Hawaiian Pizza Bagel Bites
Hawaiian Pizza Bagel Bites- A homemade version of everyone's favorite freezer aisle guilty pleasure topped with pizza's most controversial pizza topping.
March 30, 2021 by Nicole Collins
It's really funny how certain topics can really divide a room.
I'm one of those people that will always listen to both sides of an argument. And many times, I can understand a lot of the talking points of the opposing viewpoint, whether I agree with them or not. Maybe it's the Libra in me, but I've always been very diplomatic that way.
But just like everyone else, there are certain topics that are a hard line for me. And it's funny, because some of these arguments that I'm thinking about have a VERY clear dividing line. There's no gray area. It's a solid “this way” or “that”. And for whatever side you fall on, you wholeheartedly believe in what you stand for.
One of the most prominent examples that I can think of: the age old toilet paper debate. Does it hang over or under?
The answer is OVER, in case anyone was confused. :-)
Another argument that I often participate in is one that we're addressing today: Does pineapple belong on pizza?
I don't think it's a secret how I feel about this topic. But for all of you non-believers out there, I'm here to change your mind with today's recipe.
Today, we're making Hawaiian Pizza Bagel Bites!
These little baby pizzas are so fun and so easy to make! We're taking everyone's favorite guilty pleasure from the freezer aisle, giving it a super simple homemade makeover, and topping it with my all time favorite pizza toppings.
And for those of you that don't think pineapple belongs on pizza, just hear me out!
This recipe starts with store bought mini bagels. Before we start loading them up with toppings, we're going to give them a little toast in the oven so that they can hold on to all of our toppings without getting soggy in the middle. So we'll split our mini bagels, give them a spritz of olive oil cooking spray, and pop them in the oven to lightly toast for about 10 minutes.
After our bagels are toasted, it's time to top them with the perfect mix of pizza toppings. First up goes a layer of marinara sauce. Use your favorite marinara here. If that's homemade, go for it. For me, my absolute favorite marinara sauce is Aldi's brand! I think it has sooooo much flavor, it has fresh tomato chunks, and I don't have to doctor it up to make it taste delicious. Since we're going for easy here, jarred sauce is the way to go in my opinion.
After we have a nice layer of sauce over the bagel, on goes a generous sprinkle of mozzarella cheese. There are many, many times where I tell you that the only way to go is shredding a block of cheese yourself. You'll get better meltability 100% of the time if you go that route. But for this recipe, in the interest of time and ease, a pre-bagged shredded mozzarella would be perfectly acceptable here.
Now for the good stuff. Traditionally, hawaiian pizzas typically add ham or bacon and pineapple. Because our little bagels are so small, cooked and crumbled bacon is the best option here. It can be broken down easily enough to allow for plenty of surface area for our other toppings. And, that's ultimately what we want...room for EVERYTHING! If you don't feel like cooking bacon, deli ham will absolutely work. You'll just need to tear it into really small pieces.
Our next topping, and my favorite of them all, is the pineapple! Usually, I prefer fresh pineapple. But, we need to cut our pineapple into really small pieces for it to fit on our mini bagels, so I actually think that canned pineapple rings work better here. The pineapple is already sliced to the perfect thickness, and it's a little softer after hanging out in pineapple juice inside the can. So grab a ring, drain it, chop it into small pieces, and throw it on the pizza.
Here's where the bonus ingredients come in. I always add onion to my hawaiian pizzas. I always have, and I always will. When the onion cooks, the natural sweetness comes out just a little bit while still keeping that sharp onion bite. For this pizza, we're going to use shallot so we can get nice, small slices that will fit perfectly on our pizzas.
One day, someone in my online supper club suggested adding jalapeno to a pineapple pizza, and I've never gone back since. So of course, we're adding just a little bit of minced pineapple to our pizzas today. We're not adding enough to set anyone's mouth on fire. But, that little extra hint of heat balances out the sweetness of the pineapple in the most perfect way. This jalapeno is what's going to make you change your mind about pineapple on pizza. I just know it!
After our pizzas are loaded up, back to the oven they go so the cheese can get nice and melty. Then, it's time to eat! These little pizzas are simple perfection! They're crisp and toasty on the outside. They're still perfectly chewy on the inside just like a bagel should be. And, the toppings give us the perfect mix of sweet, savory, spicy, and sharp for the ultimate pizza bite.
And, bonus! You can make a bunch of these in advance, freeze them, then pop them in the oven when you're ready to have them again. It's just like what you buy at the supermarket, but better because it's homemade!
Ok, everyone! The moment you try these, you have to tell me if I've won you over to team pineapple. I'll be dying to know!
I hope you all enjoy! Let's eat!
Hawaiian Pizza Bagel Bites
Serves: 4 Print
Ingredients:
4 mini bagels, split in half
½ cup marinara sauce
3 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 pineapple ring, drained and finely diced
½ jalapeno, seeded and diced
½ shallot, thinly sliced
olive oil cooking spray
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange bagel halves, cut side up, on a baking sheet. Spritz the top side of the bagel with olive oil cooking spray. Bake for 10 mins. Remove from oven.
Top each toasted bagel with 1 tbsp marinara sauce and 2 tbsp shredded cheese. Then, top with bacon, pineapple, jalapeno, and shallot evenly divided between each bagel. Return to oven, and bake for an additional 13-15 mins until cheese is melted and starts to brown. Serve!
Recipe notes:
*You can customize these toppings however you like. Add as much or as little of each topping as your heart desires. You could even add a little ham or replace the bacon with ham.
*I prefer to use canned pineapple rings instead of fresh pineapple for this recipe, because it's a little softer and easier to mince. Feel free to use fresh if that's what you have.
*You don't need to spray the baking sheet with olive oil before you arrange the bagel halves. Only the tops get sprayed. Magically, they don't stick!
*You can make a big batch of these ahead of time and freeze them for a make ahead meals! To reheat them, take them straight from the freezer, place them on a foil lined baking tray, and bake them at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes.
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