Who else has fond memories of their school cafeteria rectangular pizza slices? I do and decided to create a version at home with this recipe for Copycat Lunch Lady Pizza.
Do you ever think back on your school cafeteria? Is there a lunch food you crave from back in those days before we all became hyper-sensitive to terms like GMO, organic, free-range, gluten-free and keto? I guess because school is starting back again it got me reminiscing about such things. For me, pizza day was when I always bought lunch instead of packing in elementary and middle school. Do you know the pizza I’m talking about? It had the mystery meat topping that was maybe sausage or ground beef, plus that white, gooey cheese with a sheen of grease on the top. Oh man, it was the best! And so this is my version – Copycat Lunch Lady Pizza.
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In the past I have revisited such childhood foods like Spaghetti-O’s and Twinkies and have decided those are best left to my memories. But this version of what I am calling Copycat Lunch Lady Pizza (or school lunch pizza) is a stand-out update to a retro favorite. In searching for “copycat” recipes, I came across this recipe at here. I used her crust recipe (with a few changes) and then switched the topping to a freshly browned combination of Italian sausage and lean ground beef (to mimic whatever meat was on my school’s pizza). The crust kind of reminds me of the Chef Boyardee pizza in a box that my mom used to make.
Tips for making Copycat Lunch Lady Pizza:
- Use a half sheet pan with a rim for baking the crust
- Line the sheet pan with parchment paper to prevent the crust from sticking to the bottom of the pan
- Break up the meat as finely as you can while cooking – this kitchen gadget helps with that
- Purchase a block or ball of part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese and shred it yourself – it tastes and melts better than pre-shredded cheese
- Dump the crust onto the pan and then allow it to rest for about five minutes before spreading it to the edges of the pan – I find it best to use my finger tips for spreading the crust as it is a rather sticky dough
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Copycat Lunch Lady Pizza
Ingredients
- 2 2/3 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup non-fat dry milk powder
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 packet quick rise or pizza yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 2/3 cup warm water
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 lb Italian sausage
- 1/2 lb lean ground beef
- 1 jar (12 oz) pizza sauce
- 8 oz part-skim mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
- Grease a metal (1/2-sized) sheet pan (18"x13") and line it with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, milk powder, sugar, yeast and salt. Microwave the water for about 1 minute and add the oil. Pour the oil and water mixture into the flour mixture and stir with a spatula until a batter is formed. If there are a few lumps remaining, it's OK.
- Spread the pizza dough into the prepared sheet pan, being sure the dough is spread evenly and to the edges of the pan. If you are having trouble with the dough spreading to the edges of the pan, allow the dough to rest for at least 5 minutes before spreading it with your fingertips.
- Meanwhile, brown the Italian sausage and ground beef together until cooked completely. Drain if necessary and set aside.
- Bake the un-topped crust for 6 - 8 minutes. Remove the crust and top with the pizza sauce, then the cooked sausage and beef mixture and then the shredded cheese.
- Return the pizza to the oven and bake for an additional 8 - 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and beginning to brown.
- Slice into rectangles and serve.
Nutrition
More pizza recipes:
oven&apron says
Looks lovely! I’m glad you enjoyed my recipe! 🙂
Amanda @ oven + apron
foodtasticmom says
Thanks Amanda for stopping by to take a look! I was excited to find your recipe and I’ll be using the crust now when I don’t have enough time to make the dough I use for my pizza stone. Thanks 🙂
oven&apron says
Aw you’re welcome!!
Ali says
i just adore retro favorite 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!
foodtasticmom says
You’re welcome Ali!
Jaimie says
Can’t wait to try this. Hopefully it will bring me back to grade school. That is when I first realized I love pizza. Thanks for the recipe.
foodtasticmom says
You’re welcome!
