Bite-Size Veggie Pizza Poppers: A Surefire Kid Hit!
If you’re a parent, chances are you’re: Beyond busy, and always on the lookout for quick, easy, nutritious meals that little ones will love. Well, feast your eyes on our homemade pizza poppers! Kids are all about pizza and dipping things—and with our poppers, they get both. Even better, there are chopped veggies hidden inside these golden gems and you can have a dinner that didn’t come from a box on the table in less than 30 minutes. We’re so sure it will be a hit that we heartily advise keeping a couple balls of pizza dough in your freezer at all times.
Serve your homemade poppers with sliced fruit or raw veggies, sit down, relax, and enjoy!
VEGGIE PIZZA POPPERS
* Recipe adapted from The Kitchn
Yields: 24–36 poppers
Total time: 20–25 minutes (once dough is at room temp)
Ingredients
- 1 ball wheat or white pizza dough, store-bought (about 1 pound)
- 1 cup pizza sauce (plus more for dipping)
- ½ cup finely chopped fresh veggies, herbs, or fruit, such as mushrooms, bell pepper, onion, spinach, basil, pineapple, or olives
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
- Olive oil
- Optional: Kosher salt
Instructions
- Follow the instructions on the package to prepare your dough. Typically you need to unwrap refrigerated dough and let it sit for 20–60 minutes until it reaches room temperature. If the dough is frozen, defrost prior to letting it sit out.
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Note: Parchment paper helps prevent sticking, but if you don’t have any, an ungreased baking sheet is fine.
- Combine the pizza sauce, veggies, and cheese in a medium bowl and thoroughly mix together. Set aside.
- Lightly dust a cutting board or counter with flour, and then separate the dough into tennis ball-size pieces. Working one ball at a time, roll out the dough into a long rectangle, about 4 inches wide and ¼-inch thick. Get out that ruler! Dough that’s too thick won’t cook all the way through, but if it’s too thin, sealing the edges will be tricky.
- On one long side of the dough rectangle, drop heaping teaspoons of the filling, about 1 inch apart. Don’t overstuff! Your poppers may look skimpy prior to baking, but once cooked, they’ll be just right.
- Fold the other half of the dough over the top and press between the mounds of filling with your fingers.
- Using a sharp knife, cut between each mound of filling to create bite-size poppers. Pinch all of the edges together for each popper.
- Place the poppers on the prepared baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Lightly brush the tops with olive oil and, if desired, sprinkle with a tiny pinch of kosher salt.
- Bake the poppers until golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes, and then remove from the oven and cool slightly. Serve with a small bowl of warm pizza sauce for dipping.
Make-Your-Life-Easier Hot Tip
Making poppers is so simple—so why not double the recipe and freeze a batch for a quick lunch or dinner in the future? Simply allow the extra poppers to cool completely and then freeze them individually on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Once frozen, gently transfer them to a zip-top bag and store in the freezer. To reheat, place the poppers on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 25 minutes.
