These mini quinoa pizza bites make a fun and gluten-free school lunch your kids will be happy to eat!
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.
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How to Make Quinoa Pizza Bites
This recipe only calls for one cup of quinoa, making it a perfect solution for any leftovers from a previous meal. The toppings are entirely up to you, my family seems to like classic pepperoni, diced bell peppers, and black olives the most.
- Prepare
Preheat the oven and lightly grease a 24-count mini muffin pan with cooking spray. - Combine
In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, cheese, toppings, tomatoes, egg, and seasonings. - Divide
Scoop the quinoa mixture into each 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.
How to Pack Quinoa 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.
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
Make these mini quinoa pizza bites for a fun and gluten-free school lunch.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 24 bites 1x
- Category: Lunch
- Method: Oven
- Diet: Gluten Free
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
- Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 24-count mini muffin panwith 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 pizza sauce in a separate container in a lunch box for dipping.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 quinoa bitess
- Calories: 226
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 643.3mg
- Fat: 9.7g
- Saturated Fat: 3.4g
- Carbohydrates: 24.6g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 10.7g
- Cholesterol: 45.7mg
Rachael
Can these be frozen to be eaten later!?
MOMables - Laura
Of course! You can heat them up in the microwave, 2 of them for about 30 seconds, or in the oven.
LL
Are tomatoes not considered a pizza topping? =P
MOMables - Laura
for sure! Feel free to add those!
LL
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
I’m out of cheese. Can I leave it out completely?
MOMables - Laura
sure. add an extra egg.
Maddy
We love this recipe, but want to make half the quantity. How do I measure the egg?
MOMables - Laura
Well, since you are omitting the cheese, keep the same.
Nathalie
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
Yes, they can be eaten cold if your kids like them like that!