Crusty French-Bread Pizzas
May 31, 2010 Bread, Kid-Friendly, Recipes, Vegetables, Vegetarian 1 Comment
Unless we have a dinner party, we usually can’t eat an entire loaf of French bread, so we’re left with a half that quickly gets stale or moldy. What a waste! Here’s an idea for how to turn left-over bread that’s a little stale into fun mini pizzas for a snack or lunch. Bonus points if your bread is whole-grain.
For the sauce, you can use either marinara or pizza sauce. However, if you choose marinara, make sure your bread is stale. If it’s soft and fresh, this wetter sauce may make the bread a little soggy.
For toppings, use anything you may have on hand. I picked a variety of summer veggies, diced small so my kids will eat them. Other ideas are chopped ham and pineapple, pepperoni, left-over breakfast sausage, or left-over and shredded chicken breast.
Ingredients:
1/2 Loaf French Bread (sour dough, whole-wheat, or any other variety), sliced into four
1/2 cup pizza or marinara sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons chopped red pepper
2 tablespoons chopped zucchini
1 tablespoon sliced red onion
1 large cremini mushroom, halved and sliced
Method:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Place the sliced bread into a shallow, oven-safe baking dish. Spread the sauce over the bread to evenly coat each slice. Next, sprinkle the cheese over each slice.
Distribute the toppings among the slices. Don’t put them on too thickly, or the moisture from the vegetables may make your pizza soggy.
Bake the pizzas for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and gooey and the vegetables begin to soften. Serve immediately as an afternoon snack or a light lunch.
Makes 4 servings
