Cheesy Muffin Pizzas

4.70 (22)
⏱ 20 mins 🍽 Serves 12 🏷 Starters

These individual pizzas are baked in a muffin tin for a fun starter. Fresh pizza dough is pressed into cups and filled with a mixture of diced chicken, mozzarella, spinach, mascarpone, Parmesan and tomato-basil sauce. They bake until golden and bubbling in about 20 minutes, making a great shareable bite.

Cheesy Muffin Pizzas

Ingredients

  • One 4-ounce chicken breast cut into 1/4-inch cubes
  • 1 cup (4 ounces) coarsely grated mozzarella
  • 2/3 cup chopped baby spinach
  • 1/2 cup (4 ounces) mascarpone
  • 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan (about 1 ounce)
  • 1/3 cup purchased tomato-basil sauce
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 a small lemon)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Nonstick vegetable oil spray
  • Plain flour, for dusting
  • 1lb ball fresh pizza dough

Method

  1. Mix the chicken, mozzarella, spinach, mascarpone, Parmesan, tomato-basil sauce, basil, lemon juice, salt and pepper together in a large bowl.
  2. Place an oven rack in the centre and heat the oven to 200°C. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray.
  3. Dust a clean surface with flour. Roll the pizza dough out into a large, thin round roughly 1/8-inch thick. Cut out 12 rounds using a 3 1/2- to 4-inch cutter.
  4. Take one dough round and press it into a muffin cup, working it up the sides. Repeat this for all the cups.
  5. Divide the filling between the dough cups, packing in 2 to 3 tablespoons for each one.
  6. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
  7. Allow the pizzas to stand for 1 minute. Gently loosen each one with a small knife before transferring to a platter to serve.

Nutrition (per serving)

Nutrition data not available.

Recipe details

CategoryStarters
AuthorFood Network UK