What do you get when a grilled cheese and a pepperoni pizza have a baby? A PIZZA MELT! (Sorry for yelling, I’m excited.) I used to eat these as an after-school snack when I was growing up because they’re super easy and who doesn’t want pizza? But now, decades later, I took this pizza-inspired sandwich to the next level by adding an herby-Parmesan butter to the bread which creates an extra crispy finish. It’s to die for and way better than the pizza melts of my teen years. You’ve got to try it!
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What Kind of Bread To Use for Pizza Melts
You definitely want to use some sort of sturdy bread for your pizza melt. If you try to use a soft white sandwich bread it just won’t hold up to the moisture in the pizza sauce. I used a sourdough loaf, which gave my pizza melts even more flavor. Something like a rosemary olive oil bread or some homemade focaccia would also be amazing. Just make sure the bread is strong!
What Else Can You Put on a Pizza Melt?
A pizza melt, even in its most basic form (pizza sauce, cheese, pepperoni), is awesome, but if you happen to have some leftover ingredients on hand and you want to throw them on there, go for it! Here are a few ideas:
- Diced bell pepper
- Olives
- Red onion
- Bacon bits
- Ham
- Spinach
- Mushrooms
- Feta cheese
- Banana peppers
- Sun dried tomatoes
I would caution against using any ingredient that is very wet, like fresh tomatoes or canned artichoke hearts, since this can make the bread soggy.
Use Medium-Low Heat for the Perfect Grilled Cheese
Making a grilled cheese with a perfectly browned exterior and melty-cheesy interior can take a little practice. My trick is to cook over a slightly lower heat. This gives the inside time to warm up before the outside gets too brown or burns. It might take a little more patience, but you’ll get the most perfectly delicious grilled cheese. …or pizza melt. :)
Pizza Melt
Servings 1Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp butter, room temperature ($0.11)
- 1 Tbsp grated Parmesan ($0.11)
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning ($0.05)
- 2 slices hearty bread ($0.44)
- 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella ($0.19)
- 1 Tbsp pizza sauce ($0.06)
- 6 slices pepperoni ($0.15)
Instructions
- Stir together the room temperature butter, grated parmesan, and Italian seasoning in a small bowl until evenly combined. Spread the Parmesan butter over one side of each slice of bread.
- Flip the bread over so the un-buttered side is facing up. Place half of the shredded mozzarella on one slice of bread. Next, add small dollops of the sauce over top of the cheese, followed by the sliced pepperoni. Finally, add the remaining cheese. Place the second slice of bread on top to close the sandwich, butter side facing out.
- Place the sandwich in a skillet and cook over medium-low heat until golden brown on each side and the cheese is melted on the inside. Cut the sandwich in half and serve!
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Equipment
- Nonstick Fry Pans
Nutrition
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How to Make a Pizza Melt – Step by Step Photos
Combine 1 Tbsp room temperature butter with 1 Tbsp grated Parmesan, and ½ tsp Italian seasoning. Mix them together until they form a paste.
Spread the Parmesan butter over one side each slice of bread.
Flip the bread over so the un-buttered side is facing up, then top one slice with ½ of the ⅓ cup shredded mozzarella. Add about 1 Tbsp pizza sauce in small dollops over the cheese (that helps make a barrier so the sauce doesn’t soak into the bread and make it too soggy).
Next add about six slices of pepperoni, and then top with the remaining shredded mozzarella. Place the second slice of bread on top, buttered side facing out.
Cook the pizza melt in a skillet over medium-low heat until it’s golden brown and crispy on both sides and the cheese inside is melted.
Cut the pizza melt in half and enjoy!
It is so badly made
I often make “croque monsieur” with salad on week nights when I’m short in time. So I’ll try this. It will probably be good as are all the recipes I’ve found on this site. Merci Beth!
Two suggestions – add some garlic or onion powder to the butter mixture, and put the pizza sauce in a squeeze bottle.
Simple to make, and is a nice snack/small meal! Instead of cooking it on the stove, I used my panini press until the cheese melted.
An easy way to satisfy your/your kiddos’ pizza cravings, esp when short on time. Tip: to make this type of sandwich a little less messy, I assemble the sandwiches, then butter one side of the bread, put it into the skillet, then butter the other side. Makes for easier clean-up of your work surface.
Delicious and pares wonderfully with the Summer Gazpacho. I didn’t have pizza sauce so I substituted vodka sauce and that was just delightful.
I love your recipes!!! Will try this tomorrow. My favorites of yours among many are Cheeseburger meatloaf and red enchilada sauce.
Simple and very good. Next time I’ll try using olive oil in place of butter because pizza. Also, I used some very flimsy bread slices (all I had) but it still turned out crispy not soggy.
I tried it with olive oil in place of butter and I think the best would be a half oil half butter, so that you get the olive oil flavor, but not too much of it and also the relatively softer butter crust. All butter is not bad but got me confused…it’s just a flavor that doesn’t belong on pizza.
Great!! Another recipe for the rotation!
These look amazing, I can not wait to try them!! What do you think would be a good side?
I’d probably just do a simple side salad so you can get some veggies in there. :)
Perfect for a cup of chamomile tea :)
sounds similar to the pizza pudgie pies we make when camping. This weekend we made ours with leftover spinach pesto, plus the usual sliced provolone and pepperoni. Even better, then pizza sauce!
Made this for lunch for myself and for my kids (young adult down to elementary age). Everyone loved it! Some had theirs with pepperoni and others with just cheese and sauce.
I used sourdough sandwich bread from Walmart, and it worked well.
Definitely will make this one again!
Absolutely delicious and easy to prepare & clean up! I made this today as a quick lunch and it’s a keeper. I will add it to my rotation of fast, budget-friendly meals. Thank you!
This takes a grilled cheese to a whole new level! What a delicious idea – can’t wait to give this a try!
We used to make something very similar all the time growing up! You’re right about the white bread not really holding up, it’s all we used and i def remember some soggy fingers. but still delish! i’m excited to try this grown up version.
I haven’t tried this recipe yet but my bf loves pizza and when I showed him this, he responded, “Oh, yea!” So, needless to say, this is on my list to try soon. I’ll follow up with a review. Love these recipes, Beth!
Looks delicious! I’ve done something similar by mixing all the ingredients (sauce, italian seasoning,shredded mozzarella, diced peppers, pepperoni, etc.) in a bowl. Then I butter the outside of my bread, put it on parchment paper, spread a small amount of filling on top, & top with another slice of buttered bread. I used to cook these pizza pockets in a sandwich maker but now use a foreman grill. I set two sandwiches atop parchment paper & cover the tops with parchment & grill. If some filling leaks out the paper saves a mess.