Puff pizza pies are the new pizza. Using ready rolled puff pastry instead of kneading dough and waiting for it to rise makes for an easy and almost instant pizza base. The herbed tomato and cheese topping in the recipe is simple, but delicious.
Jacqueline Meldrum was one of the first food bloggers I got to know when I started blogging all those years ago, back in 2009. So I’m absolutely delighted to introduce you to her first book, Living on the Veg: A kid’s guide to life without meat. That’s assuming you haven’t come across it already of course.
I’ve made one of the recipes from the book already. It’s for puff pizza pies and you can find it further down in the post. I’m also able to offer a copy of the book as a giveaway.
Living on the Veg: A kid’s guide to life without meat
I just adore the title of this book, Living on the Veg. It makes me chuckle every time I see it. Jac is a Scottish vegetarian food blogger at Tinned Tomatoes where she blogs about the recipes she creates for herself, her vegan husband and vegetarian son.
While I say this is Jac’s book, that’s how I think of it, but it’s actually co-authored by children’s author Clive Gifford. Clive covers all the facts about being vegetarian and why it’s a good thing to be, whilst Jac provides the recipes.
Living on the Veg is aimed at 9-11 year olds. That said, I reckon most adults toying with vegetarianism or with children who want to stop eating meat would find the book useful and appreciate the food too. I enjoyed reading the book and I’m certainly keen to make most of the recipes.
The puff pizza pies were a tasty quick meal and a real hit with CT. I’m now thinking I’d like to try making them in mini galette form using my favourite wholemeal spelt flaky pastry as featured in this gooseberry galette or these vegetarian pasties.
The book is a mine of information and helpful advice about vegetarianism and how to give up eating meat. In simple accessible text, it covers such topics as: what a vegetarian is or is not; why people are or want to become vegetarians; environmental concerns, world hunger, healthy living, dietary requirements, special ingredients and most importantly, how to go about becoming a vegetarian.
I reckon its colourful and well illustrated content will appeal to any 9-11 year olds. Even more so if they’re interested in vegetarianism or cooking.
Get Cooking
Get Cooking, is the final section of the book. It contains twelve simple to make recipes. They range from cloud eggs for breakfast, to sweet potato and carrot soup for lunch, to 10-minute bean burgers for supper, to strawberry cheesecake no-churn ice cream for dessert. It also includes these gorgeous puff pizza pies.
I found the recipes diverse, interesting and probably the sorts of food kids would be keen to both make and eat.
The only thing that slightly niggled me with the book was that the photos didn’t always match the recipe. The picture of puff pastry pies, for instance, features a basil plant with basil leaves sitting on top of the pizzas rather than the oregano stated in the recipe.
If you have kids, Living on the Veg is a great way to introduce them to the concept of being vegetarian. It might just get them cooking and eating their vegetables too. Jac has a young son. He’s already well versed in the ways of the kitchen and understands what being a vegetarian is all about.
Living on the Veg is a hardcover book published by Wayland in 2018 with an RRP of £12.99.
Puff Pizza Pies
If you’re in a hurry and need something quick for supper, these puff pizza pies will do the trick nicely. As Jac says in her book, “making your own pizza is so satisfying, but kneading the dough and waiting for it to rise can take hours”.
Using ready-rolled puff pastry is a brilliant cheat. Once you’ve made them, you just need a nice green salad and you’re away. It was the easiest meal I’ve cooked in a very long time.
I wasn’t quite sure what size bowl to use, so I used a 9.5 cm cutter, which made twelve mini ‘pizza’ bases.
The puff pizza pies were tasty and satisfying. Crisp pastry and melting cheese with a good tomato flavour to cut through the richness. We had three each for supper and the rest served as a very satisfying lunch the next day. Unlike pizza, they were almost as delicious cold as they were hot from the oven. I’m thinking they’d be just perfect for a summer party .
