Fully Loaded Breakfast Pizza Makes Mornings a Breeze
You might not think of pizza as the breakfast of champions, but load it up with eggs, cheese, and lots of veggies and you’ve got a complete—and super kid-friendly—meal in each slice. Our breakfast pizza is super simple to make, and it’s easy to adjust the building blocks to suit your family’s tastes (Gluten-free dough! Soy cheese! Tofu! Pineapple! Olives!). The toppings are all cooked into a combo of beaten eggs and cheese (full recipe below), which means this tasty pie makes a great mess-free breakfast on the go for busy mornings. Of course, it’s also a smart choice for feeding a crowd. Any which way you serve it, breakfast pizza is sure to be a hit!
Packaged pizza dough makes preparing this pie a breeze—if available, whole wheat or cornmeal crusts are also quite delicious. That said, if you’re feeling mildly ambitious, you can make your own dough days in advance. Top your pizza with any cheese your family likes—we love it with dollops of chèvre or ricotta, or crumbled cotija or feta—but if you want to take your slices on the go, shredded cheeses (cheddar, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, etc.) are your best bet as they will help bind all the toppings together when they melt.
No hash browns in the house? Home fries make an equally tasty topper. And feel free to sub veggie sausage or vegan bacon (or simply skip the meat altogether) for a vegetarian pie.
Serving up veggies on a slice of yummy pizza may make your picky toddler more willing to take a bite. We suggest experimenting with different seasonal produce, such as asparagus and fresh herbs in spring, corn and zucchini in summer, mushrooms or butternut squash in fall, and kale or cauliflower in the winter.
In our centers, we embrace family-style eating—encouraging children to serve themselves teaches them important social skills (like passing items, sharing, being patient, and saying “please” and “thank you”) and how to listen to their own hunger cues. Allowing them to get in on the serving action can also inspire them to try new foods, like the veggies or eggs on this cheesy pizza.
If you’re staying in for breakfast, we suggest placing a platter of slices center-table along with a bowl of fresh fruit and a small pitcher of milk or water—then invite everyone to dig in! Sure, there will likely be some spills when children take the lead, but also lots of smiles.
BREAKFAST PIZZA
Total time: 25–60 minutes, depending on how much ingredient prep is needed
Serves: 6–8
Ingredients
- 1 ball or package pizza dough
- Nonstick spray or canola oil for greasing pan
- Olive oil for brushing the crust
- 2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, etc.), divided
- 2 cups cooked hash browns (or home fries)
- 4 large eggs
- ¼ cup whole or 2-percent milk
- 1 cup cooked uncured bacon and/or sausage, chopped or crumbled
- 2 cups veggies, such as sliced mushrooms, halved cherry tomatoes, sliced bell pepper, shredded spinach or kale, etc.
Directions
- 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 425 degrees. Spray a 13x9-inch baking sheet with cooking spray or use a paper towel to grease it with canola oil. Set aside.
- Stretch or unroll dough onto the baking sheet, pressing it out to the edges of the sheet. Build up the edges about ½ an inch on all sides.
- Use a fork to dock (poke holes) here and there in the inner portion of the crust that will hold toppings. Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from oven.
- Brush the crust with olive oil. Sprinkle 1 cup of the cheese on top, followed by the hash browns.
- In a small bowl, beat the eggs and milk until well mixed. Pour the mixture over the cheese and hash browns on the crust. Top with the meat and vegetables, and sprinkle with the remaining cup of cheese.
- Bake the pizza in the lower third of the oven until the eggs are just set, about 8 minutes.
- Switch the oven to broil and move the pizza about 6 inches from the heating element. Broil until the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned in spots, and the crust is browned and crisp, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit until cool enough to eat. Slice, grab, and enjoy!
