Mini Pepperoni Pizza Cups

Finding ways to make school lunches easy and fun is something I am always looking to do. My oldest doesn't eat much at school, especially if it's a sandwich, so I try to think out of the box for him. I recently stumbled across some fun recipes and figured I'd put my own spin on this little pizza one. My oldest loved them, and they were easy to make ahead and freeze for later! These would even be great as an appetizer for a party or get together...who doesn't like pizza?

These are quick and easy to make, and you can always add in other ingredients like black olives, basil, etc. I used the pepperoni I already had on hand, so I used about 5 per cup and made sure to overlap with the last one in the very middle.

After I baked the pepperonis by themselves at 400 for about 5 minutes, I did dab up some of the grease. I actually greased my cupcake pan beforehand but quickly realized that pepperoni does NOT need help in the grease department. Once they aren't floating in grease, I spooned on probably about 1 teaspoon of sauce per cup, and sprinkled on some cheese. This is where you would change things up and add your kid's favorites, since I was using what was already on hand...cheese was it!

Once your mini pizzas are topped, pop them back into the oven for 2-3 minutes, just until the cheese is nice and melty. Again, they'll be quite greasy, so once I took them out of the cups I let them sit on a paper towel to drain before putting into the fridge.

I sent 3 of these the next day for my son, and froze the other 3 for the following week. He approved and it put some excitement into his lunch time.

Mini Pepperoni Pizza Cups

From the Kitchen:
Cupcake pan
Pepperoni (the large sandwich pepperonis would work great for this too!)
Small jar of pizza sauce
Mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Place about 5 regular pepperonis around each cupcake cup
    If you're using the large ones, you will want to make 4 slits around the edges so they'll overlap and
    fit into the pan..don't cut all the way through!
3. Bake for 5 minutes
4. Use a paper towel to soak up some of the grease...they will be SUPER greasy!
5. Spoon about a teaspoon of pizza sauce into each pepperoni cup, top with cheese
6. Bake for about 3 minutes, just until cheese is melted
7. Remove from pan and let drain on paper towels
8. Serve right away, place into fridge for tomorrow, or freeze for next week!