Garlic Chile Mini Pizzas are quick snacks or lunches made with an amazing garlic chile topping, little pita breads, and shredded cheese. Store the topping in the fridge and whip up a pizza on a moment’s notice.
Make the topping ahead of time, assemble pizzas an hour or two before serving, then pop in the oven or microwave just 5 minutes before serving – easy!
When I made this, I was waffling about publishing it as a topping recipe versus a pizza recipe. The bottom line is that this topping would be wonderful on all kinds of dishes – rice, in a burrito, a quesadilla, spread it on bread, top a baked potato with it. But … so far I’ve only made a mini pizza with it.
You can also blend it into a smooth paste and spread it on crackers, bread or anything else. I haven’t had a chance to really experiment with it yet. I also think it might freeze well and should store in the fridge for at least two weeks.
Got any ideas for other ways to use it? It’s easy enough to make and really, really tasty.
- Topping
- 12 large garlic cloves
- ¾ cup diced onion
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup diced green chiles
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- ½ tsp Smoked Paprika
- Salt to taste
- Pizza makings - [topping makes 8 to 10 pizzas]
- 8 small pita breads (4-inch Pitettes)_
- 2 cups shredded cheese (Monterey Jack or Mozarella)
- Garlic chile topping
- Peel garlic cloves (remove papery skin).
- Place garlic, onion, and olive oil in a skillet with a lid. Stir to distribute oil and put lid on.
- Cook on medium low, stirring every 5 minutes or so, until garlic is soft, about 20 to 30 minutes. (Smash a garlic clove with a fork - it should easily smash into a paste.) [Note: You can also bake the garlic and onion in the olive oil for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.]
- With a fork, smash all the garlic into a paste, then stir in the chiles, balsamic vinegar, and Smoked Paprika. Add salt to taste.
- For each pizza, take one little pita bread, spread ¼ cup shredded cheese on top, and sprinkle or dot it with about 2 tbsp of the topping.
- Microwave for about 45 seconds or bake in oven at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes.
- Enjoy!
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