Mini Pita Pizza

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We here at Dinnertime Somewhere have a couple of go-to dishes when it comes to whipping up something quick and easy. One of those is this surefire classic – Mini Pita Pizza. It couldn’t be easier, as the most difficult part of the pizza making process (making the dough) is not a factor! Sure, the purists will say this isn’t ‘real’ pizza, but who cares! If you want a super tasty meal for lunch or dinner that can literally be whipped up in 20 minutes, have this recipe in your back pocket

Finding good Pita Bread for the Mini Pita Pizza

This is a big deal honestly. As mentioned above, one of the cornerstones to a delicious pizza does lie in the dough. So, finding some good quality Pita bread is a priority for this recipe. The best tip we have here is to test and learn. Try a few different Pita Breads that you can get at your local supermarket, deli or even bakeries. If you’re lucky enough to live near a great restaurant serving food from the Middle East (think Turkish, Lebanese food) they will definitely have some good quality Pita. Very likely that they make in house too!

A good alternative to Pita Bread for Homemade Pizza is Turkish Bread. This is a beautiful bread, very aerated so it’s lovely and light. It absorbs the Tomato Sauce very well yet remains lovely and crispy

For this recipe we’ve found some super tasty Pita Bread from our local supermarket which more than suffices. We’ve got individual Pita Bread pieces which are perfect for a personal pizza size. We would recommend trying to find the thicker Pita Bread if possible as these create a much better crust and hold up well with the toppings on the Pizza

Personalize your Mini Pita Pizza with your favorite toppings

Toppings are always a hot debate when it comes to Pizza. Have you ever been with a group of people when you decide to order Pizza? It’s a disaster! No-one can ever agree on what toppings to have on a Pizza as it is such a personal preference!

Now, we could try to entertain the argument that both Pineapple and Anchovies belong on Pizza (they absolutely do by the way), but we know that is a take that would cause way too much controversy, so we’ll stay Switzerland on the matter of optimal toppings!

We do however have a couple of mandatories when it comes to our Mini Pita Pizza which we’re hopeful is universal enough that everyone will agree on

Red Sauce / Marinara Sauce

Second to the dough, a good quality Tomato based sauce makes a Pizza. If you get the sauce right, all of the other ingredients will simply sing. There’s a couple of ways you can approach the Tomato Sauce on a pizza

You can make our unbelievably tasty Red Sauce recipe for a ridiculously tasty sauce. This will however take a little bit more time (approximately 1 hour). So, if you have the time, we highly recommend following that recipe. For those who are sticking to our 20-minute recipe promise, we got you covered. You can simply buy either some pre-made Pizza Sauce from the supermarket (which is totally acceptable for this recipe), or get some good quality San Marzano Canned Tomatoes, crush them up and use them as a sauce

The Pre-made Pizza Sauce will have a richer taste, whereas the Canned Tomatoes will be much lighter in taste and texture. Add some salt and a little olive oil to the Tomatoes and you’ll be in sauce heaven

For this recipe we’re sticking with the Pizza Sauce. This is a bit of a personal preference as I do like the Tomato Sauce on my pizzas to be quite rich

The Best Cheese to use on Homemade Pizza

It goes without saying that any pizza aficionado will tell you that Mozzarella is the way to go. We of course couldn’t agree more. The Mozzarella Cheese adds that unmistakable stretchy, gooey consistency that we all know and love when it comes to a great Pizza

We recommend using a combination of grated Mozzarella and thinly sliced pieces. The grated Mozzarella can be used to form a lovely base of Cheese for which you can place your toppings onto. The sliced Mozzarella can then be placed on top of the Pizza to melt beautifully all over the Pizza. Use it a little sparingly however, as too much Cheese will ultimately make the Mini Pita Pizza too dense and unbalanced. Also, please never buy pre-shredded Mozzarella Cheese. Buy the Mozzarella Cheese whole, then grate what you need using a box grater or zester

Mini Pita Pizza Recipe

Our final recommendation is to mix in a little bit of Cheddar Cheese with the shredded Mozzarella when you’re building the Pizza. The Cheddar gives an amazing flavor kick that, quite frankly, you cannot get from Mozzarella. We’d recommend a 70/30 mix of Mozzarella to Cheddar. Enough of a mix for the sharpness of the Cheddar to come through without overpowering the dish or jeopardizing that lovely cheese pull!

Ingredients

• 4 Thick Pita Breads
• 150g / 5 oz. Pizza Sauce (alternatively you can make our Red Sauce)
• 200g / 7 oz. shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• 200g / 7 oz. sliced Mozzarella Cheese
• 85g / 3 oz. shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• Salt
  
  

Optional topping suggestions and portions

• 110g / 4 oz. Pepperoni slices
• 110g / 4 oz. Shredded Chicken
• ½ Bell Pepper, diced
• ½ Red Onion, finely sliced
• 60g / 2 oz. Pineapple Chunks
• 50g / 2 oz. sliced Button Mushrooms
• ½ tsp. Dried Oregano
• 8 White Anchovies (put on Pizza once it’s cooked)
  
  

Instructions

1. Lay out your Pita Bread evenly on a large baking tray, avoid overlapping. If all of the bread doesn’t fit then place the rest on an additional baking tray, or bake in 2 batches. It’s best to prepare the Pizzas directly on the baking tray to avoid any toppings falling off when moving it around
2. With a spoon, portion the Tomato Sauce evenly across all of your Pita Bread pieces. Cover the entire surface area of the bread with the back of the spoon, trying to ensure as even a coating as possible
3. Add your mixture of shredded Mozzarella and shredded Cheddar Cheese, again try to ensure an even coating across the entire pieces of bread, all the way to the edges
4. Add your favorite toppings. We’ve provided a few recommendations and portion sizes in the ingredients section. Try to avoid overloading the toppings, as tempting as that might be! You want an even proportion of all toppings to get an overall balanced flavor in the end
5. Finish the Pizzas with the sliced Mozzarella Cheese, a pinch of Salt and, if you like, a sprinkle of dried Oregano
6. Place in the Oven and bake for 10 – 12 minutes, until the cheese has melted and started to turn slightly golden
7. Leave rest for a few minutes before serving, just so that the cheese doesn’t burn anyone’s mouth!
   
   

This is such a simple, delicious, and quick meal to prepare. It’s great for a midweek dinner for the family or to whip up for lunch when you don’t have much time. One of our favorite things to do is cook a larger batch and freeze them for later eating. Trust us, these are much tastier than those frozen pizzas you get in the supermarket freezer!

Try these Pita Pizzas alongside a fresh Salad from our delicious recipes and Happy Cooking!