We’re almost at the end of our first quarter of school. I can’t believe it! Keanna is a quarter of the way through second grade and the boys are a quarter of the way through their first year of preschool! That’s thirty-eight days of packing school lunches.
I recently decided to mix it up a bit by adding English muffin pizzas to the menu. Just like the pb&j, grilled cheese, bean and cheese burritos, and quesadillas, you can make a big batch and freeze them for grab-and-go lunches!
One great thing about little pizzas is that you can customize them according to each family member’s preference. Keanna likes pepperoni. Lukas and Koda, when they decide they like pizza, prefer cheese. Robbie is pretty easy to please but really likes bacon and pineapple on his pizza.
Before assembling the pizzas, I like to toast the English muffins on medium-low. Not only does this give them a little extra crispiness, but it also helps keep them from getting soggy in the sauce. I usually use whole wheat muffins. WinCo was out of them this particular time, so I went with white.
 |
| I set my toaster oven on 3 out of 9. |
I stick with traditional American pizza combinations (red sauce, mozzarella, toppings), but feel free to branch out. I’m sure Kimiko’s BBQ chicken pizza would work well too.
English Muffin Pizzas
English muffins
Pizza sauce
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Toppings (pepperoni, olives, bell peppers, sausage, bacon, onions, pineapple…)
Preheat oven to 400°. Split English muffins with fork. Lightly toast. Transfer to stone, crisper pan, or baking sheet. Spread sauce over muffins; sprinkle with cheese.
Add desired toppings. Bake until cheese is melted, about 8-12 minutes. Baking time will vary depending on type of pan and amount of cheese and toppings. If freezing, completely cool pizzas on rack. Return to English muffin sleeve or store in gallon zip-top bag; store in freezer. Place pizzas in microwavable container to pack in school lunches.
Add desired toppings. Bake until cheese is melted, about 8-12 minutes. Baking time will vary depending on type of pan and amount of cheese and toppings. If freezing, completely cool pizzas on rack. Return to English muffin sleeve or store in gallon zip-top bag; store in freezer. Place pizzas in microwavable container to pack in school lunches.
1 comment:
What a fabulous idea! Since we homeschool, we could reheat these in the oven for an even crispier pizza. My kiddos would love these, and what an easy lunch. Just have to see if I have any extra freezer space after this amazing harvest year...
I don't know if you have a bakery outlet store near you, but I buy whole wheat English muffins for 5 packages for $5 at the Franz bakery outlet and freeze them. I will have to buy extras next time for pizzas.
I usually make homemade pizza crust, but Raley's had a coupon last week for their bakery French bread for $1 with no limit, so I stocked up and ended up using one, cut in half lengthwise, for a quick pizza. Guess what, the hubster says he likes it better than homemade crust... can you believe that? That means, I have been wasting my time rolling out pizza dough for the past 15 years, and I will probably NEVER make homemade pizza crust again, especially since I can buy French bread for so little at the Franz outlet. And if he loves French bread pizza, he's sure to love those little English muffin pizzas, too. Hurray! I'm off the hook! Thanks, Sumiko, for yet another handy idea.
Post a Comment