School Lunch Pizza Burgers

I used to make these pizza burgers a lot when the kids were all home..they were quick, made a lot and the kids loved them.  I actually got the recipe from my husband, Dave, who showed me how to make them.  He got the recipe from his high school cafeteria recipe book the cooks had made for a fund raiser at Cooper High School.  He said it was the only recipe that was any good in the cookbook, so hard to say how many were sold.  What's funny is they just "revived" it from the archives and had another printing made just last summer for an anniversary celebration..He graduated in "69, so maybe it was a 50th?  Anyway, you don't have to buy the cookbook to get the one good recipe, because here it is..

SCHOOL LUNCH PIZZA BURGERS:

1 pound good hamburger browned and crumbled finely, salt and pepper, (fork work good to smoosh it) and some finely chopped onion fried with it. 

add:  one 6 oz  can tomato paste, 1 tsp sugar sprinkled over the whole thing, 1 tsp garlic powder , and 3/4 tsp Italian seasoning stirring well to combine evenly.  Taste and add a little more salt and pepper if needed.   Remove from heat.  stir in 1 cup shredded American cheese, about 1/2 lb.  try not to stir it too much so it has chunks of cheese throughout.  I shred it from a block, which seems to be harder to find, but deli's usually have it and they can cut you a chunk.  (I got mine at walmart after searching for the block of Kraft/ Bongaard's etc and not finding it).  Take slices of thin white bread and spread the mixture over it to the edges. (You can also use halves of hamburger buns)  Lay on a sheet of aluminum foil in a 425 degree oven until the top and underneath side of bread is slightly toasted..about 12 minutes?  Careful..they are hot, so use caution..

you can play with these too adding olives, pepperoni etc..whatever you like on pizza will work..