Easy One-Bite Pizzas with Loaded Pizza Sauce

I’m the type of person who racks my brain forever before I can think of anything decent to make my family and friends when we’re having a party or get together. Or better yet, I put off meal planning as long as possible until I find myself at the grocery store rushing around in a flurry, desperately throwing things into my cart. You’d think meal planning would come easy to me given how many hundreds of recipes I have made over the past few years, but unfortunately that’s rarely the case.

Plus, don’t people have expectations when you have a recipe blog? Bloggers, do you agree? Or maybe they don’t care and I stress about these made up things in my mind, which I like to do. It’s also possible that I’m just burnt out on the creative front by the time Friday evening rolls around and the thought of throwing a bag of chips on the table sounds very appealing.

Either way, I spent a long time thinking about what to make for my party this past weekend.

And you know what’s funny? These pizza bites weren’t on the menu. Nope. This was the product of my hungover creativity on Sunday morning. Go figure.

Have you ever made your own tortilla bowls? It’s such a fun technique that looks impressive but is really easy to do. I saw this idea on Pinterest last year and filed it away for the perfect time (note: a day late, but who’s counting). Basically, you can make all sizes of crispy tortilla bowls, depending on the mold used. For this one-bite pizza, I used a mini cupcake tin, but feel free to use regular-sized tins if need be. It might turn into a 3-bite pizza though! You can also make big bowls and homemade taco shells, both of which I plan on trying out soon. My mind is just spinning with ideas and thankfully no longer spinning from the tequila shots on Saturday night.

I used a cookie cutter to make circles (I got 8 circles per tortilla) and then I pushed one circle into each cupcake mold. No need to grease the tin- they pop right out after toasting. I toasted them for 12 minutes at 375F and they were perfectly crisp and golden! If you want to use a regular-sized cupcake tin, just cut the tortillas into quarters.

While those were baking, I got to work on my pizza sauce. Initially, I was going to use store-bought pizza sauce, but then I decided to make a “loaded” pizza sauce which was much more fun than anything I could’ve found at the grocery store.

I loaded this pizza sauce with vegetables like red pepper, sweet onion, garlic, cremini mushrooms, and herbs like fresh basil, oregano, and thyme. It’s so good straight from the bowl!

For the base, I used a 14-oz/398 ml can of Eden Organic Crushed Tomatoes and a few tablespoons of tomato paste.

Once the sauce was made, I scooped a bit into each toasted cup. Followed by a sprinkle of Daiya cheese. One of my homemade cheeze sauces would also be nice!

Then, I broiled it on high for a couple minutes until it bubbled.

You know, it’s a good thing I didn’t make these for my party because it would’ve been really hard to share. In no time at all, we devoured almost the entire batch, save for a few that I left in the fridge for cold “leftover pizza”. Yes, it’s as good as it sounds.

Easy One-Bite Pizzas with Loaded Pizza Sauce

Vegan, nut-free, soy-free

★★★★★
5 from 1 reviews

Yield
24 one bite pizzas

Prep time
15 minutes

Cook time
20 minutes

Total time
35 minutes

I suggest serving these warm out of the oven, but you’ll be happy to know that the crispy tortilla bowls didn’t turn to mush after sitting for a couple hours in the fridge. They hold up very well and taste incredible straight from the fridge, cold, like leftover pizza! Have fun playing around with the toppings and mix-ins. Just like a regular pizza, it’s very versatile depending on what you have in your fridge. Feel free to use the loaded pizza sauce on a regular pizza too!

Ingredients

For the loaded pizza sauce

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup chopped sweet onion
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 cups chopped cremini mushrooms
• 1 cup chopped red pepper
• One (14-oz/400ml) can crushed tomatoes
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 20 grams or 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• salt & pepper, to taste (I used about 1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt + some herbamare)

For the one-bite pizzas

• large soft tortilla wraps (I used three 9-inch tortillas)
• About 1 1/2 cups loaded pizza sauce or store-bought
• Daiya cheese or homemade cheeze sauce

Directions

1. For the tortilla bowls: Preheat the oven to 375F and grab a mini cupcake tin or a regular sized tin. No need to grease it as they will pop right out.
2. With a cookie cutter (or even kitchen sheers), cut 2.5-inch circles out of the wraps and push into the mini cupcake molds. Repeat for the rest & save the scraps for later.
3. Toast at 375F for 10-12 minutes, watching very closely. They should be golden and crisp, but not too brown. If using regular-sized cupcake tins, cut your tortilla into quarters and push one into each mold. Cooking time may vary if using larger cupcake tins.
4. For the sauce (skip if using store-bought): In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Now add in the chopped onion and garlic, and sauté for a few minutes, reducing heat if necessary.
5. Add in the chopped mushrooms and red pepper and sauté for another 8-10 minutes over medium heat.
6. Now stir in the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste, along with the basil, oregano, and thyme. Reduce the sauce and simmer for about 10 minutes until thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. To assemble: Preheat your oven to the highest broil setting. Add a couple teaspoons of pizza sauce into the center of each bowl. Sprinkle with cheeze and place into the oven to broil on high for 1-2 minutes, or until the cheeze bubbles a bit. Watch very closely or it will burn. Serve warm!

If you make the mini bites you will have leftover scraps of tortilla. I have a fun way that you can use them up:

Rip the scraps up into small pieces and place into a bowl. Stir in 2 tbsp of maple syrup, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, and a pinch of nutmeg. Bake on a lined sheet at 350F for 8-10 minutes, stirring once halfway through.

You’ll be left with sweet chips that taste just like Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. Oh yeah!