Homemade Pizza Bagel

About 40% of my childhood diet consisted of frozen mini pizza bagels. I would eat them by the dozen every day before soccer practice and somehow still be able to walk. It really is a mystery.

Now I’m making a slightly more grown-up version using full-size bagels. Yay! Once baked, the bagels become a wonderfully chewy base for such simple toppings as red sauce, pepperoni, and cheese.

What is a pizza bagel?

The name pretty much describes what we’re doing here – build the pizza toppings on bagels instead of pizza dough! Bagels have a chewy texture that gets crunchy on the edges, which is nice. It’s a sturdy vessel for sure and excellent in pizza form. Plus, it’s naturally made to be held in the hand. No need to cut.

Pretty much any pizza topping can go on a bagel, but in moderation. If you apply too many toppings, they will be difficult to manage. A well-made bagel pizza has crispy edges, toasty bottoms, and a chewy center.

Simple recipe, simple tips

There are a few tips and tricks to make these bagel pizzas really good.

• For starters, there’s no need to get super fancy bagels. It’s okay to use store-bought plain bagels. Save the local deli bagels for a salmon brunch.
• Don’t acidify the bagels. Shoot for about a tablespoon of sauce per slice. Too much sauce will make it soggy.
• Mini hot peppers are fun to use as they fit nicely on top of the bagel. If you can’t find them, cut regular hot peppers into quarters.

Use any savory bagel

You can use any type of bagels. A bagel with sesame, garlic, or poppy seeds works well. A salted bagel might be overkill as we add salty toppings. You might want to stay away from sweet bagels.

Other pizza bagel toppings I love

Sick of hot peppers? Try these delicious variations!

• BBQ chicken: Schmear BBQ sauce and garnish with smoked Gouda, shredded chicken and thinly sliced ​​red onions.
• Pizza Hawaii: Top with thinly sliced ​​ham and diced pineapple with mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese. Canned pineapples should be drained and dried well.
• mushroom and sausage: Crumbled Italian sausage and sautéed mushrooms are some of my favorite pizza toppings.

We have fun with “pizza”

• Cauliflower Crust Hawaiian Pizza
• Pizza casserole
• Tortilla pizza with onions, mushrooms and ricotta
• Skillet Tortilla Pizza
• Pita pizzas with mozzarella and tomato pan