Servings: 4 Prep: 20 min Cook: 25 min Total: 45 min
In my pickle of a pursuit for the perfect pizza, I’ve decided to play with a fairly common approach towards low-carb deep dish pizza making. The idea is, in short, to make a thick crust-like creature consisting of cream cheese, cheese and eggs. This is par-baked, then it is topped with pizza toppings, then baked again!
I cannot take credit for this recipe, but I wouldn’t even know who to give the credit TO. Some version of this recipe exists in thousands of low-carb recipe “hot spots”. So, I’m going to give the credit to someone who’s site has probably helped hundreds of thousands of people … possibly millions! Check out one version of the following recipe, at Linda’s Low Carb.
My personal twist is two-fold. One: to use all fresh ingredients. I’m a fan of fresh herbs and garlic, but understand completely why people would use dried and powdered. Use your discretion on this one. Two: somewhere along the line, I developed a habit of baking things into a silicon muffin pan. I “think” it started with frittatas, but it’s evolved into other things … these delightful pizza pucks included!
Obviously, you could use any number of ingredients and toppings, much like as with a regular pizza. I’m going to go with a “meat lovers” variety because … I love meat! Meat is NEAT!
My conclusion? It was VERY good and certainly hit the spot. It tasted like pizza. That is to say, it tasted like pizza TOPPINGS. Imagine ordering a fantastic pizza, with all the stuff you love, then asking for triple exxxtra cheese. When it arrives, pick off only the cheese and toppings and devour with glee. THIS is what this tasted like. In fact, the way they are constructed renders them also “Meat Lovers Pizza Stuffed Cheese”. An excellent flavor, easy and fun to eat, but … not a perfect pizza. My pickle of a pursuit continues …
Pizza Pucks
Print RateIngredients
- 4 ounces regular cream cheese (not low-fat) softened
- 2 large whole eggs
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated and divided
- 3/4 lb. whole milk low moisture mozzarella, grated and divided
- 1 tsp fresh oregano chopped
- 4 each garlic cloves minced
- 4 ounces raw italian sausage
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 1/4 cup real bacon bits
- 24 thin slices pepperoni
- salt fresh cracked pepper and chile flakes, to taste
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375 F.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, eggs, 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese and 1/2 lb. of the grated mozzarella, with the fresh oregano and minced garlic.
- If you're not using a non-stick muffin pan, grease 12 muffin cups. If your trays are non-stick, don't worry about it.
- Spoon equal amounts of "crust batter" into the base of 12 muffin cups.
- Bake in the pre-heated oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the edges of the "crusts" begin to lightly turn brown. Remove from the oven.
- At this point, with the back of a teaspoon, push the centers of the newly puffed crusts downward, making a bit of a well in the center, with higher "crust walls" around the rim.
- In a saute pan, cook the sausage and break it up with a spoon, until it resembles cooked ground beef.
- Fill the center of crusts' indentations with a spoonful of marinara sauce, and an even distribution of your toppings. Finally, dust the toppings with the rest of your two cheeses.
- Bake for 12 more minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let "rest" for about 10 minutes, prior to popping the pizza pucks from their trays and serving.
- Serve!
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* Learn More: More about this recipe and nutrition …
Oh…yum!!! These are fantastic! I like them better than regular pizza. It’s like having a secret surprise of wonderful flavor in the middle. I sent a picture of the ones I made to my daughter and she HAD to make them for her family for supper. They also loved them. Great recipe!!
Wow, Sharon! BETTER THAN PIZZA?! I didn’t even think that was possible! For me, "pizza" is like the Holy Grail. It’s this mythical creature that I’m always striving to duplicate perfectly and … you go and tell me I’ve surpassed it?! THANK YOU! :)<br />
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While I do definitely like these, they’re a bit "cheese overload" for me. The search continues!
I made these for dinner tonight. They are very good! I agree that it’s a great way to get your fix for pizza toppings. It was a little cheesy for me (I don’t think I’ve ever said that before). The crust was a nice balance between gooey cheese and a substantial quiche. Next time I will skip the mozzarella topping and just use a small sprinkle of parmesan. I will make them again, though. Thank you!
Thanks for the thoughts, AndiB! I agree, these are INCREDIBLY cheesy! For those looking to avoid cheese, stay away. For this that LOVE the cheesy parts and toppings of a pizza, this one way ticket to pizza topping heaven!
Really? Cheese overload! NOT POSSIBLE!! LOL
WI CHEESY, I’m inclined to agree with you! 🙂
They were delicious…This low carb might not be a bad thing after all with meals like this:)
That is certainly the goal, Unknown!
If I am reading this correctly, is one serving 3 of these pizza “muffins”? So 3 of them have the net carb count? (Not just one?)
I made these for dinner tonight and LOVED them! This definitely helps curb my pizza cravings and they were not too cheesy for me. Thanks again for another great recipe! Your website is helping me stick to this eating plan.
—Reply posted by DJ on 4/17/2015
YAY!!! Fantastic and … thank you for the kind words. Happy I can help! 🙂
This is definitely one of my favorites! Quick question, if I wanted to modify this and do it in like a 9 x 13 pan, how long do you think I would need to bake it for?
And just for a side note, the first time I ate this was the first time I realized that I seriously could actually do this diet. Game Changer! 🙂