Debbie says
Well for me, this was a definite NO, I know people have different taste, but I did finish one piece of it only cause I had not ate all day, honestly the rest of it went in the trash can. Sorry!
foodtasticmom says
That’s OK – that’s why there are so many recipes and different blogs. I’m sorry you had a bad experience with this recipe! Was it the crust? Something else? I’ve been wanting to revisit this one to update photos, etc. so let me know.
foodtasticmom says
I have since updated the crust recipe and changed up the ratios of the toppings a bit. Just in case you want to try again…
adam says
Im curious why the no too…..lol. I personally “loved” the lunch room pizza…..but growing up, we also were raised to clean our plates 😉 and dont take more than you can finish lol.
im gonna try this just for nostalgia sake haha….i got a kiddo now in pre-K so looking forward to the lunch room stories already haha
Denise Rockwell says
This was “some kind a wonderful”. Just like I remember, graduated high school in 1972. Will make this “over and over again “. Thanks
foodtasticmom says
That’s awesome to hear. Thanks Denise 🙂
Sandi says
I have always wondered where they got their pizza haha. I am definitely going to try this!
foodtasticmom says
Great! Come back and let us know what you think!
Sarah Newman says
LOL! I haven’t thought about school pizza in many years, but it did have a certain charm to it. 😉 This sounds ever better though!
foodtasticmom says
Yes I would like to think that my homemade version is a little better! Thank you 🙂
Haley B says
Flavor and taste were there, but mine was not thin crust whatsoever what could it be?
foodtasticmom says
What size of sheet pan did you use? Yours may have been smaller than mine. That is my first thought. I use a half sheet pan which measures 13″x18″.
camila says
This is a very delicious recipe!! What a great pizza!! YUMMY
foodtasticmom says
Thank you!
Eden | Sweet Tea and Thyme says
Thank you for this! It brings back so many great school-time memories!
foodtasticmom says
You’re welcome!
Ginny says
I absolutely love that lunch lady technique. Why not make your pizza on a baking sheet. Love it!
foodtasticmom says
Thanks Ginny!
Rowena Orris says
Question. Was the dough supposed to be really wet? I filled the directions as it was written and it was a very wet and sticky dough.
foodtasticmom says
Yes, very wet and sticky.
Stephen says
Turned out great. Was curious – can I just use milk instead of the dry milk powder? Also, do you think using a milk alternative, such as soy, would yield similar results? Thanks again!
foodtasticmom says
Well, you’d have to decrease the water amount. Adding milk and keeping the water the same would make a soupy mess, so I wouldn’t recommend it. I’m not sure of the milk powder addition except to add a different texture to the crust rather than just using all flour. Hope that helps. I’m glad you enjoyed the pizza!
Linda says
Is this a thin crust, we like thin.
foodtasticmom says
Yes it is thin crust.
Donna says
I can not tell you how often I reminisce about this pizza. Pretty much every time we have pizza and that’s a lot! Thank you so much for posting it! I will be printing a copy.
foodtasticmom says
So glad I could help with some fond food memories. I hope you like this version of the pizza!
Donna says
I have been trying for years to copy the school lunchroom pizza and have not been successful 😐 I’m really hoping this is it.. Thank you
foodtasticmom says
I hope so too! You’re welcome
Nikkie M. says
Our school ALWAYS served applesauce, carrot coins or sticks and PB fudge with our rectangular pizza. I am glad to have this one to try. If u are lucky enough to have a Sav-A-Lot grocery in ur area, they sell the Tonys school Pizza but without a convection oven, it doesn’t come out as good as I remember. Did anyone else eat their toppings all mixed up and scooped up with their carrots!? Try with any kind of N.Y. style pizza, it’s really good! 44 and my mouth still waters for some school recipes!
Jen says
Wish I would have went to your schools. My lunch lady pizza looked like Ellios and tasted like cardboard. Lol
Mozelle Martin says
Hi and thank you for sharing this. I just wanted to let you know that I shared this recipe of yours on my blog @ http://www.AllOuttaSugar.com.
foodtasticmom says
Thank you!
Bella Hardy @ Healthnerdy.com says
That copycat lunch lady pizza absolutely something new for me! Looks yummy! Thx for sharing recipe, I definitely add it to my cookbook!
foodtasticmom says
So glad to hear this. You’re welcome!
