Is there anyone who doesn’t love PIZZA? If there is I have yet to meet him/her! Pizza is our top go-to on nights we don’t feel like cooking. Unfortunately, when you order pizza from a restaurant you can’t control how it’s cooked and what ingredients are used (to a certain extent). A few weeks ago I came across a recipe for Quinoa Pizza Bowls on Pinterest and just had to give it a try! I mean, duh, it has pizza in the title! You can find the original recipe here (www.gimmesomeoven.com) as I did change things a bit since I didn’t have ramekins to use.
We have made our own pizza many times using a homemade whole wheat crust (I’ll have to share that sometime as well) but the quinoa is a great alternative to crust as it has some extra protein and fiber! My husband has been somewhat of a “Quinoa Skeptic” and is not crazy about the flavor but he gobbled this up as did my 3 year old so I’m thinking it is a winner!
This recipe is so easy to customize (think 1/2 your favorite toppings and 1/2 for the hubby or kids) and the fact that it’s layered means you could even put different toppings on different layers! The possibilities are endless. This was also GREAT as leftovers for lunch the next day. Try it out and leave me a comment below to tell me how you made it!
QUINOA PIZZA
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup (dry) quinoa
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 (14-ounce) jars pizza sauce
- 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 2-3 cups of your favorite pizza toppings (I used turkey pepperonis, sliced bella mushrooms and thinly-sliced red onions, but feel free to use your favorites)
- optional toppings: grated Parmesan cheese, crushed red peppers
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Cook quinoa in the chicken or vegetable stock according to package instructions.
- When the quinoa has finished cooking, fluff it with a fork. Then stir about 1 jar pizza sauce into the quinoa until evenly combined. Set aside.
- Lightly spray an 8×8 baking dish with cooking spray. (*Note: I used a glass baking dish)
- Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce evenly over the bottom of the baking dish.
- Spread a layer of the quinoa over the pizza sauce. Use a spoon or spatula to smooth it out.
- Put a thin layer of the shredded mozzarella on top of the quinoa.
- Place a single layer of pizza toppings on top of that.
- Repeat Steps 5 – 8 followed by a final layer of Mozzarella. The baking dish should be full but not overflowing.
- Transfer the baking dish to the oven, and bake for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the ingredients are heated through. If you’d like to get the cheese extra golden on top, you can turn the oven to “broil”. Then — keeping a close eye on the cheese so that it does not burn — broil until the cheese is golden on top.
- Remove and sprinkle with a pinch of Parmesan cheese and crushed red peppers, if desired. Serve immediately.