Other Living on the Veg Recipes and Reviews
- 10-minute vegan bean burgers via Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary
- Carrot sweet potato soup via Veggie Desserts
- Chocolate mousse via Utterly Scrummy Food for Families
- Living on the Veg: a kids’ guide to life without meat – review via Tinned Tomatoes
- Review 2 via United Caked
Puff Pizza Pies. PIN IT.
Puff Pizza Pies – The Recipe
Puff Pastry Pies
Ingredients
- 320 g ready-rolled puff pastry (I used all butter puff pastry)
- 4-5 tbsp tomato puree I used organic
- 125 ball soft mozzarella sliced (I used two balls)
- 8 cherry tomatoes sliced
- 1 tsp dried oregano (I used thyme sprigs)
Instructions
- Take the puff pastry out of the fridge and leave it for 10 minutes to come to room temperature.320 g ready-rolled puff pastry
- Turn the oven on to 200℃ (180℃ fan, 400℉, Gas 6).
- Carefully unroll the pastry. Use a small bowl to cut circles out of the pastry. I used a 9.5 cm cutter and re-rolled until I'd used it all (made 12 circles). Place circles onto two floured baking trays, leaving a bit of space between each one.
- Top each circle with a dollop of tomato puree. Spread it with the back of a teaspoon leaving a small border around the edge (at this point I laid a small sprig of thyme over the puree).4-5 tbsp tomato puree, 1 tsp dried oregano
- Top with a slice of mozzarella, followed by slices of tomato.125 ball soft mozzarella, 8 cherry tomatoes
- Sprinkle each pizza with a little oregano (unless you’ve already added thyme sprigs).
- Bake for 15 mins until the pastry is golden and the cheese has melted.
- Serve with salad.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Sharing
I’m sharing this recipe for puff pizza pies with #CookBlogShare which is hosted over at Easy Peasy Foodie this week.
These puff pizza pies also go to #CookOnceEatTwice with Searching for Spice.
I recieved a copy of Living on the Veg to review. I was not expected to write a positive review and all opinions are, as always, my own. Thanks to my readers for supporting the brands and organisations that help to keep Tin and Thyme blithe and blogging.
Natalie Jones says
Mum used to make the most amazing scones, I can always remember helping measure everything out and managing to make such a mess for her lol
Adrian Bold says
My Mum used to love baking at the weekends, and I always got to lick the spoon which I *LOVED*!
Angela Kelly says
I always used to bake with my Mum, using recipes from the ‘Bero Book.’
Chris Hobbs says
My brother and me used to make Welsh cakes. Mum would turn the griddle on and help us weigh and we spent ages mixing it all up and rolling it out. They used to taste lovely with butter especially warm x
janine atkin says
we used to make vanilla flaoured biscuits and they were the most delicious biscuits ever
greig alan james spencer says
deffo going to make these next time my nieces stay round- great review
Lisa Pond says
Me and my brother used to make cake mixture if there was nothing snacky to eat and eat it raw! All of it! I cringe now
Carolyn E says
Making ‘rusks’ with my nan. I have never seen rusks for sale anywhere and don’t know anyone that has eaten them outside of my family. They are savory scone type things, served with a dab of butter. Anyone know a recipe?
Choclette says
Rusks. Gosh yes, I’d completely forgotten about those. I have had them way back when. A recipe would be good.
Laura Jones says
baking with mum was always a treat; bits of leftover pastry were turned into jam tarts filled with mums home made preserves; mini sponge cakes turned into butterfly cakes with delicate sponge wings and lots of sugar strands in multi colours and helping mum decorate a cake was always a treat lots of silver sugar balls turned it into a crunchy treat!
Choclette says
Jam tarts are my abiding memory too – always with homemade jam.
Craig Havery says
watching grandma making traditional sunday lunch with proper yorkshire puds and a cloth steamed pudding for afters
Choclette says
Ah yes, cloth covered steam puddings were the best 🙂
Lynn Neal says
I remember cookery lessons at school, we had so much fun!
