I can’t believe that school is starting this month! My little baby is off to elementary school, and I have such mixed emotions about it. I’ve now entered a new stage of life where for the next 13 years I will be setting an alarm, making early breakfast, packing lunches, and revolving my life around the school year calendar! It’s definitely a bittersweet moment for me. If you are a planner like me, then you’re already starting to think about school lunches and after-school snacks.

Growing up, I fondly remember making English muffin pizzas with my mom as a kid. Within the past year, I’ve started making pepperoni pizza toast with my son. This recipe unexpectedly came together when he requested pizza for lunch. I did not have any flatbreads on hand nor English muffins, so I decided why not try it on a piece of toast. My children love eating toast with cinnamon sugar or jam, so why wouldn’t they love to eat it like it was a pizza? From the first time I made pizza toast, it was an instant hit! I’ve now learned that my son can eat two to three slices of pizza toast in one sitting! It’s also one lunch I can guarantee that my picky toddler will gobble up.

Making pizza toast is very easy and, best of all, takes about 10 minutes tops! First, you want to lightly toast your bread (you can do this in a toaster oven or conventional oven). While your bread is slightly toasting, gather all of your ingredients to make assembly a breeze.

Once your bread is lightly toasted, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (hello, easy clean-up) and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Place the lightly toasted bread on the baking sheet. Then, top with marinara sauce. Next, add the shredded mozzarella cheese and finally the pepperoni. Repeat until all the toast is made. Bake in the oven until the cheese is melted and the pepperoni has cooked. Once the toast is done, remove from the oven, slice and serve immediately!

As long as you keep the four ingredients in your pantry/refrigerator at all times, you can easily whip up this recipe for an afternoon snack, lunch or even dinner! Wishing everyone (parents included) a safe and enjoyable school year!

Pepperoni Pizza Toast

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 4 slices of sandwich bread
• 4 tablespoons marinara sauce, divided
• 4 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 12-16 large pepperoni slices, divided (or 32 mini pepperoni slices, divided)

Directions: 

1. Lightly toast the sandwich bread.
2. Once the bread is lightly toasted, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Place the lightly toasted bread on the baking sheet.
3. Preheat the toaster oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Top each slice of toast with 1 tablespoon marinara sauce. Next, add 1 tablespoon shredded mozzarella cheese and finally 3-4 pepperoni slices. Repeat until all the toast is assembled.
5. Bake in the oven at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 3 to 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the pepperoni has cooked.
6. Remove from the oven, slice and serve immediately.