This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy here.
Mini quinoa pizza bites make a fun and healthy school lunch your kids will be happy to eat!
Healthy School Lunch Idea with Quinoa
It’s so much easier to get my kids to try new foods when it’s bite-size. They love everything mini, and who can blame them?
For this recipe, I took full advantage of my kid’s love for pizza and all things bite-sized to introduce another healthy food into their diet: quinoa. These bites include their favorite pizza toppings plus quinoa, an excellent protein source, for an easy and gluten-free school lunch idea.
Wish you could have great-tasting lunches like this every week? Grab a copy of the 101 Packed Lunches eBook! It’s filled with fresh and healthy lunches both kids and adults will enjoy.
101 Packed Lunches eBook
All my best kid-friendly lunches from over a decade of creating meal plans. Add some variety to your child’s lunchbox with these epic lunches, plus receive my Pack Meals Like a Pro ebook, free with purchase!
What You Need
This recipe only calls for one cup of quinoa and whatever toppings you love most, making it a perfect solution for any leftovers from a previous meal.
- Cooked quinoa: the healthy base for these bites.
- Mozzarella: shredded and melty.
- Pizza toppings: the toppings are entirely up to you, my family loves classic pepperoni, diced bell peppers, and black olives the most.
- Chopped tomatoes: for a pop of color and fresh juicy flavor.
- Egg: to bind everything together.
- Seasoning: a sprinkle of Italian seasoning, garlic powder, or whatever spices make your pizza dreams come true.
- Pizza sauce: for dipping, because every pizza bite deserves a saucy sidekick!
- Lunch sides: carrot sticks or any crunchy veggie to round out the lunch.
How to Make Quinoa Pizza Bites for Lunch
Make them at the beginning of the week for an easy lunch meal prep. One batch yields 24 bites, and they can be frozen into individual servings and reheated in the microwave as needed.
- Mix it up
In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, cheese, toppings, tomatoes, egg, and seasonings. Scoop into a mini muffin cup filling to the top. - Bake Until Golden Brown
Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing and serving with marinara sauce if eating right away. - Pack for school
Pour marinara sauce into a small, leak-proof container to prevent spills. Pack cooled pizza bites and any healthy sides separately into a hard lunch container with compartments and refrigerate until ready for school.
School Lunch Packing Tips
What do I love about these quinoa bites? They’re simple to pack and totally mess-free! And with these additional tips they’ll stay fresh for hours:
Use the right container
The best way to keep everything from shifting around in a busy backpack and making a mess is to choose a lunchbox with compartments.
Keep it safe to eat
Consider using an ice pack to regulate the temperature inside the lunchbag so the pizza bites stay fresh until it’s time to dig in.
Cool them completely
Let the pizza bites cool to room temperature before packing to prevent condensation from making them soggy.
Packing for hot or room temp
These can be served hot or at room temperature. If you’d like to pack them warm, reheat them in a microwave and place them in a thermos container. Otherwise, grab your lunch container and pack them with sliced fruit and veggies.
More Lunch Ideas with Quinoa
Looking for more delicious recipes with quinoa that kids will want to eat? The recipe below have you covered and can be packed for an easy lunch.
Mini Quinoa Pizza Bites | MOMables
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup of your favorite pizza toppings, chopped (pepperoni, olives, peppers, onions, spinach, ham, etc.)
- ¼ cup tomatoes, chopped
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Pizza sauce, for dipping
Instructions
Make the Quinoa Pizza Bites
- Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 24-count mini muffin pan with cooking spray (or make 2 batches in a 12-count pan).
- In a large bowl, add all ingredients except pizza sauce. Stir until all ingredients are mixed well.
- Scoop mixture into each mini muffin cup; fill to the top of each.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing.
Pack for Lunch
- Pack pizza sauce in a separate container in a lunch box for dipping.
Ritika says
Hi I made this today but they aren’t holding shape
MOMables-Laura says
Hi, Ritika, did you add the egg and cheese?
Rachael says
Can these be frozen to be eaten later!?
MOMables - Laura says
Of course! You can heat them up in the microwave, 2 of them for about 30 seconds, or in the oven.
LL says
Are tomatoes not considered a pizza topping? =P
MOMables - Laura says
for sure! Feel free to add those!
LL says
They are already listed in the recipe. =P I thought these were yummy but my suggestion is to fill halfway if you are not using the mini pan! I used regular and pretty much all of them fell apart except for the one that I only filled halfway—that one stayed together great!
Maddy says
I’m out of cheese. Can I leave it out completely?
MOMables - Laura says
sure. add an extra egg.
Maddy says
We love this recipe, but want to make half the quantity. How do I measure the egg?
MOMables - Laura says
Well, since you are omitting the cheese, keep the same.
Nathalie says
hi
i’d like to know if the quinoa pizza bites can be eaten cold? Or do kids have to reheat it for lunch?
Thank you!
Emilie Hebert says
Yes, they can be eaten cold if your kids like them like that!