Meghan F says
Can I use instant non fat dry milk in this recipe?
foodtasticmom says
Yes I think so.
Keto Diet Line says
your site layout is very good
Mike says
BTW if you want the official recipe as directed to schools by the US dept. of Agriculture from the 1980’s for all schools that participated in the NSLP then here it is. The originals were intended for 100 + servings so I won’t bother with listing the amounts. Maybe someone can test amounts to match the original flavor.
Raw Beef (no more than 24% fat)
Dehydrated Onions
Garlic Powder
(Cook beef. Drain grease. Add the onions and garlic. Bake for 5 minutes.
Black Pepper
Tomato Paste
Water
Flaked Basil
Flaked Oregano
Flaked Marjoram
Flaked Thyme
(Add those together. Simmer for 15 minutes)
Crust:
Dry yeast
water (110 degrees F)
(dissolve dry yeast in water. Let stand 4-5 minutes)
All purpose bread flower
Salt
Sugar
Vegetable oil
(Kneed for 15 minutes at medium speed.)
Place dough on sheet pan. Add pizza sauce mixture. Add meat mixture. Add Mozzarella cheese shredded. Bake 475 F for 15-18 minutes. Convection oven is 450 F for 15 minutes. Cut each slice 4 inches by 5 inches. (for some reason I remember the sizes being a little longer than 5 inches but I digress)
Calories: 312 each slice.
Protein: 18 grams
Fat: 12 grams
Sodium: 226 mg
100 servings as listed (do your own conversion)
8 lbs of ground beef
Onions: 1.25 cups
Garlic: 1.5 Tsp
Black Pepper: 1 Tbsp
Tomato Paste: .5 (half) number 10 can…???
water: 3.5 qts
Basil and Oregano: 2 tbsp each
Marjoram and Thyme: 1 tbsp each
cheese: 2.25 quarts
Sheet pans are listed as 5 in total at 18″ X 26″ X 1″
Yeast: 2 oz
flower: 7 lbs
Oil: 2/3 cup
salt: 2.5 tsp
sugar: .25 cup
foodtasticmom says
Wow, thanks for this!
Allison says
I will definitely be trying this. I will alter it a little. I remember the sauce being scant, the cheese being the cheaper low moisture stuff, and a strong flavor of marjoram (I’ll add this to the sausage and burger). I can’t wait to try it!
foodtasticmom says
I’m impressed with the marjoram – actually all of those details. Your memory is great. Let us know how it turns out 🙂
Kim says
How did it turn out
Kimberly Caceres says
I’m curious if this crust would work will 00 flour?
foodtasticmom says
I’ve not tried it. I looked up if you can replace all – purpose flour with 00 flour and it seems like you can. Let us know how it turns out!
MiMi Larza says
I tried this recipe tonight. It was fantastic!!! I made half the pizza exactly as instructed. I added some vegetable toppings to the half (the adult version). My husband & 13 yr-old twins loved it. So simple, yet so good! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
foodtasticmom says
Love to hear this. Thank you very much for taking the time to write!
Charlie says
00 zero flour is more for a very hot oven 8-9 hundred degrees but try it. Also why do people comment when they never tried the recipe. Just make it then review. Your comments are useless to us who want to try it but comments from others who made it what they did and ingredients help us. Thanks
foodtasticmom says
I’m not sure about people commenting if they haven’t tried it. If people comment, I approve it and respond, since they took the time to write something. As for the 00 flour, I was not aware that it is more for a very hot oven (obviously commercial, or wood-fired maybe?), so thank you for sharing that piece of useful information. I like to bake, but I am much more knowledgable when it comes to cooking rather than baking. Thanks.
Christine says
I’m curious about the texture of this crust. My elementary school had a crust that was light and had a spongy looking texture but it was so good! I was in sixth grade in 1975 so I don’t think the school would give me the recipe, lol ! I also loved the Spoonburgers, sort of a blonde sloppy joe, we always got seconds on that!
foodtasticmom says
The texture of this crust is kind of light and spongy – more so than a regular pizza crust. We didn’t have Spoonburgers at my school that I remember. They sound good!