Personal pizza meets meal prep for this easy cold lunch idea! Customize these English Muffin Mini Pizzas with your favorite toppings like veggies or pepperoni, then eat them cold or reheated during the week!
The search for food that works well for meal prep always continues around here. Since summer is approaching, I’m especially on the hunt for meal prep foods that don’t need to be reheated. Cold lunches are always winners during warm weather (speaking of, have you checked out my post 16 Cold Lunch Ideas to Make for Work This Week? Add this one to the list!).
I was on a pizza lunchable quest when a very smart person in the Project Meal Plan Facebook Group helped me out with a suggestion: English muffins! Two little mini pizza crust circles, hiding in plain sight!! They’re perfect because the edges get all crispy when the pizzas are toasted, but the middle stays soft and pizza-like.
Have you ever put pizza on an English muffin? Time to try it out!
How do you make English muffin mini pizzas?
There are a couple minor steps required for making your mini pizzas, but otherwise, customize to your heart’s delight! Obviously, you’re going to have to start with English muffins. Most come in packs of six, so while this recipe uses four of them, you can either make MORE mini pizzas (woohoo!) or use them for breakfast! I used Thomas’ Light Whole Grain English Muffins, which are conveniently 100 calories each! You can eat FOUR mini pizzas, and your crust is only 200 calories. SOLD.
Cut your English muffins in half and lay them on a baking sheet, cut side up (I put some foil on my baking sheet for easy cleanup). Add about 1 tablespoon of sauce to each mini pizza crust (previously known as half an English muffin), then a big pinch of mozzarella cheese. Load with your fave toppings!! LOAD. This is your lunch people!
Now, add another tiny sprinkle of cheese to hold everything together after it’s melty. Bake in a preheated 400F oven for 5-7 minutes, OR toss them in your (not preheated) toaster oven and bake at 400F for 9-10 minutes.
What are some English muffin mini pizza topping ideas?
Good news! You can put any pizza toppings on these English muffin mini pizzas. But yes, I’m here to give you some toppings ideas too!
Tip for toppings: Use what’s already in your fridge!! Each mini pizza can only fit a couple tablespoons worth of toppings, so using what’s already in your fridge is a great way to save money and reduce food waste. Anything from random veggie scraps (see “Total Veggie” below) to breakfast sausage and pineapple.
That being said, here are a few places to start with your topping ideas:
How do you meal prep these English muffin mini pizzas?
Simple! Let them cool to about room temp, and then portion them out into containers. I like two mini pizzas per meal prep lunch, but you do you. Add some fresh fruit or veggies, or a side salad to your meal prep container, and there’s lunch.
To store my English muffin mini pizza meal prep lunches, I use these 2 compartment glass meal prep containers. I like how it keeps the mini pizzas separate from any sides I’ve packed. Any airtight container will work! Store in the fridge and eat within 3-4 days.
How do you reheat these English muffin mini pizzas?
First of all, let me say that these English muffin mini pizzas are delicious cold, straight from the fridge! If you like cold pizza, these are a yummy, lower calorie substitute!
To reheat from the fridge, place in a toaster oven and bake at 400F for 4-5 minutes until the cheese is melty. You can also reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds, but this is my least recommended method.
To reheat from the freezer, place in a toaster oven and bake at 400F for 12-15 minutes, or until completely heated through. You can also leave them in the fridge to thaw overnight, and then eat cold or reheat as mentioned above.
Can you freeze the English muffin mini pizzas?
Sure can! After cooking, freeze them separately on a baking sheet for at least 4 hours, then store them in a Ziploc or freezer safe container for up to 3 months. This way they won’t stick together and you can grab or two at a time.
More cold lunch meal prep ideas from Project Meal Plan:
Want to Save this recipe for later?
Did you make this? I want to see how it turned out! Tag me in your social media post @projectmealplan and use #projectmealplan when you share!
