For the record, Dave doesn’t cook (he’s good, but not THAT good!)
However, he is a pretty mean grilled sandwich maker… and these pizza sammies (as we call them) are a really quick, really simple, really delicious meal (or snack) that even your husband or your middle-school age kids could make — I promise!
This recipe did come from Dave, although I have added a few things to make it extra yummy. That said, I think Dave ate his fair share of pizza sammies the year we were engaged and he was living on his own, teaching out in California 🙂
Pizza sammies are a great way to use up small amounts of extra meat, cheese, sauce, veggies, bread, etc. that you might have sitting in your fridge… and as with most of my recipes, feel free to mix and match ingredients based on what you have in the house and/or what your family prefers.
Recipe for Pizza Sammies:
Makes 2 sandwiches
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 slices bread (english muffins, bagels, pita bread, etc. will also work)
- 4 T. pasta or pizza sauce (anything your family likes)
- a pinch of each of the following: basil, oregano, garlic, and/or any of your favorite pizza seasonings
- 1/2 c. “white” cheese (Mozzarella and/or some type of Italian blend work well)
- your favorite pizza toppings — ham, bacon, sausage, pepperoni, peppers, onions, etc.
- additional sauce for dipping (optional)
Like I mentioned above, almost any type of pizza toppings will work — so just experiment. I’ve done these sammies with BBQ sauce, chicken, bacon, and cheese and they were amazing! I’ve also tried cheese, chicken, and pesto sauce for a fun and delicious combo. You really can’t go wrong!
DIRECTIONS:
- Spread 1 T. of sauce on each of your 4 slices of bread
- Sprinkle herbs, spices, and seasonings on two slices of bread
- Layer pizza toppings (meat, veggies, and cheese) on the other 2 slices
- Place the “seasoned” slices of bread on top
- Cook sammies on a George Foreman Grill, panini maker, in a toaster oven, on a griddle, or in a frying pan until both sides are golden brown
- Serve with additional sauce for dipping (optional)
- Eat and enjoy!
NOTE: If you’re going to use a frying pan or griddle, you’ll probably want to butter the outsides of the bread and be VERY careful when you flip the sammies so all the filling doesn’t fall out 🙂
Like I said before, this “recipe” (if you can really even call it a recipe) is SO super duper simple, fast, and easy that even your husband, teens, and tweens could make it. Heck, besides the sauce part, Nora usually helps me make these!
We will often make these pizza sammies for lunch on Saturday and serve them with raw veggies, fresh fruit, chips, and maybe a little extra sauce for dipping. They are definitely a “step up” from traditional grilled cheese sandwiches, they are most likely a lot healthier than traditional pizza, and they make a great lunch, dinner, or even a protein-packed snack when you’re in a hurry.
What are your favorite grilled sandwich toppings?
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TJ says
We’re big panini makers on the Foreman as well. If you like reubens, then try deli corned beef (or pastrami) shaved thinly, with Swiss cheese (or provolone) slices and well-drained sautkraut (I squeeze all the liquid out) mixed with a few tbls of thousand island dressing (or Russian dressing if you’re a purist) all on thin slices of light rye bread. Grill those on the foreman and yum!
Kristen @ Joyfully Thriving says
Fun idea! I like to make what my husband calls “fancy” grilled cheese. I put cream cheese on the bread, as well as cheddar, mozarella and whatever other cheese we have in the fridge. Then, I butter the outside and sprinkle parmesan cheese on it before grilling. Delicious! You can even add sauteed onions and / or bacon, if you really want to get fancy! 🙂
Andrea says
yum!! That sounds amazing! We’re big grilled-sandwich fans over here so we might need to add this one to our recipe round-up 🙂
Kristen @ Joyfully Thriving says
I hope you guys like it, Andrea! The cream cheese is what really adds a nice richness to the grilled cheese. I think I need to make grilled cheese this week, now that I’m thinking about it!
Petra says
I don’t know why I’ve never tried it with pizza or any kind of sauce… Just butter or some kind of cheese cream.
Sometimes, instead of grilling, I dip the stuffed sandwiches into egg (seasoned with salt and garlic powder) or egg-milk mixture and fry them in melted butter or a little oil/lard.
Anyway, the idea is super, I’ll make it soon.
Thanks, Andrea!
Andrea says
well don’t feel bad, I’ve actually never thought of trying it with cream cheese and that’s what everyone keeps suggesting! Looks like i’ll need to buy more cream cheese 🙂
Melissa says
I really like all of your recipes. We had 7 minute Salmon last night, and it was delicious!
Chris says
Oh,and I think pizza sauce – I haven’t made it for a while. 🙂
Chris says
Yum! I make a similar one. It has cream cheese mixed with shredded cheese and garlic powder and pepperoni.
Priyanka says
This is a fabulous idea. I am putting this idea on my meal plan!!
Debbie W. says
Yum! I make these sometimes for my family and we all love them! So easy, like you said! But usually mine are just sauce, pepperoni, and cheese, so I’m happy that you shared some different ideas for the filling. I’m excited now to try some new combinations! Oh, and I never thought of putting them in the George Foreman grill so as not to have to flip them over. I think I’ll try that next time, too. Thanks!
Christina says
These looks great! What a simple, yet fabulous idea!
My hubs started a grilled sandwich based off of Diners, Drive-in’s, and Dives. It’s meatloaf with mac & cheese. He usually adds some extra cheese to keep it all together and serves it with a little side of thousand island. The first time I wasn’t really on board, until ALL the girls ate one and raved! Delicious!