This French Bread Pizza with Homemade Meat Sauce is a delightful twist on a classic favorite, ready to satisfy your cravings with every flavorful bite.
Made with crusty bread, homemade meat sauce, melted mozzarella cheese, pepperoni slices, and colorful diced peppers, this a delicious dinner recipe, but it's also a budget-friendly meal!
Check out the full collection of Family Dinner Ideas and Recipes to help you get dinner on the table every night!
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This easy French bread pizza is my go-to for busy weeknights! With just a loaf of French bread, homemade meat sauce, and your favorite toppings, dinner is ready in no time.
I like to stock up on crusty bread loaves during my grocery runs. They freeze beautifully and are perfect for those busy nights when you need to whip up dinner quickly.
Looking for more Pizza Recipes? Try my Pizza Crescent Rolls, Air Fryer Pizza Monkey Bread, Air Fryer French Bread Pizza and my Homemade Pizza Recipe. Yum!
Table of Contents
Meat Sauce Pizza
Meat Sauce Pizza is an easy alternative to classic tomato pizza. This recipe features a rich meat sauce, made with ground beef, layered over a crust and topped with melted cheese.
You could substitute the ground beef for ground sausage for a slightly different flavor.
To keep things simple, I used a jar of my favorite marinara sauce and added browned ground beef for a hearty twist. This not only makes for a delicious dinner, but it's also a budget-friendly option that won't break the bank.
Walmart French Bread Pizza
When I first created this recipe, I used a 14-ounce loaf of bread from the Walmart bakery, a steal at just $1.00!
It was the perfect size for a quick and easy dinner, and the crusty texture held up well to the toppings.
Helpful Kitchen Tools
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Main Ingredients Needed
- Ground beef
- Marinara sauce; or about 3 cups homemade sauce
- French bread
- Mozzarella cheese
- Diced green and red peppers
- Sliced pepperoni
- Italian seasoning
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Recipe Substitutions and Variations
Brush the bread with garlic butter before adding toppings for an extra flavor boost.
Swap the marinara for pesto for a fresh flavor. Or try barbecue sauce., grilled chicken, and caramelized onions for a BBQ twist. Try adding cooked crumbled Italian sausage or Canadian bacon.
Load up on your favorite vegetables like bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, olives, and spinach.
You'll likely have leftover homemade meat sauce, which freezes well or can be tossed with pasta for another delicious meal later in the week. For this French bread pizza, you'll only need about 1 ½ cups of sauce per loaf.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Slice the loaf of bread in half lengthwise and lay each half on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Prepare the Meat Sauce
Step 2: Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble in the ground beef and sprinkle with Italian seasoning, cooking until browned and no longer pink. Stir in your favorite marinara sauce and let it simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through and the flavors have melded.
Step 3: Generously spread the meat sauce over each half, ensuring even coverage. Sprinkle a generous layer of mozzarella cheese on top, followed by the sliced pepperoni, diced peppers, and any other toppings that your family enjoys.
Baking Instructions
Step 4: Bake in a preheated 425°F oven for about 8 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and begins to brown. Serve immediately.
Before You Begin!
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Storing, Freezing, Thawing and Reheating Tips
Refrigerator: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Freezing: Let pizza cool completely, then wrap each slice individually in plastic wrap and place in a labeled freezer-safe container for up to 2-3 months.
Thawing and Reheating: Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before reheating. You can also place the frozen pizza slices on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until heated through and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
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📖 Recipe Card
French Bread Pizza with Meat Sauce
Ingredients
- Loaf of French bread
- One jar marinara sauce; 16 ounce size
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- Favorite pizza toppings; sliced pepperoni diced peppers, etc.
Method
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the ground beef and Italian seasoning.
- Saute until the beef is no longer pink.
- Add the marinara sauce and simmer until the meat is cooked through; about another 15 minutes.
- Slice the loaf of bread in half and place each half on a baking sheet that's been lined with parchment paper.
- Spread the meat sauce on top of both pieces of bread.
- Add the mozzarella cheese followed by the sliced pepperoni, diced peppers and whatever other toppings your family likes.
- Bake in a preheated 425°F oven for about 8 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and begins to brown.
- Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Notes
- For this recipe, I used a 14 ounce loaf of bread from Walmart bakery.
- Most likely you won't use all the homemade meat sauce. You'll need about 1 ½ cups of sauce for one loaf of French bread. The sauce freezes well or you could use the leftovers served over pasta for another meal later in the week.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!This recipe has been updated since it first appeared in 2015 with new photos, information and a new printable recipe card that includes nutritional information. I hope you enjoy the updates as much as I enjoyed working on them!
Kathy says
I just made this tonight -- So easy, and delicious! Thank you!!
Lois says
Thank you so much for letting me know. Glad you enjoyed dinner!
Kathy says
I can't wait to try this (and some of your other) recipes! Thanks for your awesome blog!
Lois says
Thank YOU Kathy for a great comment. Made my morning to read this!
Linda Brown says
Good Morning Lois! I just now found your site when I googled homemade garlic spread.
SOOOO glad I found you.
I was wondering what you thought it would be like to lightly use your garlic spread & LIGHTLY toast the french bread & then make the Frenchbread Pizza?
(And for family night I would use Panera Breads Asiago Cheese Bread!!!)
Lois says
I think that sounds yummy! Let me know how it turns out. Thanks for visiting. Hope to see you again!
Carole says
Hi Lois, love this. Would you like to share this with the other participants in Food on Friday over at Carole's Chatter? I have a weekly link up party – each week there is a different ingredient or theme. The current theme is Pizza!
You can see upcoming themes in one of the pages at the top of my home page. If you would like to join in the fun please schedule a reminder for each week. The collection starts at 7am Friday New Zealand time – which might be some time Thursday your time – I do find time zones quite confusing. Hope to see you soon. Cheers, Carole