If I told most of you that I made pizza for dinner the other night, you might assume I made the crust or sauce from scratch and pulled together some sort of chi-chi combination of flavors. I would love to lead you on, but I must confess this is far from the truth. This is my dough. And yes, it’s shameful.

I almost didn’t share this “recipe” for fear it would tarnish my reputation. But then I thought, I know you have busy nights too. And simple, familiar flavors taste really good after a long week. In those cases, I think it’s great to have shortcuts in your back pocket. Pizza is mine.

Lane’s Hamburger Pizza

Serves 4

Ingredients

Store-bought pizza dough

Store-bought pizza sauce (I use Cascone’s, a local Italian restaurant’s. I think a can of plain tomato sauce would also work well and have also used spaghetti sauce.)

Extra virgin olive oil

Italian seasoning

Shredded mozzarella (I use about 1/2 to 3/4 of a bag.)

Grated Parmigiano Reggiano

1/2 to 3/4 lb. lean hamburger

Salt

Garlic pepper

Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the ground hamburger. Sprinkle with salt and garlic pepper.  Cook until browned.

Meanwhile, spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray. Roll out the pizza dough. Brush extra virgin olive oil on top, and then, sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Add the pizza sauce, swirling to cover with the back side of a spoon, leaving a border for the crust.

When the meat is ready, add it evenly over the dough, being careful not to add the grease. Top the meat with the shredded mozzarella. Then, grate the Parmigiano directly over the pizza. Last, add a sprinkle of the Italian seasoning. In the past, I’ve topped it with red pepper flakes or truffle oil. Both were delicious, but we typically do without those add-ons.

Follow the directions on the dough package. Bake and enjoy.