I was craving pizza this morning, HARD. So, I thought it was a good time to share my favorite quick fix for pizza cravings. This is what I make when I’m dying for pizza, but don’t want to buy or make a whole pizza (because you know I’ll just end up eating the whole thing). These quick little tortilla pizzas give me the satisfaction of pizza without a bunch of super thick crust and they give me an opportunitiy to squeeze a few extra veggies into my day.
The beauty of this pizza is that I can take advantage of all the pre-chopped vegetables from the salad bar at my local grocery store without having to buy a whole bag/bunch/item of each one. All I need is a handful and all I pay for is a handful. You want to steer clear of super watery vegetables for this pizza because the thin tortilla crust may become soggy (tomatoes, pineapple, etc.). Luckily, the water heavy vegetables are also the ones that weigh the most and will drive up the cost of your salad bar loot.
The salad bar pickings weren’t that great today, so I just grabbed some mushrooms, red onion, bell pepper, and black olives. Some items I’ve used in the past are: baby spinach, tri-colored bell peppers, roasted garlic, sun dried tomatoes, and feta. Many salad bars even have meat. Mine offers chopped deli meats (turkey and ham) and pepperoni. You just kinda have to go with the flow of what’s available at your salad bar. The most important thing to remember is that you’ll need less than you think. I always end up making two pizzas at once simply because I realize I’ve gotten way too many veggies for just one pizza. I swear they multiply once I chop them! So, just get a handful.
The Quick Fix Salad Bar Pizza
The Quick Fix Salad Bar Pizza
Servings 1 to 2 servings (2 pizzas)Ingredients
- 2 7 or 8 inch flour tortillas ($0.36)
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella ($0.46)
- 1 cup mixed vegetables from a salad bar ($0.84)
- Pinch Italian seasoning or red pepper flakes (optional) ($0.05)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the tortillas on a baking sheet or pizza pan. Bake for 5 minutes, or until golden brown. If the tortilla puffs up or develops a bubble, poke it with a sharp knife and press down to flatten.
- Chop or break up the vegetables into small, bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup shredded cheese over each tortilla, then top with the vegetables and a sprinkle of Italian seasoning or red pepper flakes.
- Bake the topped pizzas for 5 more minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted and the edges of the pizzas are slightly darker brown.
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Notes
Nutrition
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Step by Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees FIRST. It must be preheated. If you have a toaster oven, this recipe is perfect for it. Instead of heating a big oven, you can just heat a small toaster oven.
Place your tortillas on a baking sheet or pizza pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes…
Or until they’re lightly golden brown and mostly crispy, like this. If your tortilla grows a big bubble while it’s baking, pierce it with a sharp knife. If it doesn’t deflate, just press it down to flatten it. It’s easiest to do this while the tortillas are in the oven and still relatively soft. Just be careful.
This is my small little dish of veggies that I got at the salad bar: mushrooms, bell pepper, red onion, and black olives. Usually the salad bar has tri-colored bell peppers, so it’s prettier, but c’est la vie. I also used 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella between both pizzas.
Break or chop up the vegetables into small pieces. Since they’re all kind of crispy, I just used my hands to break them into pieces. No knife needed. Top the pizzas with the cheese, veggies, and a sprinkle of Italian seasoning or red pepper flakes.
Then bake for 5 more minutes, or until the cheese is all melty and the edges of the tortilla are nicely browned. READY TO EAT!
So fast, so easy, so inexpensive.
Here are some pictures from some pizzas that I made a couple of months ago (taken with my iphone). SO YUM.
I make little tortilla pizzas like this when I have a bunch of leftover sauces and veggies in the fridge. Especially when there’s not enough left for another meal.
I made two the other day out of leftovers. One had chipotle pizza sauce, broccoli and cheddar cheese, the other had pesto, mozzarella and sliced mini peppers. They are also perfect for a quick meal for kids, and encourages vegetable eating :)
I do have a question, where do you find a salad bar? Like in a restaurant or are they in grocery stores? I’ve seen a condiment bar at my local store but they just have olives and roasted peppers and etc.
Salad bars are pretty common in grocery stores around here. It seems like more and more the grocery stores are offering hot food and salad bars, which are pretty popular around lunch time. I guess grocery stores of the future are really just fast food outlets! :)
I do something similar, except I use Naan for the crust. Everyone gets to add their own toppings, then we bake it for 8-10 minutes at 400º. Such a great and easy meal :)
Yum! Using veggies from the salad bar is a great idea! I’m glad you point out the use of good looking veggies….some salad bar veggies are questionable for sure.
Been using your site for about a month and can’t stop sharing it with everyone! Everything I try is so tasty!! Thank you so very much!!
I used to do something like this when I was in college and could eat flour tortillas (darn gluten) except I would add another tortilla on top and cut with a pizza cutter to make pizza quesadillas. Yummy. Now I’m wondering if it will work the same with corn tortillas…
What a fantastic idea! I get pizza cravings all the time, and I just happen to have a bunch of tortillas around the house! Definitely know what I’m making for lunch today.
We love tortilla pizzas, I love the idea of picking up toppings at the salad bar!
No pizza sauce or marinara? Sounds like a tostada to me! ;)
I make similar mini pizzas, only I use pita bread and put pizza sauce on it as well.
We make these and use your Naan recipe instead of tortillas, and if we want sauce we use your Marinara recipe, and they are TO DIE FOR!
Genius!! I discovered your blog recently and am having so much following your cooking adventures. I love your creative/thrifty/practical approach to cooking!!
you had me at ‘pizza…morning’. no deli salad bar within 20 miles of me, but those bits from the fridge are perfect here. also works with thin sliced french bread.
I never thought about buying vegetables from the salad bar and always pass it by, yet I feel like I’m constantly throwing out bad produce because I don’t eat it fast enough :( What a great idea! Thank you!
Would probably be good with some chopped fresh spinach, halved cherry tomatoes, fresh chopped broccoli…just trying to think of what else a salad bar might have…
Why didn’t I think of this in college? You’re a genius.
I like to do something very similar to this, but I make mine a vegetable quesadilla. I just heat up some olive oil in a saucepan, throw an old tortilla from whenever we had Mexican food last into a saucepan, add cheese and veggies, and presto!
Great minds think alike! :)