To the holdout: The last (wo)man standing. The fierce individualist who leaves the jury hung. I know you’re out there, perplexing your mama as she tries to upgrade your menu to healthier options, chanting “donuts!” all the way to Whole Foods.
Let’s make a deal: If it looks and tastes (mostly) like your favorite food we don’t have to talk about what’s IN it, okay?? Okay! Now then, cover your ears while your mama and I have a little chat.
Pssst! Can you hear me? Okay, good. If you’re trying to find a way to get more veggies into your kids tummy give this a try. I’ve been making this gluten free mini pizza recipe for the kids for years and they LOVE them.
Grain-Free Mini Pizzas
Calories 0kcal
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash (preferably with a long neck)
- homemade pizza sauce (recipe below or pre-made marinara sauce)
- mozzarella or cheddar cheese (mozzarella is what creates the golden brown flecks we're used to)
- pepperoni (optional topping)
- pineapple (optional topping)
- mushrooms (optional topping)
- basil (optional topping)
Homemade Pizza Sauce
- 6-7 oz tomato paste (this brand comes in glass jars)
- 2 tbsp cup olive oil
- 2 tsp homemade Italian seasoning (or more to taste)
- ½ tsp raw honey (or maple syrup)
- sea salt (to taste)
- black pepper (to taste)
- water (as needed to reach desired consistency)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Using a carrot peeler or paring knife, peel the squash
- Starting at the top near the crook, cut into 1/4 inch rounds
- Grate cheese and prepare any other toppings you plan to use.
- Place squash rounds on two baking sheets and place in the oven. Bake for 12-15 minutes, then flip and bake for 10 more. Exactly how long they take to cook will depend on how thin/thick they are, but you'll know they're ready when you stick a fork in the center and it is tender.
- Remove rounds from oven and spoon a little marinara and cheese over each, plus any toppings you want to add.
- Set oven on broil and place mini-pizzas inside. Heat until cheese is just turning brown - about 5-7 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 0kcal | Carbohydrates: 0g | Protein: 0g | Fat: 0g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 0mg | Potassium: 0mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 0g | Vitamin A: 0IU | Vitamin C: 0mg | Calcium: 0mg | Iron: 0mg
That is a GENIUS recipe!!!
WONDERFUL!
I tried this, and found it difficult to fry in batches in my cast iron skillet. So instead, I tried baking the squash at 350, then placing under broiler for 1-2 minutes on each side, then adding toppings and broiling another 1-2 minutes. That was much a much easier process for me, as a larger batch was finished at the same time. I think I overcooked because it wasn’t firm.
My kids will eat anything, so I’m not sure I’ll keep selling it as “pizza”. BUT, I thought it would be really, really yummy with a fried egg on top as sort of a modified eggs benedict.
I used the tomato sauce recipe from Dr. Cindy’s blog (probably last year). I thawed some I had previously made in bulk. This recipe is my FAVE! I have never been much of a tomato sauce fan until I found that easy, yummy recipe.
How rude of me! I really hate when people mention their *favorite* recipe, then make me search for it! Here it is (with my modifications in parenthesis):
Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce
3 pounds Romanita tomatoes or equal parts Roma and Cherry, cut in half (I personally don’t care what variety….about 10 regular size tomatoes)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
12 cloves garlic, peeled
2 Tablespoons fresh oregano or basil leaves (I have tried both way….love them both equally)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 400. On a cookie tray or roasting pan (I use a 9×13 Pyrex), combine the tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, basil or oregano, salt and pepper. Roast until the tomatoes begin to caramelize, about 30 to 45 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
Place tomatoes in blender (I use an immersion blender in a 4 cup pyrex measuring cup to avoid plastic if it is hot. Don’t use standard size FP because too much liquid). Blend to desired consistency. If the sauce seems too thick, add a bit of water or chicken broth to achieve the desired consistency. If sauce is too thin, reduce it over medium heat on stove top.
tried these today.. AWESOME!! thank you!
Made these tonight! I fried them in the cast iron for a bit then put them in the oven with all the toppings. They came out sooooo good! I am in love with this recipe. Also, an easy pizza sauce recipe is a can of tomato paste, some water (maybe 1-1 ratio) basil, oregano, garlic and onion powder and salt and pepper all mixed together in a bowl. It tastes just like a cooked sauce but there is no cooking involved. I think I got that recipe from Mark’s Daily Apple. 🙂 Thanks, again!!!
Where do u buy pepperonis that don’t have all th nasty ingredients in them??
I haven’t had any luck finding any recently, so I’ve been using an organic salame made by a company called Gusto. 🙂
Thank you for this recipe! Made it tonight and I’m in love!!
How soft is the squash afterward? I’m just wondering if I could make them ahead and reheat for lunches.