Pizza Burgers with Homemade Pizza Sauce

We love pizza. We love burgers. We love pizza burgers! I saw the original recipe on www.thepioneerwomancooks.com and tweaked it a little bit. If you don't like this version you can try Ree's <3

1 lb ground beef

1/2 lb ground italian sausage

1 t italian seasoning 

one package of sliced pepperoni (you won't use it all.. or you shouldn't)

12 slices mozzarella cheese

6 ciabatta rolls

6 T butter, softened

garlic salt to taste

*sauteed onions, peppers, mushrooms (if you like these things) & sliced ripe olives

homemade pizza sauce (recipe below.. make your pizza sauce beforehand so it has time to sit and cool a bit.)

Homemade Pizza Sauce 

2 T olive oil

4-5 cloves of fresh garlic, minced (no jarred stuff)

28oz crushed tomatoes in puree

1 T freeze dried basil

1/2 t oregano

1/4 t salt

Heat oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Sauté garlic for about a minute then pour in tomatoes and seasonings. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently. I like to let it sit so the flavors combine!

*Slice and sauté your veggies ahead of time too so they're ready for assembly.

Pizza Burgers

Combine ground beef, italian sausage and italian seasoning. Mash it all together and mix it up with your hands. Form into 6 patties. Heat large skillet or griddle to medium and cook patties until they are cooked through, probably 10-12 minutes (no pink allowed since there's sausage involved!). Flip them several times but don't smash them down too much while cooking. Once they're fully cooked, top each patty with 5-6 slices of pepperoni (or more) and two slices of cheese and let it melt a little on the griddle.

Turn oven to broil. Split each ciabatta roll and smear with butter (you can use more or less butter) and sprinkle with season salt. Toast it under the broiler until golden brown.

Assemble burgers like this: bottom bun, a spoonful of sauce, a burger patty, any toppings you like, another spoonful of sauce, top bun. Devour.

Makes 6 burgers. Enjoy!