Hi, Friends! Wow, I know I say this every month, but where in the heck did January go? That was FAST! Next thing you know it will be Christmas again, one can only hope….
For now, it’s TGIF, and with the weekend in sight, I’ve got a quick, easy recipe for you that is perfect for game day! Not only are these bite size morals delicious, but they are so easy to make they are quicker than bagel bites.
Remember bagel bites? OMG, Only the best treat ever. I remember begging my Grandma to put them in the cart and when she did it was the best treat ever. But, let’s backtrack….
This month’s Recipe ReDux Challenge:
A New Ingredient for the New Year – Pick a new ingredient that you’ve been wanting to try… and cook or bake up a new recipe in the new year. Are you curious about nutritional yeast, fish sauce, matcha, teff – or maybe even ugli fruit? Show us how you’re cooking with something new (to you!) in 2016.
I’ve hadpolenta on my radar since we had polenta fries at one of our favorite local pizza spots! I’d seen it at Trader Joe’s before and wondered, other than fries what I could use that little tube for?!? I knew whatever I did would be good for Mr. Hungry since polenta is made from corn it’s naturally gluten free.
When Mr. Hungry asked for bagel bites for his game day feast, I immediately knew what I could use the polenta for! I envisioned gooey melted cheese dripping over bite-size morsels savory enough he wouldn’t think twice about bagel bites again. Plus, the bites would be yeast free, another one of Mr. Hungry’s food enemies. Well, I got the melty cheese part right!
A quick google search revealed I wasn’t the only one that thought they would make a great mini pizza bite (I based my broiling process off of this recipe.) However, I knew for Mr. Hungry to believe it was pizza, it was going to have to have some pepperoni on it! So I also picked up a pack ofnitrate-free pepperoni, yes there is such a thing!
I wanted them to taste AH-MAZING, so I splurged on a block of whole milk mozzarella, which I’ve never done before. I think buying the block made it easier because I just shaved off little pieces of mozzarella, instead of trying to sprinkle shreds on each one.
The pepperoni is another story, admittedly I wanted to stick a whole pepperoni on top and called it done, but that wasn’t very visually appealing. So I cut them in strips, which turned out to be a fantastic idea because it made the pepperoni go a lot farther. Each pepperoni covered two bites instead of one, but still provided all the 100% necessary pepperoni flavor and visual appeal!
Mini Polenta Pizzas – Gluten Free (RR January 2016)
Ingredients
- 18 ounce polenta
- about 6 ounces of shaved or shredded mozzarrella
- 6-12 slices of uncured nitrate free pepperoni
- 1 cup marinara sauce https://amzn.to/2JBtva8
- sprinkle basil dried
- sprinkle oregano dried
Instructions
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Preheat oven to BROIL and while the oven is preheating get everything together. Have your marinara out, your cheese shaved or shredded and toppings ready to go.
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Line a large pan with parchment paper, grease with cooking spray.
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Cut polenta in 1/4 inch slices (See Note) and place on pan lining spacing evenly apart.
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Place in oven and broil for 3-4 minutes (See note.)
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Flip each one over and layer on toppings: marinara, cheese, pepperoni strips, a dash of oregano and a dash of basil.
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Broil again for 3-4 minutes until cheese is bubbly and starts to golden.
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Let cool for a few minutes before serving, they will be extremely hot!
Recipe Notes
1.Most recipes recommend 1/2 inch slices because the polenta can easily break. I found as long as I was deliberate in my slicing (press straight down quickly with a large knife) I was able to get them a bit thinner than that and therefore able to make more bites from one tube!
2. Most recipe recommend 1-2 minutes but I wanted ours a bit crispier and firmer!
3. Be creative with your toppings and if you like spicy add some red pepper flakes!
This shouldn’t even be a recipe; it was so super easy! You can easily whip these bad boys up to impress any friends as an appetizer or part of your game day feast in 15 minutes or less. Touchdown!
[Tweet “Pizza for #gameday is a must, these #glutenfree #pizza bites only take 15 minutes! #theRecipeReDux #appetizers #eatandtweet”]
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What a great idea and easy too, even better! I pretty much like anything that have pizza ingredients in it. 🙂
Melanie @ Nutritious Eats recently posted…Layered Roasted Vegetables With Parmesan
Right! Me too!
Another great recipe to try! We make polenta fries a lot, they are delicious, however, I’m so excited to try something new with the polenta! For you and others, I’ve bought polenta from other stores but Trader Joe’s has proven to be the best.
Thank you dearie!
Momma S
Thanks and great tip! I expect some homemade polenta fries next time we are together! Then again we could just go to spinatos…. lol
Ain’t nothing wrong with a super easy recipe! My recipe from this week was about 5 or so ingredients, but one of the best things that I’ve eaten in a while!
Susie @ SuzLyfe recently posted…Fulfillment, Movement, Priorities (Friday Favorites)
I agree! Cooking does not need to be complicated to be healthier or taste good!
Such a creative idea- I too loved bagel bites growing up. I’m sure these are much tastier (and healthier)-.
childhood classic! they were 🙂
How fun they look, and so easy to make!
thanks Michelle!
What a cool idea! These look so tasty and I love how quick they are!
Love polenta and these bites are adorable! Will definitely try them. A know my hubby would love them too.
I love love polenta but don’t make it enough – pinning these babies to make for sure!
Deanna Segrave-Daly recently posted…Pasta e Fagioli with Greens | The Recipe ReDux
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Um, yes I remember bagel bites – I would put them in the toaster oven after school sometimes. I ALWAYS burned the roof of my mouth eating the first one. Was it even possible not to? Using polenta as a base for your own version is so clever!!
Oh my gosh I forgot about the bagel bites mouth burn! Key moments in learning patience during child hood!
Polenta bites look yummy.
Wow…these sound delicious!
I would love for you to share this with my Facebook Group for recipes, crafts, tips, and tricks: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Jess recently posted…Easy “Stuffed” Peppers recipe
Looks delicious! Thanks for linkin’ up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!