Mini Pizzas in No Time!

My best friend introduced me to these wonderful English Muffin Pizzas.  They are super easy to make on a night when you don't have much time or energy.  They are completely customizable and perfect for those days your kid brings some unexpected friends over!  I've added a few extra steps if you would like to make them taste a little better than basic kid food pizza - but they're great no matter what.  I also buy "light" versions of some of the ingredients to make it a little healthier.  This is one of those things I just make on the fly without a recipe - so feel free to tweak it to your liking.  Hope you enjoy!

English Muffin Pizzas
Makes 12

1 pkg 6 English muffins
1 jar (8-12oz) Pizza sauce
1 pkg shredded mozzarella cheese (you will not use the entire package)
1 pkg pepperoni (you will not use the entire package)
Optional: Other pizza toppings of your choice
Optional: Garlic salt or garlic powder and Italian seasoning

1.  Slice muffins and lay each slice face up on a baking sheet.  (I recommend to line it with parchment paper for easier clean up from the melted cheese.)  Optional:  Sprinkle seasonings on each muffin.  Place in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes to lightly toast the tops of the muffins.  (This helps prevent the sauce from making the muffins soggy.)
2.  Optional:  Place pepperonis in a single layer on either a broiler pan or crinkled foil on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 5 minutes to help heat and crisp them.
3.  To assemble pizzas, first spread about one tablespoon of sauce evenly on each muffin.  Place a small handful of cheese on top.  Then place 3-5 pepperonis and/or other toppings of your choosing.
4.  Cook in the  preheated 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes, until cheese is melted and the muffins are toasted.

Pizza-Pasta Bake

I was on my way home from work the other day, and realized my husband was gone for work and we had nothing prepared for dinner.  We generally keep our meat in the freezer so we didn't really have anything to make quickly.  I began brainstorming and remembered we had some pepperoni and always have most types of shredded cheese stocked in the freezer.  I checked when I got home and we also had pizza and pasta tomato sauces, but nothing to make a quick pizza on.  So I made up my own dish and made my pizza on pasta!  (I'm sure it's nothing new, but it was to me, and I didn't use a recipe - so this is my creation!)  I am going to put a combination of what I used and what I would recommend since I was using what was available in the freezer/pantry, but you could get larger amounts at the store.

Gretchen's Pizza-Pasta Bake 
Serves 8

1 pkg penne pasta (I used organic brown rice pasta - gluten-free!!)
2 1/2 c. tomato sauce (pizza or pasta sauce, I used a little of both)
2 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella (or other Italian) cheese (mine was a blend of provolone and mozzarella, and I also added some grated parmesan on top)
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp Italian seasoning (could substitute oregano and/or basil, but I recommend getting some Italian seasoning anyway if you don't have it already - I use it on everything!)
1/4 tbsp crushed red peppers flakes (optional, adds spice)

1.  Cook pasta al dente, according to package directions.
2.  Toss the drained pasta with the garlic, seasoning, and pepper.
3.  In a 9"x13" casserole dish (prepped with nonstick spray), layer 1/2 of the pasta mixture.  Then layer 1/2 of the sauce, followed by 1/2 of the cheese.  Create an entire layer of pepperoni (so they cover most of the cheese without overlapping) on top.  Repeat all four layers with the remaining ingredients.
4.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes.

Step 3

Step 2

Step 4

AMAZING Gluten-Free Pizza!!! :)

So I found some gluten-free bread mixes in my cupboard and thought I'd put them to use!  I'm a feta fanatic, so I decided on a spinach feta pizza.  It was fabulous!  I'm sure I'll be making it again and again!  I actually went ahead and made a pepperoni pizza as well - it was pretty average.  Pizza is the best thing to play around with - it's hard to go wrong!  Feel free to experiment, but here's what I did (adapted from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/spinach-feta-pizza/detail.aspx, which includes a regular dough recipe):


Spinach Feta Pizza

Dough:
1 pkg. Chebe gluten-free bread mix
2 eggs
4 tbsp milk
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional, but highly recommended!!)

Topping:

• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/8 tsp garlic salt
• 2 c. chopped fresh spinach
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 c. crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
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• 1. Mix dough ingredients as recommended on package.  Flatten with a rolling pin (I don't have one, so I improvised with a glass - it worked just fine).  It should form a 12" circle, about 1/8" thick.  Pinch the edges to create a small crust.
• 2.  Sprinkle garlic and garlic salt evenly on dough.  Spread the mozzarella, then spinach, then onions.  Top with the feta and finish with basil.
• 3.  Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 25 minutes, until crust is golden.  
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