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The following recipe and photography were provided by local blogger Carolyn Hodges of The Dinner Shift.
This tailgate season, why not add a few more plant-based options to your game day spread?
These gluten-free two-bite appetizers are made with quinoa and kidney beans and seasoned with the perfect combination of tomato paste, dried herbs, spices and mozzarella cheese to deliver all the flavor of a classic slice.
I suggest serving these pizza bites with a dipping sauce. I’m including the recipe for a yogurt-based parmesan garlic sauce, but ranch dressing or warm marinara sauce work great, too.
To keep this recipe vegan, swap in non-dairy shredded cheese for the mozzarella and serve with warm marinara or pizza sauce.
Quinoa Pizza Bites
- Cook time:
- 20min
- Prep time:
- 20min
- Total time:
- 40min
- Servings:
- 12 Pizza Bites
Ingredients
For the Quinoa Pizza Bites
- ½ cup Heinen’s tri-color quinoa, uncooked
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp. kosher salt, divided
- 1 can Heinen’s dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- ⅓ cup Heinen’s tomato paste
- 2 ½ tsp. Heinen’s dried oregano
- 2 tsp. Heinen’s garlic powder
- 1 tsp. Heinen’s onion powder
- ¾ cup Heinen’s shredded mozzarella cheese
- Heinen’s extra virgin olive oil spray
For the Parmesan Garlic Sauce
- 5 oz. container Fage 2% Greek yogurt, plain
- 3 Tbsp. Heinen's 24-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano
- 2-3 Tbsp. water
- ½ tsp. Heinen's garlic powder
- Kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Spray a sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Combine the quinoa, water and ½ tsp. of kosher salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a low simmer and cover. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to stand 5 minutes, covered. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork. Set aside.
- In a food processor, pulse the kidney beans 20-30 times, or until mashed but not pureed. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the tomato paste, seasonings and ½ tsp. of kosher salt. Fold in the cooked quinoa and cheese. Stir until well-combined.
- Roll the mixture into 12 balls (about 1 ½-2 inches in diameter) and arrange them in a single layer on a sheet pan. Spray with olive oil spray. Bake for 20 minutes.
- While the bites bake, prepare the sauce. In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, parmesan cheese, 2 Tbsp. of water and the garlic powder. Season to taste with salt. Add more water for a thinner consistency.
- Transfer the pizza bites to a plate and serve warm alongside the parmesan garlic dipping sauce.
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