French-Bread Pizza Sub

This recipe was inspired, of course, by the original Poor Man's Pizza™ from Hot Truck in Ithaca, New York. Hot Truck uses a proprietary sauce, so I made sure to use my own version.

Bread:

Pick one of the following per serving:

  • 6" section of a loaf of French bread
  • 6" section of a loaf of Italian bread
  • 1 submarine/hoagie/grinder/hero roll
  • a few large breadsticks (if you're in a wacky mood)

Crustier breads will give you crunchier subs. Softer breads will give you lighter, crispier subs. Your choice.
Tomato Sauce:

About 2-3 ounces of tomato sauce mixed with any of the following (to your taste):

  • garlic powder
  • onion powder
  • salt
  • black pepper
  • cayenne pepper
  • crushed red pepper
  • black pepper
  • Italian seasoning
  • oregano

I usually take a small 8-ounce can of tomato sauce and mix it with the herbs and spices in a small covered plastic container so I can put the rest right into the fridge. An 8-ounce can usually has enough sauce for 4 sandwiches, but your mileage may vary.
Toppings:

Pick any combination of your favorite:

  • pepperoni
  • sausage
  • broken-up meatballs
  • meat loaf
  • bacon
  • sliced ham
  • sliced turkey
  • roast beef
  • Philly steak
  • sliced Spam™
  • canned tuna
  • anchovies
  • diced onions
  • diced bell peppers
  • sliced hot peppers
  • mushroom pieces
  • small pieces of pineapple

Meats must be fully cooked before they can be used as toppings. Cooking the sandwich only heats things up a bit.

Need some good ideas for combinations of toppings? Check out what Hot Truck has for choices.
Cheese:

Shredded mozzarella cheese, as much or as little as you like. I use the bagged stuff, which saves time, effort and cleanup.
Extra Sauciness:

If you're the daring type (or have a death wish), try some of these:

  • garlic butter
  • mustard
  • sriracha chili sauce
  • cayenne pepper sauce
  • pesto
  • Dave's Insanity™ sauce
  • barbecue sauce

Remember, only put the hot and spicy stuff on if you know you can handle it.
Other Extras:

Completely optional items, these go on after the sandwich is cooked:

  • crushed potato chips (regular or flavored)
  • shredded lettuce
  • mayonnaise

Barbecue potato chips, believe it or not, add a wonderful extra tanginess and crunchiness to the sandwich.

OK, now here comes the fun part.

Preheat your oven or toaster oven (NO MICROWAVES!) to a temperature between 450°F and 500°F, depending on how toasty and dark you like your bread to be.

Flatten your bread a bit. If the bread is not already sliced, butterfly it (cutt lengthwise and leave a "hinge" on one of the long edges) and open it up. Put it on an ungreased cookie sheet or shallow metal pan, cut side up. Press down on the bread so that it stays open on the pan.

If you like garlic butter, melt some and spread it on the bread as you would for garlic bread.

Spread tomato sauce on bread as desired.

Place toppings and cheese on bread in whatever order you like, with a layer of cheese on top of everything.

If you're in an extra saucy mood, put your extra sauciness on top of the cheese.

Cook the sandwich(es) in your oven until the bread gets toasted and the cheese browns a bit. This could take anywhere from 3 to 10 minutes. But don't overcook. If you have a lot of toppings, feel free to take the pan out from time to time and mash the toppings and cheese down a bit with a fork.

When the cooking is done, take the pan out. If you opted for any other extras, put them on now. Use a spatula or other utensil to fold the sandwich(es) closed.

Be careful! Contents may be hot. Enjoy!