Great Idea Mal!
Here is another by my friend JJ..
I can't wait to try these!
>>>>>>>>>>
Pita Bread Pizzas, by JJ
Pita Bread
chopped, sliced and diced veggies
browned and diced meats
Italian Seasoning
Shredded Cheese
This is a fun thing to do with a crowd of people.
All your prep work can be done hours ahead of time, even the day before. The ingredients are put out in individual bowls, and everyone creates their own pizza.
Start with regular Pita bread circles.
We use the standard size, but you might want to get some of the larger ones for the guys.
Then, in your bowls, you put your toppings. Here are some examples:
Diced tomatoes, small pepperoni slices, diced green pepper, green and black sliced olives, chopped onion, chopped scallions, chopped chili peppers, diced and sautéed Kielbasa sausage, browned Italian or mild sausage, browned ground beef, chopped ham....well, you get the idea.
1. On each pita, smear some spaghetti or pizza sauce on top.
Not in the pocket.
(I have made it with my own leftover meat sauce, and plain marinara sauce. I like the plain sauce, my family likes the meat sauce.)
2. Now, add your selected toppings. And a tiny sprinkling of Italian seasoning, and I mean tiny too. In fact, when the children were young, I skipped this part because they ruined a few pizzas. As an alternative, you can lightly sprinkle the chopped tomatoes in the bowl with some basil.
3. Now add your cheese. You can use Mozzarella, Cheddar or a mixture of both. I get a bag that is Mozz. and Provolone blend that we are fond of, and sometimes the mixed Mexican blend.
4. Place on a cookie sheet in the middle of a 325 degree oven and bake till the cheese is melted. It takes 10-12 minutes, but watch them, you want the cheese melted and maybe golden, but not brown!
Let cool a minute or two before cutting, then cut into quarters and serve with some chips and pickles, a salad, whatever. This is great with avacodas, and I like to have fruit on the table.
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Tips:
I recommend you put out some large cutting boards or a sheet of foil on the counter for the making of these, folks get messy and it makes clean up easier. Check your cookie sheets before you get started to see which one holds the right amount for your group. I had two that would sit side by side and each would hold three, staggered. I have a big sheet that will hold five.
My husband likes the whole wheat pitas, and there are other flavors out there for you to try, but I recommend you try the plain ones first.
Kids love these, but discourage them from putting too many different toppings on their pita just because they are 'there.' They won't like them. I have found out that most kids prefer just a few things and plenty of cheese.
Now that BBQ chicken is getting so popular, you can also make these same pita pizzas with hunks of chicken coated with a mild BBQ sauce. It's really good with green pepper and onion.
If your children don't like crunchy veggies, you can lightly saute the onions and peppers and drain and pat dry.
Get the kids started on their pizzas first and let the adults enjoy their tea or beer in some peace and quiet. Kids usually make a big mess, but have a ball.
Also, discourage anyone from wanting to make two right off the bat unless you know for a fact the person has a certified hollow leg. These are very filling. Especially if you add chips and such. That's why I always get a package of the larger pitas, for big teenage boys. My husband can only eat one and a half, and he can really put food away. So you might consider suggesting going halvsies with some of the guests. It's fun to share different combinations.
These pizzas reheat very well if you have leftovers. I usually nuke them for a few seconds to take the chill off before heating in the oven, to prevent the cheese from browning.
Enjoy,
JJ
Yummy!!