This school lunch pizza recipe is meant to conjure up nostalgic memories of the pizza you may have gotten at the school cafeteria when you were a kid. Hence the name. And boy oh boy does it do the trick.
I don’t know about you, but I have fond memories of school lunch pizza! Some of the meals we thought were amazing are definitely not going to taste great as adults. But this? This one does!
For more nostalgia, make the best PB+J ever, or try a fried bologna sandwich. If diner fare is more your style, don’t forget a classic chicken club served with a milkshake.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It uses a few ingredients: Ready made dough is topped with a “cheater” sauce and cheese and you’re good to go.
- Let the kids help: Stretching pizza dough is a fun tactile activity for them to do on their own.
- Ready in only 35 minutes: Again, using ready-made ingredients means you can get lunch on the table quick in between sports practices.
Ingredients Needed
Here’s what you’ll need to make this school lunch pizza.
- Pizza dough – I think the tube or can makes this taste the most like school lunch pizza! You can also use the 1 pound balls of dough from the deli, or even go so far as to make it homemade. If your tube is smaller than 13 oz you may want to pick up 2.
- Sauce – If you can’t make my sauce recipe, you can buy storebought but sweeter sauces are more similar to school pizza. This is often brands like Contadina, and Ragu homemade style pizza.
- Sausage – We are using Italian pork sausage here, but feel free to use spicy or sweet if you prefer. You can also use chopped ham or pepperoni.
- Cheese – Combining mozzarella and cheddar adds to the nostalgia! Feel free to use one or the other on its own, but I promise you want to stick to these and not anything else to get the right taste!
*Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!*
How to Make School Lunch Pizza
STEP 1. Bake crust. Sprinkle cornmeal on a baking sheet, and gently spread out the dough. Dock with a fork and bake according to the package directions.
STEP 2. Prep sausage. brown the sausage until cooked through and drain any excess grease. Season if desired (but I kept it plain!).
Tip: You can adjust this pizza however you like! Swap out the dough, change out the cheese. Whatever you loved as a kid should be what you use now! We are throwing it back and not making a gourmet adult pizza.
STEP 3. Make Sauce. First, mix together the tomato paste and water. Then add seasoning and sugar. Mix again.
STEP 4. Assemble. Spread the sauce over the baked crust, then sprinkle on the sausage. Top with cheese and pop in the oven!
Recipe Pro Tips
- Use cornmeal. The cornmeal keeps the crust from sticking to the pan without any excess oil. You can try lining your pan with parchment if you prefer, but I find it too difficult to roll out the crust then.
- Keep it simple. Use whatever cheese or meat you have on hand. This recipe is perfect for cleaning out the fridge!
Recipe FAQs
Refrigerated pizza dough, cornmeal (that’s the secret), tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, spices and cheddar and mozzarella cheeses.
Preheat the oven to 400°F, then bake the crust for 8 minutes, top with toppings and bake for an additional 10 minutes to melt the cheese.
I used an 18X13 baking sheet. You could use a larger pan if you'd like. If you do, feel free to scale the recipe up. Otherwise, just don't stretch the dough all the way to the corners. Want to use a smaller pan? Scale the recipe down. If you have to use two tubes of dough, just pinch the seams together well.
What to Serve with School Lunch Pizza
Go all in! Try out some frozen corn, canned peaches, and packaged cookies! You can also add a side salad to round things out, and don’t forget a big glass of milk.
Storage
- To store. Once the pizza has cooled to room temperature, arrange slices in an airtight container, separating any layers with a sheet of parchment paper. You can store the leftover pizza in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To reheat. Allow the leftover pizza to thaw in the fridge (if applicable) before arranging the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 375°F for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melty and the pizza is warm. Alternatively, microwave a slice or two in 20-second intervals until heated through.
- To freeze. Prepare the recipe from start to finish, allow the pizza to cool, slice it, arrange the slices in a single layer in an airtight container (use parchment paper to separate multiple layers), and freeze for up to 3 months. When you are ready to enjoy, allow the pizza to thaw and refer to the section below titled "Storage" to learn how to reheat your leftovers.
More Pizza Recipes You’ll Love
Did you make this? I’d be so grateful if you left a “star” rating below to let me know what you thought! Then, the next time you need a quick and easy recipe, come back to Fantabulosity to browse all of my easy recipes!
Recipe
School Pizza Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 can refrigerated pizza dough 13.8 oz
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided (1 + 2)
- ¼ cup cornmeal divided (⅛ cup + ⅛ cup)
- 1 pound Italian sausage
- 2¼ cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided (¼ cup + 2 cups)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
School Pizza Sauce Recipe
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- ¾ cup water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ tablespoon white granulated sugar
- ½ tablespoon dried oregano
- ½ tablespoon dried basil
- ½ tablespoon dired rosemary
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 475°F, and spray a 18×13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray, then line with parchment paper. Sprinkle it with about ⅛ of a cup of cornmeal, in an evenly layer.Next, this is optional, sprinkle the remaining cornmeal on a work surface (i.e. counter/table), and place pizza dough on cornmeal. (This is so the dough doesn't stick to the surface while rolling. With a rolling pin, roll out the door until it's thin, and it's the shape of the 18×13 pan.)
- Place the dough on the pan, and stretch the pizza dough so that it reaches the corners and sides of the pan the best you can. Brush the dough with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and poke a few holes in it with a fork. Bake for 8 minutes or until it's a light golden brown.
- Add the sausage to a large heavy bottom skillet and sauté until golden brown and cooked through, breaking it up with a spatula or spoon as you go. Set aside.
School Pizza Sauce
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the tomato paste and water. Then add in the garlic powder, salt, pepper, sugar, oregano, dried basil and rosemary. Stir until combined.
- This is optional but I like to sprinkle ¼ cup of the shredded mozzarella on to the crust before adding the sauce to help prevent it from getting soggy.
- Spread the sauce over the pizza crust, spreading all of the way to the edges, and then sprinkle the sausage evenly over the pizza, and finally, sprinkle the remaining cheeses evenly over the top.
- Bake for 11 minutes on middle rack, or until the cheese has melted.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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