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If you grew up eating pizza in the school cafeteria, this recipe is about to bring back all the memories. It has that classic, familiar flavor we all loved as kids but now it is homemade and so much better. This school-style pizza is easy to make, uses simple ingredients, and is perfect for when you are craving something fun and nostalgic. One bite and you’ll be right back in those lunch line days, just with a much better slice.
Classic School Pizza Recipe
So what makes school pizza, well, school pizza? For one thing, it’s cooked in a rectangular shape rather than the circles you’ll find at most pizzerias. This means that the pieces will be cut into rectangles or squares rather than pie slices. For another, the toppings and cheese are spread all the way to the edge of the crust (meaning there’s no end crust piece to hold onto like in a more traditional pizza).
Go to the recipe: School Pizza
Homemade Pizza to Serve a Crowd
This is such a great recipe to make for a crowd—like when your kids invite all their friends over at the last minute or you need to make a huge amount of pizza for a birthday party. Or make it for a quick weeknight dinner and save slices for lunches later on (leftovers freeze well). Just add a fresh salad for a complete meal.
Go to the recipe: School Pizza Recipe
What You Need to Make Pizza at Home
Click here to see the whole school pizza recipe and get the ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Olive oil – I use extra-virgin olive oil.
- Cornmeal – To dust the baking sheet.
- Pizza dough – You can use store-bought pizza dough for ease of prep or make your own.
- Italian sausage – I use mild ground Italian sausage.
- Italian seasoning – If you don’t have Italian seasoning you can do a blend of dried basil and oregano.
- Pizza sauce – Choose your favorite jar of pizza sauce.
- Shredded mozzarella
How to Make School Pizza
Here is a quick look at how to make my school pizza but click here to go to the full recipes.
- Prepare: Preheat the oven to 400℉. Drizzle a half sheet pan with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, then brush with the pastry brush to coat evenly. Sprinkle it with the cornmeal.
- Shape the dough: Stretch the pizza dough into a rectangle on the bottom of the sheet pan.
- Cook the sausage: Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground sausage and Italian seasoning and sauté until cooked through and no longer pink, 7 to 8 minutes.
- Bake the pizza crust: Bake the pizza crust for 7 to 8 minutes, until it no longer looks wet and begins to take on a little color. Remove it from the oven.
- Finish: Spread the pizza sauce evenly over the crust. Sprinkle with the cooked sausage, followed by the shredded mozzarella. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and slice into 8 rectangles to serve.
How to Store Leftovers
Store leftover school pizza wrapped in foil in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven on low heat until the cheese is melted and the crust is slightly crisp. Leftover pizza also freezes well; wrap individual slices of pizza in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-safe bag. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can heat unwrapped, frozen slices in the oven, but note that they will take slightly longer to reheat.
What to Serve with Pizza
Pizza is a filling meal but it needs some vegetables to go with it! Salad is always a good choice as a side to pizza. Some of my favorites include my Broccoli Salad, Summer Salad, Cucumber Tomato Salad, or Watermelon and Feta Salad for a refreshing accompaniment to school pizza.
Pizza Recipe Variations
You can use this base recipe as a jumping-off point for all sorts of pizza flavors. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Hawaiian pizza – Leave off the sausage and add ham and pineapple.
- Add veggies – Add all the vegetables you like—mushrooms, peppers, olives, spinach, and more.
- Make it vegetarian – Skip the sausage and keep this a vegetarian cheese pizza.
- Use homemade sauce – You can use your own homemade sauce on this pizza in place of the store-bought sauce!
- Use turkey sausage – To lighten things up a little, use turkey sausage in place of the regular sausage.
