Rectangle School Pizza

close up overhead shot of a pan full of pizza

The hot lunch menu just got even better with this rectangle school pizza recipe that tastes just as delicious as you remember it.

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Table of Contents

Rectangle School Pizza Ingredients
Substitutions And Additions
How To Make This Rectangle School Pizza Recipe
How To Serve
Storage
Frequently Asked Questions
More Recipes You’ll Love
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This rectangle school pizza transports you right back to the school cafeteria on pizza day. The thin crust, tomato sauce, meaty toppings, and rectangular slices will take you down memory lane with their easily recognizable flavor.

Rectangle School Pizza Ingredients

Rectangle School Pizza raw ingredients that are labeled

You’ll need:

For The Pizza Crust:

4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, divided in half
2 tablespoons of yellow cornmeal
2¾ cups of all-purpose flour
¾ cup of instant nonfat dry milk powder
2 teaspoons of salt
2½ tablespoons of granulated sugar
1 (0.25-ounce) packet of rapid-rise yeast (2½ teaspoons), also known as instant yeast
1⅔ to 2 cups of warm (105°F) water

PRO TIP:

Instant nonfat dry milk powder is used for this recipe because it adds richness, and tenderness, to the pizza crust without adding additional liquid to the recipe. The milk also helps with the browning of the crust.

The crust for this recipe is meant to be soft and tender, not chewy like a traditional pizza.

The instant nonfat dry milk powder is shelf-stable so bakers can keep it as a pantry staple when they want to make tender loaves of white sandwich bread, chewy cookies, or this pourable pizza crust

For The Topping:

½ pound of lean ground beef
½ pound of mild Italian sausage
1¾ cups of pizza sauce
4 cups of freshly shredded mozzarella
1 teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning

Substitutions And Additions

TOPPINGS: You can substitute or add pepperoni or any other favorite toppings you wish on this old-school pizza.

MEAT: You can omit the meat topping and make it a cheese pizza if you prefer.

CHEESE: You can use a bag of pre-shredded mozzarella instead of freshly shredded to save time.

MILK: Skim milk powder can be substituted for nonfat dry milk in the pizza crust recipe.

FLOUR: We recommend that you use unbleached all-purpose flour. Bleached flours tend to be softer and don’t always perform consistently.

We love the King Arthur brand if you can get it or any brand name unbleached all-purpose flour. I also find that generic brands do not perform well either.

How To Make This Rectangle School Pizza Recipe

For The Pizza Crust

STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 475°F.

Coat the entire surface of an 18×13 rimmed baking sheet (also known as a half sheet tray) with 2 tablespoons of the extra virgin olive oil, then sprinkle the surface with the cornmeal to keep the crust from sticking to the tray once baked. Set aside.

olive oil and cornmeal sprinkled on a sheet tray

STEP TWO: In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, add the all-purpose flour, instant nonfat dry milk, salt, granulated sugar, quick-rise yeast, and the remaining 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.

OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS

If you do not have rapid rise (also known as instant) yeast, you can substitute it with a packet of active dry yeast instead.

This is a standard yeast that can easily be found at your local grocery store in the baking aisle.

You will not add the active dry yeast directly to your bowl of dry ingredients, instead, you will add it to your warm water along with the granulated sugar and allow it to sit for three to four minutes or until it gets foamy.

You will then proceed with the recipe at step three for the pizza crust.

dry ingredients and olive oil in a measuring cup

STEP THREE: With the mixer on low, slowly pour the warm water into your dry ingredients.

Start with the 1⅔ cups, then you may need to add a tablespoon at a time, but no more than the two cups, to get a pourable consistency to your dough.

My dough took a tablespoon or so more than the 1⅔ but did not take the entire two cups.

PRO TIP:

It’s really important to make sure your water is the right temperature (105°F) so that the yeast is activated.

STEP FOUR: Continue to mix on low for two to three minutes or until you have a smooth, pourable dough.

