These hand-held bell pepper pizzas channel the deliciousness of pizza with a healthy twist! Packing way more nutrients than the average bagel bite or pizza roll, these pizza peppers make a perfect appetizer for parties and a great healthy snack or lunch for kids!
Today we’re talking about one of my favorite subjects: PIZZA! Dare I say that pizza is practically a food group around here? It totally is!
It’s extremely rare for a week to go by that doesn’t include this easy, cheesy deliciousness in some shape or form. If pizza is wrong, I don’t want to be right!
I’ve always been one to justify my perpetual pizza kick by insisting pizza is a vegetable. If you put enough vegetables on something it, by default, becomes a vegetable… right? No?
What if I make my pizza out of bell peppers?
Hah! NOW pizza is a vegetable!
Bell Pepper Pizzas
Bell Pepper Pizzas
Ingredients
- 1 large bell pepper
- 1/4 cup pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce
- 1/4 cup grated cheese
- a pinch of red pepper flakes
- a pinch of basil or parsley
- as many toppings as you can fit!
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Slice off each of the four sides of your pepper and lay flat on a baking sheet.
- Top with sauce, then cheese, followed by any and every veggie in your crisper! I added broccoli and tomatoes to mine.
- Bake for 10 minutes, flipping your oven to broil towards the end to make the cheese nice and bubbly.
- Add a pinch of red pepper flakes and basil/parsley if desired and dig in!
Notes
Nutrition
so… how were they?!
Fantastic! These bell pepper pizzas have all the ease and integrity of an english muffin or mini bagel pizza without the pesky carbs. The bell peppers linger somewhere between crispy and tender (crender? tendy? umm.. let’s pretend I didn’t attempt that!) and make the perfect vessel for delivering pizza into your face.
They’re a great handheld snack/appetizer and you can easily make dozens to feed a crew! Turn it into a light lunch by adding your favorite side; it’s as speedy as making a sandwich but way more fun.
Of course I should mention these are pretty rockin’ for kids and adults alike! Now grab some bell peppers and meet me in the kitchen!
UPDATE: These bite-sized veggie bombs have been in regular rotation around here for ages now and I fall a little more in love each time we make them. I seriously cannot wait for you to switch up your pizza game and try these super tasty bell pepper pizzas!
Enjoy!
More Tasty Stuffed Pepper Recipes:
- Baked Bell Pepper Tacos
- Healthy Hummus Stuffed Mini Peppers
- Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Stuffed Peppers
- Buffalo Chicken Bell Peppers
The idea was intriguing, but it came out really watery—not sure if it was the toppings I chose, or the pepper that created the moisture. I’d also cook it longer. I didn’t feel the pepper was cooked enough for my liking.
Bell peppers can give off a bit of moisture so it sounds like pre-baking your peppers to soften them to your ideal tenderness would be the way to go! What you’ll do is bake them on their own for 10 minutes, then pat dry (if needed), add toppings, and bake until idea softness is reached. I like mine al-dente and a bit crisp while my husband likes his soft almost like a stuffed pepper casserole. I totally get that everyone has a different preference so I think this longer bake time + method would work great for you Amy! xoxo
Oh my gosh – so delish, used a variety of peppers & each person custom topped theirs – some with pepperoni, bacon, tomatoes, multiple cheeses…..yum!
Woot woot! So happy to hear it Kim – thank you! All your tasty bell pepper toppings sound fantastic!
Jenn, I made these this weekend and they were fantastic (even as left overs)! I used garden vegetable tomato sauce, and I topped them with cheese, pineapple, and turkey pepperoni. This is definitely going to become a staple in my household.
I was wondering if I have your permission to use this recipe web page and pictures as visual aids in a formal procedural speech that I will be presenting in front of 22 people for my college speech class? I love the idea behind this recipe so much that I want to be able to share it with my classmates.
Hi Tanner, thanks for your sweet review – I’m so glad you enjoyed the pizzas! You have my permission to use the photo for your college speech class presentation, thanks for asking!
What a great healthy recipe!
I love the combination of flavors in these bell pepper pizzas! I have to give them a try because I love bell peppers!
This is such an easy meal to whip up on busy evenings. I love how you can add literally anything and it tastes delicious. I LOVE pizza (who doesn’t?) and this is a great healthier option. By creating veggie-centric recipes that involve cheese, you have succeeded in getting me to eat more vegetables. Haha!
How do broil in the microwave? And will the bell still be rawish in the end ? I’d like a smoked texture ..is that possible??
Hi Sharon! I’m not sure on microwave instructions as I make these in the oven or toaster oven. You’re welcome to experiment if you’d like – let me know how it goes! 🙂
do you have container counts for this for 21 day fix?
Hey Becky! I don’t but it’s one of those, measure to fit your needs kind of dishes. The veggie container you can have unlimited amounts of for 21 Day Fix so just measure out the sauce and cheeses according to what your custom plan is for 21DF and you should be good to go!
I just made these for dinner tonight. They were excellent! I made mine with spinach, mushrooms and olives.
Thanks Jenene! Spinach and mushrooms sound SO good right now! I might have to join ya! 🙂
The way I see it, pizza is a whole food, you have your carb in the crust, the sauce is your vegetable, the cheese becomes your protein and the pepperoni is your fat with more protein thrown….now with recipe you kick up your veggie servings and knock out the carbs….the perfect handheld food….what’s not to love….depending on toppings you have a rocking whole meal in this handheld beauty….ty for the great recipe….
I love your outlook, Martha. Pizza is basically the perfect food 🙂
Beautiful presentation! I can’t wait to try!
My new favorite snack
The folks at my CrossFit box are going to flip for this one. I mean it. They’re literally gonna flip!
I expect them to flip into a fit of burpees or at LEAST hand stand push-ups! =) Love it!
Holy yum lady!!
I made these and a salad for dinner tonight and it was great! I did multicolored peppers with chopped tomato, mozzarella, and lots of spices. A little marinara on the side was pizza heaven. 🙂 So much better than some of those other soggy crust-alternatives I’ve tried. Thank you for this great (and obvious – how did I never try it before??) idea!
This. Looks. Amazing. I’m so freaking excited to try it – thank you! I looooove fast and healthy meals :D.
Bell peppers are PROBABLY one of the BEST vehicles EVER!!!
This is one of those recipes you think seriously why did I not come up with this! So good!
You need to stop with this. Too many recipes, not enough time. I legit just sent off the recipe for your everything biscuits to a mate to make….and make extra too 😉
You made pizza a vegetable. You win. I bow before you.
I also know what I’m going to do with all those bell peppers when they start coming in droves in my CSA. 🙂
I just had homemade naan pizza last night, and this is the perfect excuse to make more pizza today!
Umm…can I just say I love you? This is freaking awesome.
They hold the sauce and toppings wayyyyyy better!
Amazing!
Yum! I’ll take any excuse to eat pizza! Do you think this could also be done on the grill and/or George Forman type appliance? Would it still be crender and tendy? 😉
Interesting idea! Grill it and report back! I would probably foil pouch it so you don’t wind up with pizza all up in your cracks. =)
Even better than cauliflower crust of using zucchini rounds
YOU ARE A GENIUS!! 🙂