Mini Pizza Recipes - What's Cooking Wednesday

Mini pizzas can be a fun appetizer or weeknight meal that will make folks wonder how you got things done. Ingredients 2 (16 oz) jars chunky salsa 2 oz can sliced black olives 1 cup ham, cooked and chopped 2 (12 inch) pizza crusts, or frozen cheese pizzas 3/4 cup sliced fresh mushrooms 3/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 2 (8 oz) packages Monterey Jack cheese, or cheddar lettuce, shredded sour cream Preparation Step 1 Position the oven rack at the lowest level. If you have a pizza stone, place it in the oven on the rack. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Step 2 Heat the oil in a small saucepan and saute the mushrooms and green pepper over medium heat until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Step 3 Cut the crusts into biscuit sized pieces using a biscuit cutter. Distribute the vegetables evenly over the crusts. Reserve 1 cup of the salsa and spoon the remaining salsa evenly over the 2 pizzas. If you don't have a pizza stone, place the pizzas on a baking sheet. They won't be as crisp as they would be if you placed them directly on the rack, but this is a lot less messy. Step 4 Bake the pizzas for 10-12 minutes, and then sprinkle with the cheese. Bake for 7 minutes more. Serve pizza slices topped with the reserved salsa, olives, cooked ham, shredded lettuce and sour cream. Variatoins: -For a Greek style pizza, use olives, tapenade, spinach and feta cheese. -For an Italian style pizza, use tomato sauce and provolone cheese.