Name: Mini Quinoa Pizza Bites
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 9
Ingredients: 3 cups Cooked Quinoa; 1 ½ cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese; 1 cup Chopped Sweet Onion; 1 cup Chopped Pepperoni; ¾ cup Chopped Fresh Spinach; ¼ cup Chopped Fresh Basil; 2 tsp Minced Garlic; 1 tsp Dried Oregano; 1 tsp Paprika; ½ tsp Seasoned Salt; Homemade Pizza Sauce for dipping

Here we are, mid-August and school is about to start. Well, school online, at home, but still, routines must be established again. We have gotten a bit lazy since March. The school day with be starting at 7:25 a.m. and I am not going to lie – this is going to hurt.

It may be difficult to get a good breakfast in before the start of the day, but I hope to have some healthy easy lunch options for the girls to grab. I will be wearing the hat, or hair net, of the school lunch lady.

My kids have out grown sandwiches, sadly, so I hope to keep some little things on hand that can be heated up and eaten fairly quickly.

One of these options is Mini Quinoa Pizza Bites. With a little work ahead of time, you can have delicious little morsels that reheat brilliantly.

Quinoa is a great little grain that packs an extra protein punch. You can cook the quinoa ahead of time, which will make the process even faster. If you have never cooked quinoa before, it is a very similar process to cooking rice. But do not forget to rinse the quinoa before cooking it. This removes a coating of saponin, which can make the quinoa taste bitter or soapy.

Add some healthy spinach, along with some onion, garlic, pepperoni, cheese, some spices and some egg to bind it all together. Mix it well, then press the mixture into mini muffin pans and bake.

This recipe makes about 36 mini bites, which provides about 9 servings. You can serve them along side a green salad or fresh fruit, or maybe some cut fresh veggies.

The best part of these little quinoa pizza bites is some homemade pizza sauce to dip them in. You can find the recipe for my homemade sauce here.

To reheat them, you can pop them in the oven again for 8 minutes or until heated through, or reheat them in the microwave. We also like to reheat our sauce, but that is completely up to you.

If you are in the same boat we are and you are looking for healthy lunch options, give these quinoa bites a try. I would love to hear your plans for school lunches, too. Lunch Ladies, Unite!!

AuthorMelissa JoyDifficultyBeginner

Yields9 Servings

Prep Time30 minsCook Time15 minsTotal Time45 mins

3 cups Cooked Quinoa

1 ½ cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1 cup Chopped Sweet Onion

1 cup Chopped Pepperoni

¾ cup Chopped Fresh Spinach

¼ cup Chopped Fresh Basil

2 tsp Minced Garlic

1 tsp Dried Oregano

1 tsp Paprika

½ tsp Seasoned Salt

Homemade Pizza Sauce for dipping

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray the cups of a mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Cook the quinoa according to the package and place in a large bowl.

Chop the onion, spinach, and basil, mince the garlic and place it all in the bowl, along with the cooked quinoa.

Add the pepperoni and spices to the bowl, along with the eggs and cheese and mix well.

Using a tablespoon, fill each cup in the muffin pan and press firmly.

Place the pan in the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the edges are beginning to brown. Repeat until all of the filling is used.

Use a plastic knife to help ease the bites out of the pan and place them on a platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm until all the bites are baked.

Serve warm with homemade pizza sauce.

Ingredients