Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza

Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza combines the best of two fast food worlds into one! Prepared with ground beef, cheese, pickles, and a copycat burger sauce. Who could resist?

BACON CHEESEBURGER PIZZA

Have you ever had a craving for fast food and couldn’t decide whether you wanted a burger or pizza? I have. Many times! Now, I don’t have to decide between the two anymore. I can prepare a Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza at home in less time that it takes to go to a drive thru or order Uber Eats!

When I thought about making a pizza like this, I battled with the pickle idea. But, almost every burger has a couple of pickle slices on it, right? The combination of ground beef and cheese was a no-brainer. And, the pizza crust would replace the bun on the burger. So far, so good, right?

What about pizza sauce, though? Burgers have ketchup and ketchup is made with tomatoes just like pizza sauce. So, I used my homemade pizza sauce on a homemade pizza crust with the ground beef, cheese, and sliced pickles. The only thing left was the sauce.

All good burgers have sauce. There’s ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and sometimes a special sauce. I have a Copycat Big Mac Sauce recipe, so I whipped up a batch for this Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza. Dear Reader, it was really, really delicious! Between McKenna and myself, there was only one slice left!

MAKING YOUR OWN PIZZA CRUST

I am a huge pizza fan. Actually, we all are! Before we moved out of the city, we used to order pizza every Friday night. Now that we live in a very small town, we make pizza ourselves. There is a pizzeria about a 10 minute drive from where we live, but due to Covid, they’re not always open.

For the past few years, I have been using the same pizza dough recipe in all of my homemade pizzas. It’s so easy and takes very little time. I place a teaspoon of sugar into a mixing bowl and pour 3/4 cup of very warm water over it. The sugar helps to feed the yeast, which is what I add next. After two minutes, the yeast has been activated and we’re ready to make dough.

I add some olive oil and whisk it through. Then, I add the flour and some salt. I stir it together until most of the water and flour has been combined. Then, I knead it until it forms a nice ball dough. Covered with a kitchen towel, I set it aside to rise. Isn’t that easy?

GROUND BEEF

Most of us are familiar with how to prepare ground beef, but I’ll talk a bit about how I do it. I prepare the beef ahead of time, because I want it to be cool to the touch when I use it.

Whenever I cook with ground beef, I always use extra lean. Even then, I’m left with a pool of grease. You don’t want any of that grease on your pizza! Once your ground beef is cooked, drain it well.

I love to season the ground beef when cooking it. Ground black pepper and salt is a must, but I also like to add a dash of Worcestershire sauce. It adds so much delicious flavour. You can cook the beef to your own liking.

It might also be worth mentioning that you can easily switch out the ground beef for ground pork, ground chicken, or even ground turkey. This is a cheeseburger pizza recipe, but if you prefer not to use beef, go for it!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE:

1. Pizza Dough – I have included my own pizza dough recipe in the recipe card below, but you can use a store-bought dough if it makes it easier for you.
2. Pizza Sauce – Here’s a link for my Homemade Pizza Sauce. I try to use this one as much as possible. It’s so easy and you don’t need to cook it. All you do is whisk everything together!
3. Ground Beef – Like I said, use extra lean and be sure to drain the grease well. You can substitute with ground pork, chicken, or even ground turkey.
4. Cheese – What’s the point of pizza without cheese? I used a store-bought pizza blend made with cheddar and mozzarella.
5. Italian Seasoning – Like the dough and the sauce, I use my own Italian Seasoning Blend. You can use a store-bought blend if you prefer.
6. Bacon – Use a low sodium bacon, if possible. It should be cooked, but not crispy. If the bacon is already crispy, it might burn if cooked further. Be sure to drain the cooked bacon well to cut down on the grease.
7. Pickles – Use sweet pickles, just like the pickles you would find on a McDonald’s burger. Don’t put the pickles on before you bake the pizza.
8. Burger Sauce – I used my Copycat Big Mac Sauce for this. It’s super easy and so delicious. You probably have everything you need to make it already.

HOW TO PUT IT ALL TOGETHER:

This pizza recipe comes together by preparing ingredients and toppings first. Work in stages to make it easier.

Prepare the toppings and ingredients first!

1. Cut the bacon into one or one and a half inch pieces. Over medium-high heat, fry the bacon in a skillet until cooked, but not crispy. Remove from from skillet and drain well on paper towel.
2. Slice sweet pickles 1/4 inch thick. Lay slices on paper towel and lay a second paper towel on top. Press on each slice to remove excess pickle juice. Set aside.
3. Have your pizza sauce, shredded cheese, and burger sauce ready to go.

Now, let’s make the dough!

1. Next, prepare the dough. If you have purchased dough from the grocer, follow the instructions on the package. Otherwise, make the dough from scratch by following these simple instructions.
2. Fill a mixing bowl with hot tap water. This will temper the bowl which is important to yeast activation and growth.
3. Measure out 3/4 cup of water that’s 110 degrees F.
4. Pour the water out of the bowl. Place one teaspoon of sugar into the bottom of the bowl and pour over the 3/4 cup of water.
5. Sprinkle the yeast over the surface of the water and let sit for two minutes.
6. Next, whisk in the olive oil.
7. Add the flour and salt. Use a wooden spoon to stir the flour into the water and oil. Use your hand to knead the dough until it forms a smooth ball. Cover with a clean tea towel and set aside to rise. (Be sure to keep away from drafts or an open window.)

Are you ready to assemble and bake?

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
2. Once the dough is ready, lightly spray a pizza pan with non-stick cooking spray. Place the dough onto the pan and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough. Then, push the dough outward with flat hand until the dough reaches the perimeter of the entire pan.
3. Next, sauce the dough, leaving 3/4 inch around the edge without sauce.
4. Place the cheese, ground beef, and bacon in a bowl and toss to combine. Evenly distribute this mixture over the sauced area.
5. Bake the pizza for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is golden brown.
6. Remove from oven. Place the pickle slices onto the hot pizza.
7. Drizzle over the burger sauce and serve immediately.

Now, dig in! And, there you have it. A Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza to settle both of you fast food cravings. Never again do you have to choose between a burger or a pizza. Isn’t it great!?

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