Food & Cooking Recipes Snacks English Muffin Pizza Snacks Be the first to rate & review! Our take on pizza bagels is so much better than the original. By Riley Wofford Riley Wofford Riley is an associate food editor for Martha Stewart Living. Editorial Guidelines Published on March 1, 2024 Rate PRINT Share Prep Time: 5 mins Total Time: 15 mins Servings: 1 Many of us grew up on pizza bagels; mini bagels topped with the usual suspects—tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni slices—were warmed in the oven or microwave until piping hot. They could be enjoyed as an after-school snack or any time you were craving pizza. That's what inspired us to create these English muffin pizza bites. They are even better than the frozen store-bought snacks we all know and love. Why should bagels get to have all the fun? Each toasted English muffin is topped with marinara sauce and melty cheese before being topped with a pinch of dried oregano and a few leaves of fresh basil. Play around with the flavors to create the pizza snack of your dreams. 43 After-School Snacks Your Kids Will Love Jason Donnelly Why We Love These Pizza Snacks Aside from being delicious and nostalgic, they are: Kid-friendly: We have yet to meet a kid who will turn down a mini pizza! These English muffin pizza snacks pack all of the flavors of a whole pie into the size of a snack. Quick and easy: With just a few ingredients, assembling the English muffins becomes the hardest part (which is not difficult at all). All of the ingredients are store-bought (OK, maybe you'll slice the cheese yourself) so it's just a matter of layering everything onto the English muffins. They bake in under 20 minutes, so you'll have these snacks ready to go in no time. Versatile: These can be served as a hearty after-school snack or for lunch. You could even eat them for a light dinner alongside a nice side salad. Customizable: You really can use any ingredients you like. If you can put it on a pizza, you can put it on these English muffin snacks. Pizza Snack Variations BBQ Chicken: Swap in barbecue sauce for marinara and cheddar for mozzarella. Top them with shredded rotisserie chicken and thinly sliced red onion. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro. Hawaiian: Top them with bite-sized pieces of cooked ham and fresh pineapple. Omit the basil or swap it with cilantro. Veggie Lovers: Add any of your favorite roasted or grilled vegetables. We like mushrooms, bell peppers, and zucchini. S'mores: Craving something sweet instead? Swap in chocolate-hazelnut spread for marinara and omit the cheese. Top with mini marshmallows. Garnish with graham cracker crumbs. It’s important to toast the English muffins with a smear of butter before piling on the remaining ingredients. This way, the cheese and tomato sauce won’t make the bread soggy. Ingredients 1 English muffin, split Unsalted butter, softened Marinara sauce, such as Rao's or Ragù Fresh Mozzarella, sliced Sea salt, dried oregano, and fresh basil (for serving) Directions Jason Donnelly Preheat oven and arrange muffins on baking sheet: Heat oven to 400°F. Place muffin halves cut-side-up on a parchment-lined baking sheet; brush muffin halves generously with butter. Jason Donnelly Bake: Bake until lightly toasted, about 10 minutes. Jason Donnelly Add sauce and cheese; bake: Layer on marinara and mozzarella and bake until melted, 6 to 8 minutes. Jason Donnelly Serve: Sprinkle on some sea salt and dried oregano and basil leaves before serving. Jason Donnelly Storage Instructions These English muffin pizza snacks are best served fresh, but if you have leftovers, they can be stored and reheated at a later date. Let them cool completely, then arrange them in a single layer in a freezer-safe resealable bag. They will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheating Pop frozen pizza snacks onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and warm in a 400-degree Fahrenheit oven until the bottoms are crisped and the cheese is melted again, 8 to 10 minutes. You can defrost and reheat these in the microwave, but the bottoms will not get toasted and will become a bit soggy. Frequently Asked Questions Can I use bagels instead of English muffins? Yes, you can use halved bagels or even bagel thins to make these pizza snacks. We love English muffins because they are a little lighter than bagels, making them the perfect size for snacking. Can I make them in the air fryer? Yes, you can toast these pizza snacks in the air fryer. Set the temperature anywhere between 350 and 390 degrees. Make sure to spray the basket liner with nonstick pan spray before laying down the English muffins so they don’t stick to the bottom. How do I keep the English muffins from getting soggy? The trick is to toast the English muffins and get them crisp and golden before weighing them down with sauce and cheese. 6 More Snack Recipes to Try: Chocolate-Covered Bananas Yogurt, Fruit, and Honey Toast Peanut-Butter and Marshmallow Granola Bars Steamed Broccoli With Lighter Ranch Dip Pull-Apart Sliders Breakfast Taquitos Originally appeared: Martha Stewart Living, September 2021 Rate It PRINT