5 QUICK PIZZA MEALS YOU CAN MAKE WITH THE KIDS
(even after work)
In my house, we have “Pizza Fridays.” It’s a trend we picked from my son’s school and it just seemed to have stuck with us. To be honest, I absolutely love it because the only work I do is popping the baking tray into the oven. These 5 Easy and Fun Pizza Recipes for Kids will make everyone in the family happy.
It’s the weekend and it’s time for mommy to relax. Ha, not really. But seriously, I’ve learned it always pays to keep some flatbread, English muffins or bagels around. When you’re in a bind those are clutch to making individual pizzas. These 5 Easy and Fun Pizza Recipes for Kids are simple, have very few ingredients and turn some of the dishes your kids love,into dishes they will love even more.
Do you have a night where you wish you can create a meal in no time? Or better yet a meal that the kids can make too! Here are 5 Easy and Healthy Pizza Recipes for Kids that the family will love. Click To Tweet
From individual pizzas to family pies pre-baked pizza dough is the way to go.
It’s the quickest and cleanest way to do Pizza Friday. Rolling out pizza dough requires some serious muscles and can make a mess.
Another thing that is great about Pizza Fridays is that it lets me make use of the leftovers in the house. I’m a fan of leftover makeovers. So, several of these recipes use leftovers. Like the BBQ Chicken Recipe and the meatball recipe. To make life a bit less hectic during the week, we typically cook several meals on Sunday. That sometimes includes roasting a whole chicken. With a large family, we make every moment and every penny count. Waste not, want not right? So not only is that leftover chicken used to make a delicious Waldorf Salad it’s also used to make our BBQ chicken pizza. I know. It’s a genius way to get everyone to eat leftovers.
5 Easy and Fun Pizza Recipes For Kids
1. BBQ Chicken Pizza
Makes 6 Servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups leftover roasted chicken, chopped
- ¾ cup of bbq sauce
- pre-baked pizza crust (6 individual or 1 large)
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese
- 1 /4 cup fresh cilantro (optional)
- 1/8 cup sliced red onion (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a medium-sized bowl, add roasted and barbeque sauce and mix until well coated.
Next, add bbq chicken to pizza.
Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over chicken.
Place pizza on a large baking sheet or pizza stone and bake until the cheese has started to melt.
Top with fresh cilantro and sliced onion.
The kids’ pizzas are typically cilantro and onion free but one pizza they love veggies on is a tomato and basil pizza. It’s super simple to make and can be made on a Panini press if you don’t allow your children to use the stove. My littles love this pizza (and veggies) because we have a garden. They are used to going out and picking their fruits and veggies right off the vine. Pizza is a great way to introduce new vegetables to your child. Get them started with recipes like this when they are young and they will love fruits and veggies forever.
2. Tomato and Basil Pizza
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
- pre-baked pizza crust (6 individual or 1 large)
- pizza sauce
- 2 cups of mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 5 – 8 tomato slices
- 4 leaves fresh basil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (2 tablespoons if you are using the Panini press)
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Spread pizza sauce evenly over dough and add mozzarella cheese.
Then layer on tomato slices.
Put pizza on a large baking sheet or pizza stone and place in oven and until cheese has melted.
Once finished, tear basil and place on top of the pizza.
Season with salt and pepper.
Then drizzle with olive oil.
Panini Press Directions
On a large piece of foil spread 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Place dough on foil over olive oil.
Spread pizza sauce evenly over dough.
Add mozzarella cheese.
Then add tomato slices.
Heat your Panini press.
Place foil with dough on Panini press.
Fix the height of your Panini press slightly about your pizza. If you do not have that option you can place a ball of foil to prop the press open.
Cook for about 6 to 8 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Top pizza with torn tear basil.
Season with salt and pepper.
Then drizzle with olive oil.
And you yummy, delicious healthy pizza is done. For a more colorful pizza, you can add some yellow or purple heirloom tomatoes.
3. Meatball Pizza
Makes 6 serving
Ingredients
- pre-baked pizza crust (6 individual or 1 large)
- 8 ounces pizza sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 12 pre-cooked meatballs
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Spread pizza sauce over crust.
Sprinkle garlic powder, Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese over sauce.
Add meatballs and top with mozzarella cheese.
Place pizza on a large baking sheet or stone.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese has melted.
4. Cheeseburger Pizza
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
- ½ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoon yellow mustard
- ¾ pound ground beef
- salt
- pepper
- ½ cup diced onion
- prebaked pizza crust (6 individual or 1 large)
- ¼ cup diced dill pickle
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 tomato, sliced thinly
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 F.
In a small bowl mix together ketchup and mustard to make the sauce.
In a large bowl, season ground beef with salt and pepper.
In a large pan, add onion and sauté ground beef for about 3 minutes.
Use a wooden spoon to break up ground beef.
Remove excuse grease and add 1 tablespoon of ketchup mixture to ground beef.
Spread remaining ketchup mixture over pizza crust.
Sprinkle half the cheddar cheese and half the mozzarella cheese on top of the sauce.
Spoon ground beef mixture onto pizza crust.
Then add remaining cheese and tomato slices.
Place pizza on a large baking sheet or stone.
Bake on a baking sheet about 10 to 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Throw some lettuce and tomatoes on top to make it a bit more balance.
5. BLT Pizza
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
- 12 ounces pork or turkey bacon (reserve half)
- 1 ½ tablespoons spicy mustard
- 1 tablespoons mayo
- prebaked pizza crust (6 individual or 1 large)
- 6 ounces mozzarella cheese
- 1 large tomato, sliced
- 1 tablespoon mayo
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 2 cups baby romaine lettuce, shredded
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Fry bacon strips in a large skillet over medium heat until brown. Then flip and do the same on the other side (about 3 minutes).
Mix mustard and mayo together and spread over pizza crust.
Sprinkle cheese evenly over mustard then top with tomatoes and half of the bacon.
Place pizza on large baking sheet or stone and bake in the oven until crust is golden brown and cheese has melted.
In a small bowl mix mayo and lime juice.
Lightly coat lettuce with mayo lime juice mixture.
Once cooled top with lettuce.
How can anyone say no to this one? These recipes use pre-baked pizza crust but we’ve also used English muffins and bagels to make pizza.
By the way, this is also a great activity for a kids birthday party. Purchase a bunch of single-serve pre-baked pizza dough and let the kids make their own pizza. Everyone has a great time and gets to eat the pizza exactly the way they like.
For more kid-friendly food ideas head on over to the El’s Kitchen Comforts Blog.
Denell is the mother of four boys, wife, educator, and historian with a passion for global food and parties. She spends her time researching recipes, running after kids and planning for the next International party. Every day is an occasion so come see her juggle all these things over at El’s Kitchen Comforts. She can be found on Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat @ els.kitchen, and Facebook.
