We’re all about shortcuts around here…and this one is our best new dinnertime trick. Try Pizza Bagels! This genius concept uses a bagel to make the crust of the pizza pie. All you need are a few ingredients and they come out like a charm: fluffy, thick-crust personal pizzas, piled with toppings and smothered in gooey cheese. Here’s how to whip these up!
Ingredients for pizza bagels
Pizza bagels use a bagel to make the crust of a personal pizza: much in the same way as a tortilla pizza, pita pizza, French bread pizza, or naan pizza. They’re a little different from the mini bagel bites appetizer you might find in the frozen section. These pizza bagels are the size of a standard bagel and work as a quick dinner idea! Here’s what you’ll need:
BagelsPizza sauce: it’s best with Homemade Pizza Sauce!Shredded mozzarella cheeseGrated Parmesan cheeseOlive oil and saltToppings of your choice (see below)
The basic idea
The basic idea for pizza bagels? Brush the bagels with olive oil (and sprinkle with a little garlic powder and salt). Bake them for 8 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, then add toppings and bake 6 to 7 minutes more until the cheese is melted. It’s so simple and customizable! See more on toppings below.
Recommendation: a great pizza sauce
The best way to get great flavor for these pizza bagels? Try our 5 minute Homemade Pizza Sauce. Of course, storebought pizza sauce works too. But we promise: this homemade sauce will blow your mind with the fresh, garlicky robust flavor. It takes only 5 minutes to make, so all you’ll need is a can of fire roasted tomatoes in your pantry. Here are a few notes on the sauce:
This pizza sauce takes 5 minutes in a blender (do it while the oven preheats). All you need are canned fire roasted tomatoes, garlic, oregano, salt and olive oil. Blend them up, and the flavor is life changing. Go to our Pizza Sauce recipe.Fire roasted tomatoes are key for the flavor! This type of tomatoes are roasted on an open flame before canning, making them taste sweet right out of the can. Try them once, and you’ll never go back.
Pizza bagel toppings
Top these pizza bagels any way you like! You can go totally classic with pepperoni, or get more creative with veggie toppings of your choosing. Either way, be careful not to overload the bagel: use just enough toppings to lightly cover the top. Here’s what we did here, and then a few ideas for more creative toppings:
Smoky cherry tomatoes & basil: Thinly slice cherry tomatoes, then sprinkle them with salt, garlic powder and smoked paprika. It has a smoky vibe that’s similar to pepperoni! Top with fresh chopped basil. Veggie supreme: Top with sliced olives, chopped green pepper and sliced red onionMini pepperoniProsciuttoSpinachBell peppers, choppedJarred artichoke heartsJarred roasted red peppersSautéed mushroomsPestoFeta cheese, goat cheese, smoked mozzarella or smoked gouda
Eat pizza bagels right away
An important thing to note about pizza bagels: these do not work as leftovers! Pizza bagels become soggy after sitting for about 15 minutes. So, plan to eat them immediately after they come out of the oven! For big batches, try to only make enough to fit on trays in your oven at one time. If you do happen to have a lag time between baking the pizza bagels and eating them, that’s ok! You can reheat them at 400 degrees until they crisp up again.
More shortcut pizza recipes
These pizza bagels go over well with anyone: especially kids! There are lots of other ways to make “shortcut” pizza! Here are a few more ways to try:
Try a simple Tortilla Pizza, French Bread Pizza, or Pita PizzaMake a simple English Muffin PizzaGo for a Naan Pizza or Flatbread PizzaOpt for unique gluten-free spins: an Eggplant Pizza or a Portobello Pizza
This pizza bagels recipe is…
Vegetarian. For gluten-free, use gluten-free bagels.
5 from 1 review
