Description
These Kid-Friendly Pizza Casserole Cups are perfect for busy parents. They’re quick to make, nutritious, and a fun way to get your kids to eat. My son, Leo, absolutely loves these, and they’ve even won over my daughter, Mia, on picky eating days.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped onion (finely diced for picky eaters)
- 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper (any color, finely diced)
- 1/2 pound ground turkey or lean ground beef
- 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent roll dough
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup mini pepperoni (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper and cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add ground turkey or beef to the skillet and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until no longer pink. Drain any excess fat.
- Stir in tomato sauce, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld. This is your pizza sauce base!
- Unroll the crescent roll dough and separate it into 8 triangles. Cut each triangle in half lengthwise, creating 16 smaller triangles.
- Press one crescent roll triangle into each muffin cup, gently stretching it up the sides to form a cup. You’ll have extra dough; you can either discard it or use it to make a few extra cups if you have a larger muffin tin.
- Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the meat and sauce mixture into each crescent roll cup.
- Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of mozzarella cheese over the top of each cup. If using, add a few mini pepperoni to each.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the crescent rolls are golden brown and the cheese is bubbly and melted.
- Let the pizza casserole cups cool in the muffin tin for a few minutes before carefully removing them. Serve warm.
Notes
- For a vegetarian option, swap the meat for sautéed mushrooms and zucchini.
- You can prepare the meat and sauce mixture ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- These are great for lunchboxes too! Pack them cold or gently reheat.
- Encourage your kids to help assemble the cups; it makes them more likely to eat them!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 350mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 9g
- Cholesterol: 25mg