Description
Soft, savory pizza muffins filled with tomato sauce, mozzarella, Italian herbs, pepperoni, and optional bell pepper. They are easy to pack for school lunches, work lunches, snacks, picnics, or meal prep.
Ingredients
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
¾ cup milk
⅓ cup neutral oil
½ cup pizza sauce
1¼ cups shredded mozzarella, divided
½ cup finely chopped pepperoni, divided
⅓ cup finely diced bell pepper, optional
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin pan well or line it with sturdy paper liners.
2. Whisk the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs until blended. Add the milk, neutral oil, and pizza sauce, then whisk until smooth.
4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Fold gently until only a few flour streaks remain.
5. Fold in 1 cup of the mozzarella, about ⅓ cup of the chopped pepperoni, and the optional diced bell pepper. Stop mixing as soon as no dry flour remains.
6. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin wells, filling each about three-quarters full.
7. Top the muffins with the remaining ¼ cup mozzarella and remaining chopped pepperoni.
8. Bake for 18–22 minutes, or until the tops are set, the edges are lightly golden, and a toothpick inserted into the bread portion comes out without wet batter.
9. Cool the muffins in the pan for 5 minutes, then loosen the edges and transfer them to a wire rack.
Notes
Measure the flour using the spoon-and-level method to prevent dry, heavy muffins.
Chop the pepperoni and optional vegetables finely so they remain evenly distributed in the batter.
Sauté watery vegetables such as mushrooms, zucchini, or fresh tomatoes before adding them.
Do not add extra pizza sauce to the batter because excess moisture can make the centers gummy.
Cool the muffins completely before packing or storing them.
Refrigerate in an airtight container for 3–4 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Reheat refrigerated leftovers until hot, ideally reaching 165°F.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 230 kcal
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 430mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 8g
- Cholesterol: 38mg