Pepperoni Pizza Burgers

This is definitely a meal you will love (kids included). It pleases your craving for a burger and for pizza at the same time. This is a crowd pleaser...serves 8.

Pepperoni Pizza Burgers
For the Meat:
2 lbs hamburger meat (I used 85/15)
4 oz pepperoni slices, chopped small
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbs dried Italian herbs

For Assembling:
1 box Texas Toast garlic bread
1 jar Classico Spicy Tomato spaghetti sauce
8 slices Provolone or Mozzarella cheese
2 Tbs Parmesan cheese
1 Tbs olive oil

1. Preheat oven and bake Texas Toast garlic bread according to box, flipping once during baking. Set aside.
2. Combine all ingredients for the meat and mix well. Divide meat mixture into 8 portions. Shape meat into patties about 3/4 inch thick. Heat a large oven-proof skillet over medium high heat.
3. Pour 1 Tbs olive oil into the hot skillet and brown the pepperoni burgers 3 minutes per side, 4 at a time. When you're done with the first 4, place on a cookie sheet and set aside. Turn the oven down to 300. Brown the remaining 4 pepperoni burgers 3 minutes a side. Place those 4 burgers on the cookie sheet and bake 8 minutes.
4. Take the meat out of the oven. Turn the broiler on. Place a slice of Texas toast garlic bread under each burger. Divide the entire jar of sauce over the pepperoni burgers completely covering each burger. Place a slice of cheese over each burger and then sprinkle them the Parmesan cheese.
5. Place them under the broiler for 2 minutes until cheese is bubbly.

Feel free to use leaner beef or ground turkey, turkey pepperoni and/or lite Texas toast garlic bread to lighten the meal up a bit. You could also saute some mushrooms and onions and top the burgers first with the veggie mixture after cooking and then top with the cheese.