Stuffed Pizza Puffs
This past weekend, iconic football games lured my guys to the TV for more hooping and hollering than I have heard in a long time.
That says a LOT considering I sit through more noise than any one mom’s poor ear drums should have to put up with from all my teen guys. I love being a boys (and girl) mom like crazy, but whew, it’s tiring.
So while they sat making all their noise, I decided to play around with some of our favorite shredded cheeses and what began as an appetizer, turned into the perfect creative football meal.
Initially prepared in a mini muffin tins, these Stuffed Pizza Puffs were so good that when our 275 pound football player downed five in one bite, I decided that tiny appetizers = win, but full sized Stuffed Pizza Puffs are a necessity.
For company, I will stick to the smaller size, but these will definitely be a recipe that I make for quick lunches on the go. They are the perfect “hand sized” meal.
Now, you will definitely want to remember this yummy Stuffed Pizza Puff recipe.
Everyone in my family raved about them. They are so versatile, depending on what kind of pizza toppings you like. Take your favorite toppings and just “stuff” them in that batter. Remember, we are the “more meat, the better” kind of family, so ours were chock full, but you can easily cut the meat in half and add extra veggies or just go for a more vegetarian approach, but then they are more like my Egg and Cheese Puffs. 😉
Since our family is always looking for simple comfort food, we also love this 5 Minute Pizza Pull Apart bread.
I have a host of Simple Holiday Recipes. Enjoy them.
Recipe: Stuffed Pizza Puffs
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder and salt
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup whipped cream cheese (I used the Kraft Italian and Herb)
- 1 1/2 cup Kraft shredded cheese (your favorite). Traditionally, it’s mozzarella, but I love a mixture.
- 5 ounces cooked, crumbled pork sausage
- 1 cup diced pepperoni (or 1/2 cup if you prefer less meat.
- 1 cup prepared pizza sauce
- *optional – finely diced onions, peppers, ham, what ever favorite toppings you enjoy
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, garlic powder and salt into a large bowl.
- Whisk in milk and one lightly beaten egg.
- Stir in cheeses, sausage and pepperoni, along with any additions.
- Let batter stand for ten minutes and stir until blended.
- Spray 24 cup mini muffin pan (or regular pan) with cooking spray.
- Spoon batter into muffin cups.
- Bake 13 – 18 minutes (or until puffed and golden). Length will depend on size.
- Sprinkle a bit of extra cheese on top during last minute (optional)
- Serve with warmed pizza sauce.
- Tips for Freezing Extras: Freeze the extra pizza puffs in a single layer on a baking sheet (flash freeze), then transfer to a freezer bag. To reheat, bake the frozen puffs on a baking sheet in a 350 degrees oven for 8 to 10 minutes.
Preparation time: 5 minute(s)
Cooking time: 15 minute(s)
These look delicious! I think I could easily make these the main dish of a casual family dinner and then add a big salad and maybe some sliced fruit. Yummy!
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Jen Reply:
December 9th, 2013 at 6:16 pm
Yes, you definitely could because that’s exactly what I did when I switched from the mini to the regular sized ones. 🙂
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Thanks for sharing what I call “real” recipes. Oftentimes I hear of great recipes, but they start with some sort of pre-packaged mix. We live overseas and those little pre-packaged mixes just aren’t available (or are WAY overpriced!). So, I’m happy to find a relatively simple, yet hearty snack or meal using ingredients in my pantry!
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I have been trying for over 5 minutes to find the recipe for the pizza puffs. what gives?
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Jen Reply:
December 1st, 2015 at 8:14 pm
I’m not sure why you can’t see it.Sorry about that. It’s right at the bottom of the page. Maybe there was a computer glitch for a minute?
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Would you please clarify the “1 teaspoon of garlic powder and salt” ingredient listed? Is that one teaspoon of these combined? or one teaspoon of each?
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