Pizza Pucks
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 ...
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 ...
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Total Time45 mins
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories: 638.325kcal
Ingredients
- 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!
Nutrition
Serving: 4g | Calories: 638.325kcal | Carbohydrates: 9.255g | Protein: 39.6425g | Fat: 49.4075g | Fiber: 1.3825g