Freezer Ready Mini Pizzas

It’s a dark dreary day here in New Orleans, so I won’t be doing any cooking today. Instead, I’m going to share this fun little freezer ready snack that I made this week. I looooove stocking my freezer with quick meals and snacks that I can just grab and reheat on a whim because it really cuts down on the temptation to go out to eat or pick up “to go” food. These Freezer Ready Mini Pizzas really hit the spot on rainy weekends like this when I just want to sit around being all cozy and watching movies. ☺️

English muffins are the perfect base for these Freezer Ready Mini Pizzas because they bake up all nice and crisp around the edges, but stay soft in the center. Plus, they’re just the right size, and are super cheap if you buy generic. One thing to look for when buying your English muffins is the shape. I noticed that some brands were a bit more spherical, while others were flat and round. Flat and round definitely works best for this application.

One thing that makes these Freezer Ready Mini Pizzas so easy to make is utilizing the salad bar for toppings. Because the pizzas are so small, you really don’t need a lot of toppings for each, which would make it difficult if you were to buy each topping individually. If you grab a small handful of each topping from the salad bar you pay only for what you need and have no leftovers. One rule of thumb for buying toppings on a salad bar: you always need less than you think, so go small.

Freezer Ready Mini Pizzas

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Prep time 8 hours
Cook time 15 mins
Total time 8 hours 15 mins
Total Cost: $4.31 Cost Per Serving: $1.17 each Serves: 12 pizzas
Ingredients

6 English Muffins $1.99
¾ cup pizza sauce $0.65
1.5 cup shredded mozzarella $1.50
Salad Bar Vegetables* $1.17

Instructions

Line two small baking sheets with foil or parchment paper (or do one sheet at a time, preparing the second batch the second day). Open the English muffins and line them up on the baking sheets with cut sides facing up.
Spread about 1 Tbsp pizza sauce over the surface of each muffin, then top with about 2 Tbsp shredded mozzarella.
Chop the salad bar vegetables into very small pieces, then divide them evenly among the pizzas. Press down lightly on top of each pizza to help compact the toppings and keep them in place as they freeze. Cover the baking sheets with plastic wrap and freeze for about 8 hours, or until the pizzas are solid.
Once the pizzas are frozen solid, carefully transfer them to a gallon sized freezer bag for long term storage (you may need two bags). For the best results, the pizzas should be cooked and eaten within 3 months.
To bake the pizzas, take out the number you wish to bake, place them on a baking sheet, and let them partially thaw as you preheat the oven to 400ºF (about 7 minutes). Once the oven is fully preheated, bake the pizzas for about 15 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the cheese is melted. Baking time will vary depending on your oven and the amount of toppings on the pizzas.

Notes A salad bar is a great place to get a small amount of a variety of toppings. Many larger grocery stores now include ready-to-eat food, including salad bars.
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Step by Step Photos

Line a baking sheet (or two) with parchment or foil. Open the English muffins and line them up on the sheet with cut sides up. This recipe is for 6 English muffins, or 12 pizzas total. You can assemble them all at once if there is room in your freezer for two baking sheets, or just make one sheet full at a time, preparing the second batch the next day (that’s what I did).

Top each English muffin with about 1 Tbsp pizza sauce (I used a generic jar of pizza sauce) and about 2 Tbsp shredded mozzarella.

For my pizza toppings, I grabbed a few things off the salad bar at the grocery store. I picked up some black olives, mushrooms, spinach, red onion, and red bell pepper. I get toppings for pizza from salad bars fairly often and one piece of advice I can offer is that you always need less than you think. So, only grab a very small amount of each item.

These Freezer Ready Mini Pizzas are just that–MINI. So, we need to chop the toppings into really small pieces to make sure they stick.

Divide the chopped toppings among the pizzas. Press down on each pizza slightly to help compact the toppings so that they stick together better once frozen.

Cover the baking sheet(s) with plastic wrap and freezer for about 8 hours, or until the pizzas are frozen solid.

At that point, transfer them to a gallon sized freezer bag for long term storage. The freezer bag is air-tight and will help prevent freezer burn and maintain the quality. You’ll still want to cook up your pizzas within a few months, though, as they may begin to dry out if stored longer.

When you’re ready to eat your cute little Freezer Ready Mini Pizzas, simply preheat the oven to 400ºF. Take the pizzas (any number that you want) out of the freezer and place them on a baking sheet to thaw a bit as the oven preheats. Once the oven is fully up to temp, bake the pizzas for about 15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned and crispy, and the cheese is melted. Baking time will vary a bit from oven to oven and depending on what you’ve topped your pizzas with, so keep an eye on them as they bake.

This really makes me want to get a toaster oven. :P

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