Ground Beef and Onion Pizza - The Nessy Kitchen (2024)

Published: Jan 9, 2023, Last Modified: Mar 20, 2024 by Janessa. This post may contain affiliate links.

With a generous sprinkling of mozzarella cheese and the sweet taste of caramelized onions, this crowd pleasing beef and onion pizza is perfect for your next pizza night! Using ground beef, sliced onions and the best homemade pizza dough, the flavors might remind you of a hamburger or cheeseburger.

Whether in the form of bowls, quesadillas or a classic pie, pizza is the kind of meal that is guaranteed to be well received!

And when you have a spectacular chewy pizza crust recipe up your sleeve, it only makes sense that pizza nights should be a very regular occurrence.

We have tried out a lot of toppings over the years, and while most have been absolutely scrumptious, we do tend to migrate back to a few favorites more often then others...

With sweet caramelized onions, seasoned ground beef, melty mozzarella and a generous spread of (the best!) homemade pizza sauce, this Beef and Onion Pizza is the crown jewel of flavors in our house.

Surprisingly simple and delightfully delicious, you will not regret giving this one a try!

The Ingredients

• Pizza Dough- I highly recommend whipping up a batch of this Artisan Pizza Dough- it is no-knead, uses just 4 ingredients, can be made with whole wheat or regular flour and is SO delicious! That said, you can use your favourite boughten or homemade dough or even use this recipe to make pita pizzas.
• Pizza Sauce- Making your own pizza sauce from tomato paste takes less than 5 minutes and is extra tasty! Feel free to sub another pizza sauce that you like, though.
• Mozzarella Cheese- Be sure to buy the block style mozzarella and shred it yourself for optimal melting.
• Extra Lean Ground Beef- I prefer to use extra lean ground beef for this recipe to prevent it from being extra greasy. Lean or regular ground beef will work but I recommend draining off the grease after cooking the beef mixture.
• Yellow Onions- You need about 2 cups of sliced yellow onions for this recipe which is about 2 medium (or you can dice them instead). You can also use white or red onions if needed.
• Sea Salt
• Black Pepper

The Method

1. Cook beef mixture. Add the beef, onions, salt and pepper to a skillet. Heat covered, over medium, stirring often to break up the beef. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the beef is cooked through and the onions are tender.

2. Assemble. Roll out the pizza dough on floured parchment (if using a pizza stone) or a floured baking sheet and top with ¼ cup of sauce, ¼ of the beef mixture (about ¾ cup) and finally 1 and ½ cups of shredded cheese.

3. Bake. If using a pizza stone and parchment, trim the parchment and transfer the pizza to a pizza peel or the back of a baking sheet. Carefully transfer to the stone and bake for 9-11 minutes until the crust is lightly brown and the cheese is melted and golden.

If using a baking sheet, you can just place it directly in the oven and bake for the same amount of time. (Check out this post about using a baking pan vs pizza stone for full details on how to use each and to decide which is best for you.)

Note: If using a pizza stone and parchment paper, be sure to check the heat rating on your parchment paper. If it is less than 475, you may want to reduce the temperature and bake for a few extra minutes. However, in my experience and according to this article from America's Test Kitchen, it may not be necessary with pizza due to the short baking time.

4. Cool, slice and serve! Carefully remove the pizza from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly. Remove the parchment paper (if using), slice and serve.

Leftovers and Storage

Make Ahead: The beef mixture can be cooked up to 1 day in advance, stored in an airtight container and kept in the refrigerator.

To Store: Cool leftover pizza on a wire rack and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

To Reheat: For best results, reheat in the oven or toaster oven at 400 F for about 5-10 minutes until warmed through.

Leftover Beef Mixture: If you decide to not make all 4 pizzas (or want to make a variety of flavours), you can store the extra beef mixture in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Use to make pizzas at a later date or use it to make a panini with extra pizza sauce and mozzarella- yum!

Make it Your Own

• Add More Vegetables- Add a sliced bell pepper or shredded carrots to the beef mixture prior to cooking or add them on top.
• Switch Up the Cheese- Try out this pizza with another type of cheese (or use a mixture)- cheddar or gouda would both be tasty options!
• Use a Different Sauce- For a different flavour twist, use Barbecue Sauce in place of pizza sauce for a BBQ beef pizza.
• Make Individual Pizzas- Divide the dough into 8 portions instead of 4 and roll into 7 inch round circles. Top with 2 tablespoon of sauce, ⅛ of the beef mixture (⅓-1/2 cup) and ¾-1 cup of cheese. Bake time is the same.

Serving Ideas

Top your pizza off with:

• Sliced fresh tomatoes
• Green onions

And for dipping the crusts, try it with:

• Santa Fe Ranch
• Greek Yogurt Ranch
• Barbecue Sauce
• Or extra pizza sauce

If you're looking for some ideas to serve alongside, you can't go wrong with:

• Caesar Salad
• Mixed Berry Spinach Salad
• Crispy Baked Fries
• Simple Cherry Tomato Soup
• Or check out this post for 48 ideas of what to serve with pizza!

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And if you liked this recipe...

...you might also like:

• Simple Homemade Barbecued Beef Burgers
• My Favorite Ground Beef Tacos
• Thai Curry Pizza

More Tasty Meal Ideas!