If you ask a group of people what food they like best, many folks will probably answer that it’s pizza. Returning soldiers from Italy after World War II came home with a taste for this Italian classic and ever since then pizza has been an American favorite.
Pizza’s been made into just about every shape one can imagine, from French bread pizzas to mini pizza bagels to the infamous Pizza Rolls. Now, we’ve got a new recipe for pizza cupcakes and these little personal pizza treats are every bit as delicious as they look!
To start this recipe brown some Italian sausage in a skillet and then add in some finely diced onion and green pepper.
Then comes the crust, which relies on the unlikely hero of Crescent Rolls. This versatile dough can be unrolled and then re-shaped to fit into a muffin or cupcake pan like a little pie crust.
Fill each crust with some of the sausage mixture as the first layer of your pizza cupcakes.
Then follow that up with a spoonful of pizza sauce and layer on the mozzarella cheese and some mini pepperoni. After that you’re ready to bake these bad boys up.
If your grocery doesn’t have the minis then you can simply cut some regular size pepperoni slices into quarters instead. However, the minis are so cute that I highly recommend getting them if you can!
These pizza cupcakes are great for little ones that have a hard time eating slices of pizza. Plus they’re great for parties, too. And, since there are 8 rolls in a can of Crescent Rolls, you can easily double or triple the recipe just by buying another roll or 2 and using a bit more of the other ingredients.
These pizza cupcakes are so cute and so tasty that you can’t help but enjoy this fun twist on a beloved classic.
Pizza Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1/4 lb mild Italian sausage
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 green pepper, seeded and diced
- 1/2 small white onion, diced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 (8-oz) can refrigerated crescent rolls
- 1/2 cup pizza sauce
- 1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup mini pepperoni slices
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 375˚F. Brown sausage in skillet on medium heat, about 10 minutes. Drain fat and add in green pepper, onion, salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning. Cook until onion becomes soft and begins to turn translucent, about 6-8 minutes.
- Line each of 8 slots of cupcake pans with a crescent roll. Manipulate the dough until it forms a small crust and covers both the sides and the bottom of the cupcake slot evenly.
- Spoon in some of the sausage mixture, followed by the sauce. Then add some cheese and finish by topping with pepperoni.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes or until cheese is melted and crusts have turned golden brown.
Recipe adapted from Pillsbury.