School Lunch Room Pizza

When it comes to lunchroom pizzas, some people love them, and some don’t. I love pizza, and lunchroom pizza is so good. It is just so nostalgic for me, as well as so many others out there. There was nothing like being at school on pizza day and the smell of pizza wafting throughout the building. I had a smaller school with maybe 1500 students in total. Our schools were separated and in three different buildings. We had the elementary school across from the high school and our middle school was about 2 1/2 miles away. I have no idea why the middle school was so far from the other schools but it somehow worked for us.

Everyone got along with everyone and our school lunches were always good. I miss those days of being eager to go to lunch and get our plates and chit-chat with our classmates. Pizza was always on Fridays and it was a great start to our weekend. We knew that come Monday afternoon we would be living it up on frito bake…. Ahh memories.

This recipe comes from a friend’s mother who used to be a lunchroom lady back when I was attending school. This recipe she scaled down so she could make it at home for her kids. Now, keep in mind that in the video I added veggies to this pizza but in this recipe, it does not call for any. You can add what you like to your pizza. So with that being said… let’s make school pizza.

INGREDIENTS: PIZZA DOUGH BATTER

1/2 c. Powdered milk ( I am sure you can leave this out)
3 c. All-Purpose flour
1 1/2 Tbsp. Sugar
1 Tsp. Fine salt ( I use 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt)
2 1/2 Tsp Instant Yeast
3 c. Warm water
1 Tbsp flavorless oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl combine the powdered milk, flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Mix well.
2. Add the oil to the water and pour the mixture into the flour mixture. Stir until well combined and smooth.
3. Let sit for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Preheat oven to 475*.
4. Spray a large sheet tray with oil and line with parchment paper.
5. Pour the dough onto the tray and spread out evenly. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.

SAUCE:

2 cans of Tomato paste ( see note*)
1 Tbsp garlic- minced
1 Tsp Oregano
1/2 Tsp Basil
1/2 Tsp Rosemary (optional)
1/2 c. Water ( see note*)
1/4 to 1/2 c Olive Oil
Salt and pepper – to taste
1 lb. Ground beef ( or other protein of choice)
1 lb. Mozzarella cheese – grated

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large skillet over medium-low heat add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper. You can also add other seasonings to the meat as well. Break the beef up with your spoon and cook until no longer pink and cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Whisk together in a bowl the tomato paste, garlic, oregano, basil, rosemary, water, oil, salt, and pepper until smooth. Set the sauce to the side for now.
3. When the pizza is done cooking, remove it from the oven and let sit for about 5 minutes to cool slightly.
4. Pour some of the sauce over the pizza crust from end to end to completely cover the crust.
5. Sprinkle over the ground beef evenly over the sauce.
6. Sprinkle the cheese onto the pizza evenly and from end to end to completely cover the pizza.
7. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted to your liking.
8. Remove and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing and serving… Or if you are brave enough to eat molten lava cheese… serve immediately. lol. I always serve ranch on the side because it is just good.

• If you do not like school pizza crust please use whatever style of dough is your favorite and just make pizza. No harm. No foul. Just be sure to roll or gently stretch the dough out enough that it covers the entire sheet tray. Bake and top the crust as per directions or to your liking.
• If you want the crust to get a bit more brown then coat the sheet tray with oil and let it get hot before adding the batter. If you are using storebought or pizza dough then this step is not required.
• For smaller or thinner crusts use 1 1/2 cups of flour, 1/4 cup powdered milk, and 1 1/2 cups of water instead. the rest of the ingredients and directions are the same.
• Instead of using tomato paste and water, you can use tomato sauce. It will be a bit more liquidy but still delicious.
• As stated above this recipe does not call for any additional vegetables or the like but you can add whatever you want to your pizza. I love veggies on my pizza so I always add some sort of veggies to it. You can also add extra meat to it as well.
• Add some red pepper flakes or hot honey for a little kick of heat. I will not tell anyone.
• If you have a favorite school pizza recipe please feel free to share it here or on my video. You can find that on my social media accounts tab on the main screen.