If you’re searching for a nostalgic meal, it doesn’t get any better than Old School Cafeteria Pizza. Remember when Friday was Pizza Day and the cafeteria ladies would serve up rectangular slices of cheesy, doughy pizza? Now, you can recreate this classic School Pizza at home, or customize it with your favorite add-ins and make it into school breakfast pizza or school lunch pizza.
Meals are a heartwarming way to remember your childhood. Nothing feels quite as good as recreating one of your favorite childhood meals as an adult. Travel back in time to your school days with this tasty Old School Pizza Recipe.
Table of Contents
Show
What is an Old-Fashioned School Pizza?
In many schools, massive pizzas are prepared on sheet pans, then cut into rectangular slices and feed hungry children at lunchtime. The plain cheese variety is most popular, but protein and vegetable toppings are sometimes added. This pizza has a thin, crispy crust and is quite often made with mozzarella cheese.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- yeast
- warm water
- sugar
- all-purpose flour
- salt
- olive oil
- tomato sauce or pizza sauce
- shredded mozzarella cheese
- ground sausage and onions (or other toppings such as cooked ground beef, pepperoni, ham, and bell pepper)
How to Make School Pizza
Step 1: Make the pizza crust & cook sausage
- Add yeast, sugar and warm water into a small bowl. Mix and let it sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy.
- In a large bowl, add flour and salt, olive oil, and yeast mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon until the dough just begins to come together.
- Knead the dough by hand for about 5 minutes until it’s soft and elastic. Place the dough in a greased mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for about 30 minutes or until doubled in size. (You can cook the sausage while waiting for the dough to rise.)
Step 2: Assemble the Pizza
- Place the dough onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Stretch the dough to a rectangular crust by gently flattening the dough ball.
- Use a fork to poke holes across the surface of the dough.
- Brush with olive oil. Spread tomato sauce evenly, leaving about ¼-inch border on all sides.
- Add Mozzarella cheese, distributing it evenly over the surface.
- Add cooked ground sausage on top of the cheese.
Step 3: Bake the School Cafeteria Pizza
- Bake at 450°F for 12-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted, and the crust is golden brown.
- Remove the pizza from the oven, and transfer to a cutting board. Slice and serve immediately.
Tips & Tricks for the Best Rectangular School Pizza
- Use warm water for the dough: Warm water helps to activate the yeast for a light and fluffy dough. Be careful NOT to use hot water, which will destroy the yeast. The water should be no warmer than what you’d use to take a shower.
- For a crispy crust, roll the dough out thin: For that classic crispy crust, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough until it’s thin. For a fluffier, doughy crust, you can keep the dough a bit thicker.
- Freeze the pizza for a quick meal later: This pizza can be easily frozen and reheated for a quick and tasty meal. Wrap the pizza in plastic wrap for freezing and reheat in the oven when you’re ready to eat.
Variations
- School Breakfast Pizza: For a breakfast version of this pizza, add toppings like scrambled eggs, bacon, bell peppers, and cheese.
- School Mexican Pizza: Put a Mexican spin on classic school pizza by using ground beef cooked in taco seasoning. Add veggie toppings such as onion, bell peppers and diced tomatoes.
- Square School Pizza: If you need a smaller serving of this pizza, try using a 14-inch square pizza baking tray.
- Pizza Stick School Lunch: To make fun, dippable pizza sticks, keep the dough fairly thick and don’t roll it out too much. After baking, cut the pizza into 1-inch by 3-inch sticks. Dip in tomato or marinara sauce and enjoy!
If You Like This Recipe Try These Out
If you tried this recipe, let me know how your School Pizza turns out in the comments below!
School Pizza Recipe
If you’re searching for a nostalgic meal, it doesn’t get any better than Old School Cafeteria Pizza. Remember when Friday was Pizza Day and the cafeteria ladies would serve up rectangular slices of cheesy, doughy pizza? Now, you can recreate this classic School Pizza at home, or customize it with your favorite add-ins and make it into school breakfast pizza or school lunch pizza.
Print
Pin
Rate
Servings: 8
Calories: 428kcal
Ingredients
Pizza Dough:
- 1 packet active dry yeast 2 ¼ teaspoons
- 1 cup warm water 110-120°F
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the Toppings
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/3 cup tomato sauce (or pizza sauce)
- 2 cups Mozzarella shredded
- 1/2 onion
- 1 pound cooked ground sausage (other toppings such as cooked ground beef, pepperoni, ham, and bell pepper)
Instructions
Make the pizza crust
- Whisk together yeast, sugar and warm water in a small bowl. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy.
- Mix together flour and salt. Add olive oil, yeast mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix with a wooden spoon until the dough just begins to come together.
- Knead the dough by hand for about 5 minutes until it’s soft and elastic. Place the dough in a greased mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for about 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
Cook the Sausage
- Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausages, breaking htem into small pieces using a wooden spoon. Cook until no pink remains about 7-8 minutes.
Cook the Pizza
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Prepare a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Place the dough onto the parchment paper. Stretch the dough by gently flattening the dough ball. (You can spread it out thinner if you prefer a crispy crust.)
- Use a fork to poke holes across the surface of the dough.
- Brush the dough with olive oil. Spread tomato sauce evenly, leaving about ¼-inch border on all sides.
- Add Mozzarella cheese, distributing it evenly over the surface.
- Add cooked ground sausage on top of the cheese.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted, and the crust is golden brown.
- Remove the pizza from the oven, and transfer to a cutting board. Slice and serve immediately.
Equipment
Notes
- You can make the dough ahead of time. Let it rise first, and then wrap with plastic wrap and place it in a freezer-safe bag. Thaw in the refrigerator and then bring it to room temperature before using.
- To reheat leftover pizza, bake it in the oven for about 5 minutes or until the crust is crispy.
Nutrition
Calories: 428kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 736mg | Potassium: 239mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 276IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 154mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Follow or tag us on Pinterest @izzycooking
Pamela Crawford says
This pizza was delicious! I made it for my ladies life group at church and every piece of it was ate! The Pastor’s wife said it was amazing!