A few small lumps are fine. It should be the consistency of a thick pancake batter.

dough ingredients being blended in a blender

STEP FIVE: Pour the batter into the prepared rimmed baking sheet and gently spread the dough into an even layer that covers the entire surface of the baking sheet.

Allow the dough to rest in the pan for 10 minutes.

STEP SIX: Bake the pizza crust for 10 to 12 minutes, or just until it starts to get golden, on the lower rack of your oven.

STEP SEVEN: While your pizza crust is baking, you can prepare your toppings.

For The Topping

STEP ONE: In a large 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef and mild Italian sausage for seven to eight minutes or until no pink remains.

Be sure to break the meat up as it cooks. That way, it looks more like the topping on school pizzas.

ground beef and Italian sausage being cooked and browned in a skillet

STEP TWO: Transfer the cooked meats to a paper towel-lined plate and set it aside.

STEP THREE: Once the crust has baked for 10 to 12 minutes, remove it from the oven and evenly spread the pizza sauce over the top of the crust.

pizza sauce spread over the top of the pizza crust

PRO TIP:

To get that authentic look you remember so well from school, spread the sauce almost right to the edge of the crust.

STEP FOUR: Sprinkle two cups of the shredded mozzarella cheese over the sauce.

shredded mozzarella cheese sprinkled on top of the pizza sauce

STEP FIVE: Next, evenly sprinkle the cooked meat topping over the cheese.

cooked meat sprinkled on top of the shredded mozzarella cheese

STEP SIX: Top the meat with the remaining two cups of shredded mozzarella cheese.

shredded mozzarella cheese sprinkled on top of the cooked meat

STEP SEVEN: Sprinkle the dried Italian seasoning over the cheese.

STEP EIGHT: Return the pizza to the oven and bake, on the middle oven rack, for an additional 10 to 12 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Carefully slice the pizza into 12 rectangular pieces.

PRO TIP:

If you have really small children, you can slice the pizza into smaller squares to make it more manageable.

How To Serve

This old-school rectangle pizza will be a hit with the kids if you send it in their school lunches. Add chocolate milk to drink, and it will be just like the old days.

Don’t forget a couple of Snickerdoodle cookies for dessert, and those hungry tummies will be happy.

For more school lunch classics, check out our lunch lady brownies. For another nostalgic recipe, our orange Julius will take you right back to a hot summer day.

MORE PIZZA RECIPES

Casserole Ideas

Pizza Casserole

Beef Dinner Ideas

Upside Down Pizza

Storage

IN THE FRIDGE: Store any leftovers of this rectangle school lunch pizza recipe in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days.

IN THE FREEZER: You can freeze the pizza for up to two months.

Bake the crust as directed above, spread the sauce, and add the meat and cheese, but do not bake it. Allow it to rest and completely cool.

Cover with plastic wrap and then with aluminum foil.

When you are ready to bake, uncover the pizza and bake at 425°F until the topping is bubbly and slightly golden brown.

Slice into the rectangular shape slices and serve as directed above.

close up shot of a slice of Rectangle School Pizza on a plate

This school cafeteria pizza recipe tastes exactly the same as you remember it. A thin crisp crust, loaded with tomato sauce, meat toppings, and ooey-gooey melted cheese is the perfect lunch choice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I freeze this school pizza?

This public school rectangle pizza can be frozen either before or after baking. If you’d like to wait to bake it, you can assemble the pizza, cover it, and freeze it until you are ready to bake it.

Can I use different toppings on this pizza?

This cheesy pizza is entirely customizable. Add whichever toppings you like, and it will be a tasty lunch option.

How do I store leftovers of this homemade pizza?

Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for two days or in the freezer for up to two months.

More Recipes You’ll Love

Rectangle School Pizza

5 from 2 votes

The hot lunch menu just got even better with this rectangle school pizza recipe that tastes just as delicious as you remember it.

