Super Bowl Sunday is almost here and that usually means heavy, greasy food. I created a recipe that gives you the illusion of eating pizza but in a much healthier way. My delicious Quinoa Pizza Bites are gluten free and vegetarian so they are very easy to digest. Quinoa is an excellent source of a complete plant protein. This means it provides you with all the nine essential amino acids. These pizza bites are a great snack for the big game or on the go without the guilt. So go on, and eat one more.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of uncooked quinoa (2 cups cooked)
- ½ tsp of olive oil
- 3/4 cup of marinara sauce (1/2 cup for dipping)
- 1 egg
- 1 cup of shredded mozzarella (1/2 use in mixture and ½ used on top)
- 1cup of small peperoni (optional)
- 1 tsp of garlic powder
- 2 tsp of Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp of oregano
- 2 tsp of hot sauce (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh chopped basil for garnish
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Toast quinoa in a heated pan with olive oil for 5 mins. Keep stirring as not to burn. This gives the quinoa a nuttiness flavour.
- Fill a pot with 1 cup of water and a dash of salt. Add in your toasted quinoa. Cook covered for about 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Fluff with fork.
- In a large bowl, mix quinoa, the egg, ¼ cup marinara sauce, ½ mozzarella cheese, peperoni’s, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, oregano and hot sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Fill mixture in a greased 12 muffin tin pan or 9 x 3 baking pan (you can also use parchment paper for easy cleanup)
- Place 1-2 spoonful in each muffin tin and pack tightly.
- Bake in oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. Add remaining ½ cup cheese on top of mixture.
- Place in oven under Low-broil for additional 4-5 minutes. Keep an eye as not to burn.
- Remove from oven and let sit for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle basil on top and serve with remaining marinara sauce for dipping.
Bon appetit!
