Pizza on a Tuesday without waiting on delivery
Eight slices of hearty bread, three-quarters of a cup of pizza sauce, mozzarella, and twenty-four turkey pepperoni. Six minutes under the element and the cheese is bubbling.
Thick bread is the whole trick. Sandwich bread goes limp under the sauce and a kid ends up eating a wet napkin, then complaining they are still hungry from the back seat at 5:50.
Ingredients
The recipe serves 4. Plan on about 15 minutes.
- 8 slices hearty sandwich bread or 4 English muffins, split
- 3/4 cup pizza sauce
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 24 turkey pepperoni slices
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 4 cups chopped romaine or mixed greens
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1/4 cup Italian dressing
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
How to Make It
- Heat the toaster oven or oven to 425F.
- Arrange the bread on a sheet pan and spread each slice with about 1 tablespoon pizza sauce.
- Top each with mozzarella, three pepperoni slices, and a pinch of Italian seasoning.
- Bake 6 to 8 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
- Meanwhile, toss the greens and carrots with the Italian dressing and Parmesan.
- Plate two pizza toasts per person with a handful of the salad crunch alongside.
Timing Before Practice
Pizza toasts bake in under 10 minutes, so start about 20 minutes before you leave.
- T-minus 20: heat the oven and build the toasts
- T-minus 10: bake the toasts and toss the salad
- T-minus 5: plate early eaters, then water bottles and shoes
Make It Ahead or Save Leftovers
Build the toasts ahead and bake them fresh so the bread stays crisp.
- Assemble unbaked toasts in the morning and refrigerate them
- Keep the salad and dressing separate until serving
- Reheat leftover toasts in the toaster oven, not the microwave, to stay crunchy
- Serve with: grape tomatoes, a clementine
Parent Tip
Use a thick, sturdy bread so the toast holds the sauce and cheese without going soggy.
Make it fit tonight
Small changes that make this one fit your night
English muffins for smaller hands
Split muffins hold their edges better than bread and a first-grader can hold one without it folding.
Toasts built in the morning
Assemble them unbaked on a tray, cover, and refrigerate; at 4:50 you only turn the oven on.
Dressing kept off the greens until plating
Shredded carrots and romaine stay crunchy all afternoon as long as the Italian dressing waits.
Mushrooms and peppers on two of them
Load half the tray for the kid who likes vegetables and leave the rest plain pepperoni.
Reheated in the toaster, never the microwave
Two minutes back under the element brings the crunch back; ninety seconds in the microwave kills it.
Plan the next step
Get more kid-built dinners
Collect a few meals kids assemble themselves so the cook gets a small break.