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 20

Total Time 1

Servings

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Review Recipe

Ingredients

Pizza Crust

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided in half
2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
2¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup instant nonfat dry milk powder
2 teaspoons salt
2½ tablespoons granulated sugar
0.25 ounce quick-rise yeast (2½ teaspoons), also known as instant yeast
1⅔-2 cups warm water (105°F)

Topping

½ pound lean ground beef
½ pound mild Italian sausage
1¾ cups pizza sauce
4 cups freshly shredded mozzarella
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

Instructions

Pizza Crust

Preheat the oven to 475°F. Coat the entire surface of an 18×13 rimmed baking sheet (also known as a half sheet tray) with 2 tablespoons of the extra virgin olive oil then sprinkle the surface with the cornmeal to keep the crust from sticking to the tray once baked. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, add the all-purpose flour, instant nonfat dry milk, salt, granulated sugar, quick-rise yeast and the remaining 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the warm water to your dry ingredients. Start with the 1⅔ cups, then you may need to add a tablespoon at a time, but no more than the 2 cups, to get a pourable consistency to your dough. My dough took a tablespoon or so more than the 1⅔ but did not take the entire 2 cups.
Continue to mix on low for 2 to 3 minutes or until you have a smooth, pourable dough. A few small lumps are fine. It should be the consistency of a thick pancake batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared rimmed baking sheet and gently spread the dough into an even layer that covers the entire surface of the baking sheet. Allow the dough to rest in the pan for 10 minutes.
Bake the pizza crust for 10 to 12 minutes, or just until starting to get golden, on the lower rack of your oven.
While your pizza crust is baking, you can prepare your toppings.

Topping

In a large 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef and mild Italian sausage for 7 to 8 minutes or until no pink remains. Be sure to break the meat up as it cooks. (That way it looks more like the topping on school pizzas)
Transfer the cooked meats to a paper towel-lined plate and set it aside.
Once the crust has baked for 10 to 12 minutes, remove from the oven and evenly spread the pizza sauce over the top of the crust.
Sprinkle 2 cups of the shredded mozzarella cheese over the sauce.
Next, evenly sprinkle the cooked meat topping over the cheese.
Top the meat with the remaining 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese.
Lastly, sprinkle the dried Italian seasoning over the cheese.
Return the pizza to the oven and bake, on the middle oven rack, for an additional 10 to 12 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Carefully slice the pizza into 12 rectangular pieces.

Video

Notes

It’s really important to make sure your water is the right temperature (105°F) so that the yeast is activated.
If you do not have rapid rise (also known as instant) yeast, you can substitute it with a packet of active dry yeast instead. This is a standard yeast that can easily be found at your local grocery store in the baking aisle. You will not add the active dry yeast directly to your bowl of dry ingredients, instead, you will add it to your warm water along with the granulated sugar and allow it to sit for 3 to 4 minutes or until it gets foamy. You will then proceed with the recipe at step 3 for the pizza crust.
Instant nonfat dry milk powder is used for this recipe because it adds richness, and tenderness, to the pizza crust without adding additional liquid to the recipe. The milk also helps with the browning of the crust. The crust for this recipe is meant to be soft and tender, not chewy like a traditional pizza. The instant nonfat dry milk powder is shelf-stable so bakers can keep it as a pantry staple when they want to make tender loaves of white sandwich bread, chewy cookies, or this pourable pizza crust.
To get that authentic look you remember so well from school, spread the sauce almost right to the edge of the crust.
If you have really small children, you can slice the pizza into smaller squares to make it more manageable.

Nutrition

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Proudly Prepared by the Spaceships Kitchen

This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

Stephanie Keeping Publisher
Layne Kangas Marketing
Rhadonda Sedgwick Creative Director
Lexus Monroe Editorial Assistant
Teresia Shrum Recipe Developer

Rectangle School Pizza

Rectangle School Pizza Ingredients

Substitutions And Additions

How To Make This Rectangle School Pizza Recipe

How To Serve

Pizza Casserole

Upside Down Pizza

Storage

Frequently Asked Questions

More Recipes You’ll Love