Sometimes while you’re having a day full of feelings you need to unwind with something that is utterly heart-warming and stick-to-your-ribs good.
Oh thank heaven for store-bought pizza dough…
Wednesday is a night full of feelings, with an entire show line-up of Arrow, Supernatural, ending with Asylum so it’s pretty much the night Starshine and I waste three hours watching some quality television. And what better way to enjoy a TV night with some homemade pizza that’s way better than the delivery nonsense?
This is a recipe born out of ingenuity and the desperate need to assuage some feelings. Because last Wednesday wasn’t just a ritual bonding moment with Starshine, but also it marked the ending of Journey Into Mystery. (Be on the look-out for a JiM review! *Hint hint*)
So I basically needed something extraordinarily good and oozing in cheese.
Hence this pizza monstrosity.
But don’t judge a book by its cover, this is pure heaven and it’s utterly delish – so I do recommend giving it a try when your favorite heroes kick the proverbial bucket or any occasion like that.
The cast of characters:
(Because I was a silly and still reeling with emotion there is no legit cast of character photo but here’s what you’ll need)
- 1 Pizza dough
- Olive oil
- 1/4 ground beef
- Mozzarella cheese
- Tomato sauce — homemade or canned is fine
- Onions
- Mushrooms
- Other toppings you like to throw onto your burgers
- A dash of soy sauce
- Secret ingredient: Ketchup
Okay first get your pizza dough ready –homemade or store-bought, whatever floats your boat–and pound it into a baking container of some sort. I wanted something that was very bread-like to stand up to the burger-sauce-mix so… Thus pounding it into shape instead of rolling it out. I know, pizza travesty, but let’s face it:
I’m Asian, not Italian.
O Pizza gods: Perdonami per mi peccati
Oh! Make sure you drizzle your baking pan with a bit of olive oil before you throw in the dough, then pop it into a toasty oven at 350 degrees and let it cook for about twenty minutes. Take out your dough and set it aside.
And here’s a special guest appearance by Starshine as I make her stir something not pizza related
Now make your filling: brown your onions, mushrooms, and then the ground beef and hit it up with some salt and pepper. It should smell heavenly in your room right now. If you’re into garlic, throw it in, if you like peppers, throw it in, etc. etc. basically make your burger mix however YOU want it to taste like.
Unfortunately I was too hungry to go for a fancy burger mix, and this was exactly what I wanted.
Let your meat mixture brown, then throw in your tomato sauce and cook it down, adding soy-sauce and the secret ketchup ingredient to taste.
Before the pizza goes through a transformation sequence into its final form – let us appreciate how it once was
Let cool for just a bit, then pour it all into your puffy pizza dough and smother it in cheese.
Pop it back into the oven for twenty minutes at 350 –or a little longer, much to the dismay of your equally hungry roommate–then pull it out of the oven and dig in.
The melted cheese, meat mixture, and pizza-dough goodness will sop up any tears you’ve had over the deaths of fictional characters.
:3 Anyway that’s all there is for this really quick bite — tune in next time for some more Hobbit-y themed Fantastic Feasts!