Print
English Muffin Mini Pizzas Meal Prep
Personal pizza meets meal prep for this easy cold lunch idea! Customize these English Muffin Mini Pizzas with your favorite toppings, then eat them cold or reheated during the week!
- Total Time20 minutes
- Yield4 servings 1x
Ingredients
Mini Pizza Ingredients:
- 4 English muffins, cut in half (I used Thomas’ Whole Grain Light)
- 1/2 cup marinara or pizza sauce
- 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ~1 cup total of your favorite toppings, cut into small pieces
Topping ideas (makes 8 mini pizzas each):
Peppery Pepperoni: 1/4 green bell pepper (chopped) + ~20 pepperonis (cut in half)
Total Veggie: 1 TB carrots (shredded) + 1 TB bell pepper (chopped) + 5-7 spinach leaves (chopped) + 1 mushroom (sliced & chopped)
Meaty Pineapple: 1/2 cup chopped meat (sausage, bacon, etc.) + 1/2 cup pineapple chunks (drained, cut into small pieces)
Shroomy Spinach: 10-15 spinach leaves (chopped) + 2 mushrooms (sliced & chopped)
Try using ingredients already in your fridge for toppings!
Instructions
- Prep & sauce: Preheat the oven to 400F, or use a small toaster oven and skip preheating. Cut your English muffins in half and lay them on a lined baking sheet, cut side up. Add 1 tablespoon of sauce to each mini pizza crust (8 total), then top with a big pinch of mozzarella cheese.
- Add toppings & bake: Next, load each mini pizza with your favorite toppings (about 2 tablespoons of toppings each). Finally, add another tiny sprinkle of cheese to hold everything together after it’s melty. Bake in a preheated 400F oven for 5-7 minutes, OR toss them in your (not preheated) toaster oven and bake at 400F for 9-10 minutes.
- Serve and store: Let the mini pizzas cool completely, then portion into airtight containers and store in the fridge. I prefer two mini pizzas for each meal, plus a side of fresh cut veggies or a salad.
- To reheat: Place in a toaster oven and bake at 400F for 4-5 minutes until the cheese is melty; or microwave for 30 seconds (may get soggy this way). These are also very delicious cold!
Notes
These mini pizzas can be frozen: After cooking, freeze them separately on a baking sheet for at least 4 hours, then store them in a Ziploc or freezer safe container for up to 3 months. To reheat from the freezer, place in a toaster oven and bake at 400F for 12-15 minutes, or until completely heated through. You can also leave them in the fridge to thaw overnight, and then eat cold or reheat as mentioned above.
Nutrition information estimated with MyFitnessPal and only includes two pepperoni mini pizzas (no sides).
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Lunch
- Method: Baked
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 mini pizzas
- Calories: 234
- Fat: 11g
- Carbohydrates: 31g
- Fiber: 10g
- Protein: 12g
Did You Make This?
I love seeing what you made! Leave a review below, and be sure to tag me at @ProjectMealPlan when you share a photo!
What an easy meal idea. I am always looking for new lunch ideas. My kids would love these.
Everyone in the house would love these! Thanks Kallee! Hope you guys enjoy!
Hello, toddler meal prep! My kids would absolutely love their own, personalized mini English muffin pizzas. Love this idea!
I don’t have kids so I didn’t want to advertise these as kid-friendly, but I had a feeling they might be! You’ve confirmed it for me! Thank you so much Nancy!
This sounds like a delicious meal! How many days would you say these can last in the fridge?
Hey Abby! Four days max in the fridge 🙂
I made this for dinner tonight it was definitely delicious 😋
How come you chopped pineapples instead of using pineapple tidbits for the Meaty pineapple pizza, which I’m assuming you were thinking about the rings?
If the pineapple chunks are larger, then I would go ahead and cut them into smaller pieces. If you like the size of the chunks, feel free to leave them how they are. And yes, I would cut the pineapple into smaller pieces if it was rings as well. It’s up to you!