Veggie Pizza Cups

This post is sponsored by Society Culinaria and Flatout Flatbread. All opinions and thoughts are my own as always.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not one to jump into the school season all refreshed and ready to set the alarm. We are the kind of family that sleeps in during the summer. Once school is out, our schedule gets the boot straight out the door, and I am happy to do so. As Summer continues and the heat becomes unbearable, which for me starts in August, I’ve had enough summer to last me the rest of the year. I’m a winter soul, so the beginning of the school season always reminds me that soon enough the season will be changing and it’s time to start thinking about after-school snacks and lunches like these veggie pizza cups.

I’ve made them at least three times since school started (we started in the middle of August) and every time I make them, they are gone by the next day. What I love about these veggie pizza cups is that you can make them as an after school snack and save a few for tomorrow’s lunch. My son even grabbed a few straight out of the fridge at one point and ate them without warming them up. I thought that was odd, but if they’re good enough for my five-year-old to eat cold, then they’re good enough to take for lunch! Don’t worry, I warmed them up a little bit before I packed their lunches. 😉

Staying true to my love for Flatout flatbread, I decided to use their thin pizza crusts because they are always a hit for dinner. They also make an impressive appetizer, so why not use them for a school lunch, right?! You really can never go wrong with these pizza flatbreads.

Each flatbread has 1 gram of fat, 120 calories, 2 grams of fiber, and 5 grams of protein. They truly are a blank canvas to help people of all ages make healthier choices. Did I also mention my favorite pizza crust is thin crust? That’s why I love using Flatout flatbread thin pizza crusts. My favorite is the rosemary and olive oil pizza crust. Have you seen the different varieties they offer? If you haven’t, here’s a handy link to help you find them!

In today’s post I’m sharing a recipe using the rustic white thin pizza crust with a sauce that I learned how to make when I was a teenager. Sofrito!

It’s the base for many dishes in our culture and typically includes a pepper and fresh garlic, but the one my mom taught me is a little bit different. Ours is a simple one with roma tomato, white onion, garlic salt, and for this recipe dried oregano. A lot of the time my mom adds chicken flavored knorr, especially when she’s making Mexican rice.

Start with one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Saute the onions with tomato for 3-5 minutes.

Add one teaspoon garlic salt, plus one teaspoon dried oregano and stir well.

Add half a cup of water, stir well again and let it simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced by at least half.

Turn off the heat, let the sofrito cool while you clean and chop the spinach and mushrooms.

When you’re done chopping and prepping the rest of the ingredients, puree the sofrito. I used a hand blender for mine.

Lay out a pizza flatbread and start building a pizza as you normally would.

Start by spreading a thin layer of the sauce on the pizza crust, then top with 1/3 of the shredded cheese…

Then 1/3 of the mushrooms and spinach.

Cut the pizza into eight small equal squares with a pizza cutter.

Spray two mini muffin pans with an oil spray to help keep the veggie pizza cups from sticking when you bake them.

Pick up one square at a time by holding up the corners and gently press the bottom part into the mini muffin cups.

Bake them in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Let them rest for a couple minutes then remove them from the muffin pan with a small flat butter knife or spoon and let them cool another 3-5 minutes. They might stick a little and feel soft because of the cheese, but don’t worry, they will firm up once they start cooling.

If you’re a family of four or more, you might want to put some aside for tomorrow’s lunch because if you leave them out, they will all get eaten. Three pizzas was the perfect amount for my family. It was just the right amount for an after school snack with some leftovers for their lunch the next day. If you don’t finish them, you can store them in the fridge in an airtight container or ziplock bag up to four days.

Enjoy!

5 from 1 vote

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Veggie Pizza Cups

Mini pizza cup pies with spinach, mushrooms, and a homemade pizza sofrito sauce.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 24 pcs

Author Stephanie Chavez

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup white onion, chopped
• 4 roma tomatoes, minced
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
• 1 8oz package white mushrooms, stems removed, chopped
• 1 1/2 cup spinach, chopped
• 3 Flatout Flatbread pizza crusts

Instructions

1. In a medium pan, heat olive oil over medium heat and saute onions with tomato for 3-5 minutes. Add garlic salt and dried oregano; stir well. Add half a cup of water; stir well again and let it simmer for 5-10 minutes uncovered or until the liquid has reduced by at least half. Turn off the heat, let the sofrito cool while you clean and chop the spinach and mushrooms.
2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. When you’re done chopping and prepping the rest of the ingredients, puree the sofrito.
3. Lay out a pizza flatbread and start building a pizza as you normally would. Start by spreading a thin layer of the sauce on the pizza crust, then top with 1/3 of the shredded cheese, then 1/3 each of the remaining ingredients. Cut pizza into eight equally sized squares with a pizza cutter.
4. Spray two mini muffin pans with an oil spray to help keep the veggie pizza cups from sticking when you bake them.
5. Pick up one square at a time by holding up the corners and gently press the bottom part into the mini muffin cups.
6. Bake them in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Let them rest for a couple minutes then remove them from the muffin pan with a small flat butter knife or spoon and let them cool another 3-5 minutes.

Recipe Notes

You will need two mini muffin pans for this recipe.
For each (12 cup) muffin pan, you will need one and a half pizza crusts.
Also, they might still stick a little because the cheese does tend to seep out, but don’t worry, they will firm up once they start cooling.