Deep Dish Pizza Muffins

Name: Deep Dish Pizza Muffins
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4 - 6 serving(s)
Ingredients: Extra-virgin olive oil or cooking spray; 1 ball fresh, store-bought pizza dough; 6 slices mozzarella cheese, cut into fourths; 1/2 c. pizza sauce; 1/4 c. pepperoni, sliced into strips (or cooked veggie sausage crumbles); 1/4 c. sliced cherry or grape tomatoes; 1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Published: Sep 9, 2021

preview for Our Editorial Director’s Deep Dish Pizza Muffins Are As Amazing As They Sound

Yields:

4 - 6 serving(s)

Prep Time:

15 mins

Total Time:

15 mins

Jump to recipe

Break out those muffin tins! These Deep Dish Pizza Muffins—a favorite of our editorial director Joanna Saltz—are the perfect quick, easy, and customizable weeknight dinner. Bonus: They double as a great afterschool snack.

Watch Saltz and her kids in this special back-to-school episode of Cooking Together, the hit cook-along series, as they go from chopping to chomping with the help of store-bought pizza dough and their Elkay Workstation Sink. They make short work of the prep—the sink comes with interchangeable accessories that make transitioning from washing, cutting, sorting, and straining effortless—before layering on the cheese, sauce, and preferred toppings. (Tip: Beyond pepperoni and tomatoes, try adding on your favorite veggies, such as green peppers, zucchini, broccoli, or mushrooms.)

Check out the video above and read on for the deeply satisfying recipe below. And before you start, make sure to go over Saltz’s three most important kitchen rules for kids.

1. Wash your hands, because clean hands are a chef’s best tool.

2. Ask a parent or guardian before you use hot or sharp things.

3. Always have fun!

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Ingredients

Extra-virgin olive oil or cooking spray
1
ball fresh, store-bought pizza dough
6
slices mozzarella cheese, cut into fourths
1/2 cup
pizza sauce
1/4 cup
pepperoni, sliced into strips (or cooked veggie sausage crumbles)
1/4 cup
sliced cherry or grape tomatoes
1/3 cup
grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Step 1Preheat oven to 425º and lightly grease a cupcake tin with olive oil.
2. Step 2Tear off about a 2-inch ball of pizza dough and flatten it with your fingers into a rough disc. Push the disc into the bottom of one of the muffin cups and repeat steps until all of the muffin cups have a pizza crust. Cover the tin with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place until the dough rises, about an hour.
3. Step 3Once the dough looks doubled, press it down in the middle and push it up against the sides of the muffin cups. Place two cut pieces of cheese into each cup, then top each with about 1 tablespoon of pizza sauce.
4. Step 4Top four of the pizzas with pepperoni, top another four with sliced tomatoes, and leave four plain. Then top all 12 pizzas evenly with the grated Parmesan.
5. Step 5Place into preheated oven (place tin directly on pizza stone if you have one) and cook for 10 to 15 minutes until browned and puffed up. Don’t worry if pizzas rise past the muffin cup or explode a bit; they will deflate immediately once you take them out of the oven. Carefully remove pizzas from the tin and serve; garnish with fresh basil if desired.