Mini Pizza Bites
My Aunt Cathy sent me a version of this recipe a few weeks ago and said she has added things to it but it just doesn’t seem right… it needs something to make it “just right”.
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.
I LOVE messing with recipes. I love trying to figure out what’s missing, and knowing my Aunt would be waiting to taste-test was even more satisfying.
Today, I made my first batch and I knew they’d be good when the batter smelled so lovely I couldn’t help but sneak a bite (that’s what I love about vegan food- no eggs, no raw meat… you can always taste-test!)
Then, my house started to smell like a pizzeria (minus, thankfully, the oily cheese smell) while they cooked. I can always tell something is done or almost done baking when the smell gets slightly more intense. My husband says I’m a bloodhound, but I think if you pay attention you’ll notice too.
So without further ado… let’s walk through these yummy little bites of vegan goodness:
First, start by blending the beans in your mixer until the batter matches your faux marble countertop:
Then add the tomato paste…
Then the seasonings and blend well:
Then the cooked quinoa:
And blend well:
Then roll into balls:
Please ignore everything in this picture. Do you know how hard it is to take a photo one-handed when your hands are all sticky and gooey from pizza bite dough? Obviously I’m a rockstar.
And line them up right next to each other, in ocd-satisfying rows:
And bake for 30-40 mins: (the heat wafting from the oven made this all blurry. Either that or my rockstar camera skills, I can’t decide.)
I went for the extra 10 mins and volia! Baked pizza bite goodness!
Unfortunately I couldn’t talk my daughters into eating them- yet. “They don’t LOOK like pizza!” and “I don’t like quinoaaaaa!”
Sigh.
Oh, wait…
More for me 😂
These are so full of protein and they’re so “clean”, they would make an amazing workout snack.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa rinsed and cooked (makes 2 cups cooked)
- 30 oz black beans, drained (two 15 oz cans)
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 1 tsp basil dried
- 1 tsp parsley dried
- 1 tsp oregano dried
- .5 tsp onion powder
- .5 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º
- Prepare a baking sheet with parchment, silpat liner, or light coating of oil.
- Blend black beans in mixer until crushed and sticking together.
- Add tomato paste and blend well. Scrape down sides of bowl with spatula regularly to ensure everything is mixed.
- Add seasonings and blend.
- Add quinoa a little at a time until well-combined.
- Roll into balls and place on prepared baking sheet. Keep hands wet if the balls are too sticky.
- Bake at 350º for 30 minutes, turning the oven up to broil for the last 5-10 minutes, if desired, to make a crispy outer shell. Be sure to turn the bites halfway through the broil period so they brown on each side.
Nutrition
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Did you make these? Comment below and let me know how they turned out!
The taste of the mix is delightful, but there was no way to form balls from the mix.
Could it be confusion of ingredients?
Ingredients call for “8 oz tomato sauce” BUT when you get to direction #4. the recipe says to “add tomato paste”.
The mix became like a thick soup, which we’re spreading out on a cookie sheet and baking in hopes of being able to form bite size squares.
Oh Em, thank you so much for spotting this glaring error! I’m sorry your bites turned out runny. The recipe should’ve read “tomato paste”. I’ve updated the recipe and I hope you’re inspired to try them again.
Crystal
Thanks!
Added a second star, just because you responded.
Even tho they didn’t turn out, baking them as a “sheet” and cutting into squares worked ok. The flavor was good so I’m going to give it another try.
I drained the beans the last time, tho your recipe doesn’t say whether to drain or not.
I just figure less liquid would result in a better chance of ball shapes that keep their shape.
Switching to paste.
Will post with the results.
Yes- drained is best. Looking forward to your results!