Recipe: Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza

Hearty, tummy warming, cheesy bacon goodness on a homemade pizza with a whole wheat crust. Dig in.

Years ago, in our old house, I had a bacon-themed party. It remains one of my favorite party themes to this day. And one that we totally need to have again. I mean, really, bacon? How can you go wrong?

When I cook bacon (in the oven so there’s much less grease), the kids always snatch up half the pieces before I can use them in a recipe. Extra crispy, please. So twice as much than I actually need is always cooked. Fact.

So when the folks at Pillsbury wanted me to create a recipe that uses bacon and their new Artisan pizza crust (whole wheat), it was seriously a no-brainer. Like I could make up bacon-centered recipes all the live long day.

No problem.

When I was coming up with the ideas behind this recipe, I wanted to do something completely different. Like turn-it-on-its-ear different. And what was born from my brainstorming was one of the most delicious homemade pizza to come out of our kitchen in a long time. Like this is now the one to beat.

Throw out all your preconceived notions about what pizza should and shouldn’t have. Let’s go clean slate and open mind. Let’s go big.

First, the whole wheat pizza crust. My first time using it, and we would definitely use it again. It has a nice chew, really good pan coverage, rolls out easily, and, perhaps in the biggest note of all, it’s all gone.

Then, let’s smooth a creamy, garlic, cheese sauce on the crust as our base. Oh man, the garlic.

And top it with seasoned, tomato-y ground beef.

Mouth watering yet?

And then crispy bacon. And a smattering of chopped scallions.

And then let’s call it a masterpiece.

I gave the kids their slices and went back to the kitchen to grab something.

“Mom, did you make this? Oh my God, it’s soooo good.”

Says Nick who plowed through three slices before eventually calling it quits.

And then Madeline lectured him on his use of God’s name. Because she’s now three weeks into her first foray of Catholic school and quotes religion. Like alot. Which is, of course, a good thing. But it’s also supercute coming from the little spitfire that she is.

The pizza? It’s satisfying. Tummy-warming. Filling. Has flavor layer upon flavor layer.

Like now I need to make it again because I can’t stand it.

And you, too. Make it. For realz.

Crispy bacon, cheesy garlicky goodness, hearty beef … all wrapped up in a super-simple homemade pizza that’s easy enough to make on your busiest kids-sports-filled kind of night.

One … two … three … go!

Hungry for more bacon recipes?
This twist on grilled cheese sandwiches is ah-mazing. Swear.
You can take care of your sweet and salty cravings with this one cookie recipe. Yes, bacon in cookies.
Feeling more virtuous? This salad is a regular mainstay at our holiday table, and the crispy bacon is perfect in it.

Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza
Recipe courtesy of Cate O’Malley

1 tube of Pillsbury Artisan whole wheat pizza crust
6 pieces of bacon cooked to crisp, crumbled
3 scallions, diced

Beefy Tomato Sauce:
6 oz lean ground beef (I use 90% lean)
1 cup tomato sauce

Cheese Sauce:
3 tablespoons butter
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 small shallot, minced
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 425. Spray your pizza pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a small non-stick pan, brown the beef over medium heat until cooked, about 6-7 minutes. Drain (using lean meat, you should have very little, if anything to drain) and remove from heat. Stir in the tomato sauce. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt three tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallot, and cook for five minutes. Stir in 3 tablespoons flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup milk and whisk until thickened a bit. Add the mozzarella and cheddar, slowly, giving it time to melt as you add it. Stir until all the cheese is melted and smooth.

Stretch your dough to cover the bottom of the pizza pan. Spread your cheese sauce on the dough, to about a 1/4 in. of the edge, leaving space for your crust. Add the meat sauce on top of the cheese sauce, followed by the crispy bits of bacon. Bake for 6-7 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and top with scallions.

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