Yield: 8 pizza halves
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 20–25 minutes
Total: about 35–40 minutes
Ingredients
Meat topping
1 lb (450 g) ground beef, preferably 85–90% lean
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup (about 240 g) pizza sauce or thick tomato sauce
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp yellow mustard
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp red-pepper flakes, optional
2–3 tbsp water, as needed
Pizza
4 large English muffins, split into 8 halves
1–1 1/2 cups (115–170 g) shredded low-moisture mozzarella
1/4 cup (25–30 g) shredded Parmesan, optional
1 tbsp olive oil or softened butter
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Fresh parsley or basil, optional
Detailed instructions
1. Heat the oven.
Set the oven to 400°F (205°C). Line a large baking sheet with foil or parchment. The foil in the photo is perfectly suitable, although parchment makes cleanup easier.
2. Toast the muffin bases.
Split the English muffins and place them cut-side up. Brush very lightly with olive oil or butter and sprinkle with garlic powder.
Bake for 5–7 minutes, just until the edges begin to turn golden. Don’t fully brown them yet.
3. Brown the beef.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook for about 6–8 minutes, breaking it into small crumbles.
Cook until the beef reaches 160°F (71°C) internally. Drain excess grease if necessary.
4. Add onion and garlic.
Add the diced onion and cook for 3–4 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and cook for another 30–60 seconds.
5. Make the Sloppy Joe sauce.
Stir in:
pizza sauce
ketchup
tomato paste
Worcestershire sauce
mustard
Italian seasoning
smoked paprika
garlic powder
onion powder
pepper
salt
red-pepper flakes
Add 2–3 tablespoons of water if the mixture is excessively thick.
Simmer uncovered for 5–8 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the mixture thick enough to sit on the muffin without running off.
6. Assemble.
Put approximately 1/3 cup of meat mixture on each toasted muffin half. Spread it almost to the edges.
Sprinkle each with mozzarella. For the especially thick cheese layer shown in the photograph, use roughly 2–3 tablespoons per muffin half.
Add a little Parmesan and oregano if desired.
7. Melt and brown the cheese.
Return the tray to the oven and bake for approximately 5–7 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
For the browned spots shown in your picture, switch to broil/high for about 1–2 minutes. Watch continuously—the cheese can go from golden to burnt very quickly.
8. Rest and serve.
Let them sit for 2–3 minutes, then garnish with fresh basil or parsley.
Nutrition estimate
The following is an estimate for 1 pizza half, assuming 8 halves, 85% lean beef, regular English muffins, approximately 1 1/4 cups mozzarella, and the sauce quantities above.
Nutrient Approx. per half
Calories 350–380 kcal
Protein 22–25 g
Total fat 19–21 g
Saturated fat 8–10 g
Carbohydrates 27–30 g
Fiber 2–3 g
Total sugars 5–7 g
Added sugars 2–4 g
Cholesterol 65–75 mg
Sodium 650–850 mg
Calcium 250–330 mg
Iron 3–4 mg
Potassium 350–450 mg
Actual numbers can vary considerably depending on the English muffin, beef percentage, cheese, and sauce brand. For comparison, a published open-faced pizza-burger recipe using English muffins, lean beef, marinara and mozzarella lists 694 calories for a serving of two muffin halves, while another English-muffin pizza recipe is substantially lighter.
If you eat 2 halves
Approximately:
700–760 calories
44–50 g protein
38–42 g fat
54–60 g carbohydrates
4–6 g fiber
1,300–1,700 mg sodium
Nuts & allergen information
Nuts
No nuts are required in this recipe.
Peanuts: No
Tree nuts: No
Almonds: No
Cashews: No
Walnuts: No
Pecans: No
Pistachios: No
Hazelnuts: No
However, if this is for someone with a serious nut allergy, check the labels on the English muffins, cheese, pizza sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings for facility/“may contain” statements. The published open-faced pizza-burger version is also specifically listed as peanut-free and tree-nut-free.
Other potential allergens
Milk: Yes — mozzarella and Parmesan.
Wheat/gluten: Usually yes — English muffins.
Soy: May be present depending on the bread, cheese, or Worcestershire/sauce brands.
Egg: Usually not inherently required, but check the English-muffin label.
Fish: Some Worcestershire sauces contain anchovies.
Pork: Not required.
Alcohol: Not required, though check Worcestershire/sauce ingredients if this is important.
To make it nut-free
Use products explicitly labeled nut-free if you’re cooking for someone with a severe allergy, and avoid cross-contact from shared cutting boards, knives, baking sheets, or utensils.
To make it gluten-free
Use gluten-free English muffins and verify that the Worcestershire sauce, pizza sauce, and seasonings are gluten-free.
To make it vegetarian
Replace the beef with a plant-based ground-meat substitute or cooked lentils/mushrooms. Ground meat can also be replaced with tofu or lentils in Sloppy Joe preparations.
For the exact look in your photo
For those very thick, heavily loaded pizzas, I’d use:
1/3–1/2 cup meat mixture per muffin half
3 tbsp mozzarella per half
A little Parmesan
Toast muffins before adding the meat
Bake at 400°F
Finish under the broiler for 1–2 minutes
The key is making the meat mixture thick rather than watery. That lets you pile it high without soaking the English muffin.
Best cheese: low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella.
For more flavor: mix mozzarella with a little sharp cheddar.
For extra browning: add a tablespoon or two of Parmesan.
For heat: add crushed red pepper or diced pickled jalapeños.
With years of experience in restaurant research and local SEO, Sara creates accurate, user-friendly guides that work for both people and search engines. Her goal is to help users go from search results to their nearest restaurant or menu choice with as few clicks as possible.
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