ⅓ cup onion, chopped
• 8 hamburger buns, split
• 1 (15 ounce) can pizza sauce (such as Contadina®)
• 2 ¼ teaspoons Italian seasoning

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven's broiler and set the oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source.

Step 2

Turn oven heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Step 3

Place bun halves, crust sides down, onto a baking sheet. Broil the buns until just toasted, about 1 minute. Watch them carefully, they burn easily. Set the toasted buns aside.

Step 4

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook and stir the ground beef until the meat is browned and crumbly, about 10 minutes. Drain excess grease, and stir in the onion. Cook and stir the beef mixture until the onion is translucent, about 5 more minutes, then stir in the pizza sauce, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper flakes, and paprika. Bring the sauce to a boil, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes to blend the flavors, stirring often.

Step 5

Spoon the beef sauce over the buns on the baking sheet, and top each bun with about 1/4 cup of the shredded mozzarella cheese. Return the buns to the oven, and bake until the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.