Mediterranean Pita Pizzas

Making pizza on pita bread is a quick and easy way to make a homemade version of this favorite dish on a busy weeknight. Plus, everyone can customize their own pizzas with the toppings they like the most! This recipe comes to us from Oldways.

Serves 4

Cooking Tip of the Week: Make sure you use a product labeled pizza sauce. Products like tomato and spaghetti sauce contain more water than pizza sauce and may cause your pizzas to become soggy.

Food for Thought: Ever wonder how pitas get their pockets? It’s science! Pita bread starts out as squishy dough that is rolled into a flat circle. When the dough is baked in a hot oven, the outer layer of the circle gets crispy, but the inside is still moist. This moisture turns to steam that wants to escape, but because of the crispy outer layer, it has nowhere to go! So it stays trapped inside the pita and turns into a giant air bubble. The bubble deflates just like a balloon once the pita comes out of the oven, but the pocket remains!

Family Dinner Conversation Starter: If you were going to become a scientist when you grow up, what kind of scientist would you like to be?

Ingredients:

• 4 small whole-grain pitas
• 1 cup pizza sauce
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
• 4 cups sliced mixed vegetables
• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

Adult: Heat the oven to 350°F.

Kid: Arrange the pita rounds on a baking sheet (use two sheets if necessary).

Kid: Using the back of a spoon, spread about ¼ cup of tomato sauce evenly on top of each pita.

Together: Top each pizza with some grated cheese. Arrange your choice of vegetables on top, then drizzle with olive oil.

Adult: Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cheese is lightly browned.

Note: You can use a toaster oven to make one or two pizzas at a time if you don’t have a full oven.

Check out Oldways’ video about making these easy pita pizzas!