I love pizza. I love cheeseburgers. When I can’t decide between the two cravings, this recipe checks all the boxes. It’s also a great way to repurpose leftovers into another meal – I’ll ask hubs to grill an extra burger patty or two (in this case, more rare is better because the meat is getting cooked twice).

I haven’t put french fries on a pizza yet, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t thought about it #carbsoncarbs.

Ingredients:

• Pizza dough (store bought or homemade, I’ve been enjoying this recipe lately. It’s almost foolproof and makes enough for two pizzas)
• 1/2 cup freshly shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup freshly shredded cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup leftover hamburger patty, torn into small pieces
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce (jarred or homemade, I’ll use either depending on what I have on hand)
• 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup red onion, diced
• 1/3 cup diced dill pickles
• Freshly cracked pepper
• Red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:

Preheat your oven with a pizza stone to the highest setting (typically 500 degrees) for at least an hour. I am just as impatient as they come, but this is how you get a delicious thin and crispy crust. Alternatively, preheat your pizza oven to 700 degrees.

Bring the pizza dough out of the refrigerator approximately 30 minutes before you’re ready to stretch it out. Let it rest on a floured countertop (or cutting board) under a dish towel to keep it from drying out.

When you’re ready… stretch out dough on a lightly floured surface to a 10-12 inch round, allowing the dough to rest for a few minutes if it springs back. *Optional: I prefer to place the dough on parchment paper and then trim the excess paper off around the dough – I think it’s way easier to handle than cornmeal on the pizza peel.

Top pizza with the tomato sauce, using a spoon to gently smooth over the dough in a circular motion. Scatter mozzarella and cheddar cheese evenly around the center, leaving a 1-inch border for the crust. Add hamburger, pickles, jalapeno, and red onion. Add a few turns of freshly cracked black pepper.

Using a pizza peel or cookie sheet, transfer the pizza to the oven. For a standard oven at 500 degrees, the pizza will likely take 12-13 minutes. For a pizza oven at 700 degrees, it’ll take 5-6 minutes. Rotate 180 degrees halfway through so that the crust browns evenly.

Remove from oven and set the pizza on a cooling rack set on the counter. This is one of my biggest homemade pizza tips – it ensures that the crust stays crispy while it cools, and it doesn’t get soggy. Let it cool for a few minutes. Top with red pepper flakes if desired and enjoy.