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!
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Table of Contents
- Meat Sauce Pizza
- Walmart French Bread Pizza
- Helpful Kitchen Tools
- Main Ingredients Needed
- Recipe Substitutions and Variations
- Step-by-Step Instructions
- Prepare the Meat Sauce
- Baking Instructions
- Storing, Freezing, Thawing and Reheating Tips
- More Recipes to Love
- LOVE this recipe? SAVE it for Later!
- 🗒️Shopping List
- 📖 Recipe Card
- 💬 Comments
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.
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!
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
This section includes step-by-step photos and instructions to guide you through the recipe. For the complete printable version, scroll down to the recipe card below.
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.
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!
Christine Graves says
That looks so good, pinning it!
Michelle James says
My family just loves french bread pizza & this looks delicious! While I was here I snagged your Peanut Butter Bar Recipe for Pinterest-yum!! Thanks for sharing at #HomeMattersParty
Lindsay at Crazy Organized says
these look absolutely delicious! Trying out this weekend! thanks so much for sharing at Merry monday!
Charlene says
I remember my mom making french bread pizza growing up. It's so simple and delish. Thanks for sharing with us all #HOMEMATTERSLINKYPARTY
Morgan Wieboldt says
LOVE french bread pizza! My mom used ot make it all the time for a fast dinner. I never thought of using meat sauce instead of regular sauce!
Catherine says
Dear Lois, this is a quick and wonderful way to make pizza...I love this idea. Perfect for Friday movie night with the family. xoxo, Catherine
Pamela Bennett says
Used to make this recipe all the time when my kids were younger. It's also a great little recipe to get the kids involved in making their own. Thanks for sharing on The Living with Style Linky Party!
Down Sprigg Lane says
This looks so good!! I think I am going to serve this this weekend, yum. Visiting from Dream.Create.Inspire.
Allison Miller says
Yum this looks awesome. Love French bread pizza. Saw this over on Inspiration Monday's and had to stop by!
Shirsie says
Looks amazing. Definitely trying this.