TGIF!
In addition to being excited that it’s Friday (and Valentine’s Day!) I’m also jazzed that warmer weather is on the way. We’re only talking 35 degrees here, give or take a few degrees, but up until this week we haven’t been above freezing since January. Wretched. However, like a friend recently mused on Facebook – what the hell would we talk about if the weather was just average? Seriously, like…what? The Olympics? For some reason I just can’t get into them this year. Oh, except #sochiproblems. Kills me!
Aaanyway, I’ve got an extremely difficult recipe for you today. Brace yourselves for lots of measuring, dishes, ingredients…NOT. The recipe for Mini Pizza Quinoa Bites is so easy that an infant could make it. Or try anyway. Lincoln kept lunging at the bowl as I was making these irresistible bites. Honestly I can’t blame him – they’re insane!
Toss some pizza-themed ingredients in bowl, scoop the mixture into mini muffin tins, and then bake. Oh, then reap the CHEESY PIZZA REWARDS. I am so obsessed with these bites!
Mini Pizza Quinoa Bites are a riff on a couple of my favorite quinoa cups recipes, Mini Ham and Cheese Quinoa Cups and Mini BLT Quinoa Cups. As delicious as those are, though, I think the pizza version is my absolutely favorite. All the fabulous pizza flavor, but lighter since we’re ditching the crust.
As I mentioned a few weeks ago, Friday night is pizza night in my house. Last Friday Ben was out of town so I took the opportunity to go a little crazy with my order. I ended up with a BBQ sauce pizza with chicken, bacon, black olives, tomatoes, and banana peppers. I know. The freedom clearly went to my head.
I reigned it in with these pizza bites and filled ’em with classic toppings like chopped pepperoni and sliced black olives, but you could fill yours with whatever you like – peppers, cooked sausage, onions, etc. I’m thinking Hawaiian Pizza Bites would be awesome (that’s Ben’s favorite!) Serve with warmed pizza sauce and you’re golden.
Change up pizza night tonight!
Like I said, step one:Â throw some stuff in a bowl.
You’ll need 2 cups cooked quinoa (about 1/2 cup dry quinoa) that’s been slightly cooled or chilled – aka you can make it ahead of time. Make sure you rinse the quinoa under cold running water before cooking to remove the bitter substance it’s coated in. 2 whole eggs PLUS 2 egg whites join the party, along with 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, and 2 cups pizza toppings.
Mix!
Spoon the mixture to the top of 24 mini muffin tin cups that have been sprayed VERY well with nonstick spray. The cheese in the mixture WILL stick if you don’t spray it well. Sorry for all the CAPS but this is IMPORTANT. Yikes.
Place the muffin tin on top of a foil-lined baking sheet then bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees, or until golden brown. Let the bites cool for 5 minutes before popping them out of the cups.
Serve with warm pizza sauce then pop away!
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Mini Pizza Quinoa Bites
Description
Change up pizza night with poppable, gluten-free Mini Pizza Quinoa Bites!
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked quinoa, cooled slightly or chilled (about 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa - be sure to rinse well before cooking)
- 2 whole eggs
- 2 egg whites
- 2 cups chopped pizza toppings (pepperoni, black olives, pineapple, ham, onions, sausage, peppers, etc.)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Pizza sauce, for dipping
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, line a baking sheet with foil, then spray a 24-cup mini muffin tin VERY well with nonstick spray and set aside.
- Add all ingredients except pizza sauce to a large bowl then stir to combine. Fill mini muffin tin cups to the top with the mixture then place on prepared baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from cups. Serve with warmed pizza sauce.
- To freeze:Â Place baked cups on a baking sheet then freeze until solid and transfer to a freezer bag. Microwave for 20-40 seconds depending on how many you're reheating.
- For regular-sized muffin tins:Â Bake for 25-30 minutes (Note: I have not tried this myself, although several readers have left comments saying this works!)
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Seriously, seriously so yummy. I can’t wait for you to try these. If you’ve got kids, I bet they’d love these special treats for Valentine’s Day dinner! Enjoy!
Also check out my Mini Ham & Cheese Quinoa Cups, and Mini BLT Quinoa Cups!
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Angie Jozefowicz 07.11.2014
I’ve been gluten free for 6 days now and made these tonight for dinner. Delicious! My 18-year old son and I both loved them!!! Quinoa is new to us, but I’m definitely going to try some of your other variations. Thank you for the wonderful pictures on your posts and your easy to follow instructions! :)
Marnie 06.10.2014
Why do people make comments without actually trying the recipe? Try it then, let us know how it turned out.
I made the receipt with rice, delicious
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AmberLynn Pappas 04.09.2014
Made these Monday night for the game with a variety of other finger foods. They were a huge hit! We did spinach, roasted red peppers, onions, and sun dried tomatoes as our ingredients. They took a little longer to bake, probably due to the moisture of our ingredients, but were fabulous! Thank you!
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nyatt 03.12.2014
I doubled the batch and pressed them into a baking sheet and baked 30 minutes. After they were done I cut them into bars and froze! It worked great and easier to clean then all the muffin tins. Yum!
Bethany 03.10.2014
I was wondering if you had a pizza sauce recipe that you recommended. I’ve tried just using marinara sauce, but it just isn’t the same! I have a feeling it’s the process of cooking the sauce WITH the crust that gives it the yumminess that I’m looking for, sadly – just wondering if you have any ideas!
(When I order pizza, I always ask for extra, EXTRA sauce because ordering more sauce on the side is NEVER the same – that’s how I came up with the idea that it’s the cooking process that makes pizza sauce taste so good)
Kristin 03.11.2014
I used Ginos pizza sauce, if you’re local!
Kim 03.05.2014
I made theses a few nights ago. Had to sub dairy free cheese and cut the amount in half. Realized after I had baked them that I forgot to put the eggs in. Oops! They didn’t stay together so I just dumped it all into a container. My husband raved the next night about how delicious this was. It’s on the menu again this week as quinoa pizza. Thanks for the genius idea!
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I could use a plate of these right about now! These look amazing! Can’t wait to try them!
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Patricia 02.23.2014
This would be a perfect way to crave my pizza craving! I am in the midst of trying to shed my final 15lbs! So what a great option!! Just might add jalapeños for a kick!! Thank you for a healthier and better option!!
sherri mclean 02.23.2014
I had these tonight. My 17 year old son and husband absolutely LOVED them…. this will be a repeat recipe…
CJ Huang 02.23.2014
Just wanted to let you know These quinoa bites are featured on Five Friday Finds!