Choclette says
It seems a bit sad they don’t do these anymore. I learnt quite a bit when we had them.
Choclette says
That’s surely the best kind of baking 😀
Keri Jones says
When I was a kid I was always cooking with my Gran in the kitchen. We would make eggy bread, cakes, biscuits and more. She even did baking at my infants school so lots of my friends baked with her too 🙂 x
Choclette says
That sounds wonderful. I bet your Gran was a very popular woman.
Lisa says
It’s a great book for kids! I too made the puff pizzas soooo easy and tasty!!
Choclette says
Aren’t they just Lisa. Sometimes you need something that’s just quick and easy to put together.
johanna @ green gourmet giraffe says
I must try these – sad I live too far away for your giveaway but I like the sound of the book so may end up purchasing it.
Choclette says
It’s a really good book Johanna irrespective of Jac having created the recipes for it. Though that does, of course, make it extra special.
Claire Jessiman says
These sounds fab! I think even my picky daughter could be tempted by them.
Choclette says
Oh no! I didn’t realise you had a picky daughter Claire. Have you tried them on her?
Kim Styles says
we used to make Barm Brack with mum. and enjoyed soaking the drien fruit in cold tea the night before. then chucking all the ingredients into a big bowl to make up a big mixture -enough for 6 loafs to last a couple of weeks
Choclette says
Wow, that is baking on a big scale. Bet that Barm Brack was delicious.
A.E. ADKINS says
Used to bake fairy cakes generally, only made strudel once though – oh the mess in Mums kitchen
Jen says
One of my earliest memories is making flapjacks with my mum as a little girl!
Choclette says
Flapjacks are a great bake to make when you’re little. So easy and so delicious.
Alison Johnson says
I learnt to make cakes with my Nan. I still make cakes the same way today & have taught my Granddaughter the same.
Solange says
We used to bake cookies, flapjacks and cupcakes when we were in the Brownies.
DAWN WINSKILL says
I loved to make cakes when I was young, my favourite being carrot cake with a yummy frosting topping
Ruth Harwood says
we used to bake cinnamon scones with my mum, and apple pie with my grandma (I remember making that when we found out my mum had my baby brother when I was 9!), funny that now we have a cat called cinnamon!
Choclette says
Cinnamon scones sound divine and I bet your cat is a beautiful cinnamon colour.
Donna says
My 11 year old vegetarian son would love this book!
Tracy Nixon says
I had a mam who liked to bake loads (and still does) and she taught me how to bake and cook! I always remember making jam tarts with her lemon curd were my favourite and didn’t last long!
Jared @ Matcha Me says
Interesting, will have to make these mini pizzas for myself!
Natalie Crossan says
We all seemed to have a pretty serious obsession with conkers – half the fun was collecting and then bashing them around all playtime!
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie says
Sounds like a lovely book and a great recipe. I’m sure my kids would love these! Thanks for linking up with #CookBlogShare. Eb x
Choclette says
I think these are absolutely perfect for kids and actually they were pretty popular with the adults in this household too 🙂
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Thanks for the lovely review Choclette. Actually the basil on the pizzas was just to make them look bonnie and as a visual suggestion. They have oregano sprinkled on them. My boy doesn’t like the basil on them, I do, but it shrivels as it cooks, so I sometimes add it after they cook but didn’t include it in the recipe.
Kavita Favelle says
Love the look of these puff pizza pies. Jacqueline’s book looks like such a good resource for those considering a vegetarian diet, not only the recipes but simple straightforward answers to common questions, very informative. Love the design of it too.
Choclette says
They are a great pizza cheat and really delicious. I’m really impressed by the book and just wish it had been available to me when I was a kid.
Corina Blum says
These look brilliant! I know my husband and I would love them and probably one of my children. Thanks for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice!
Choclette says
Only one of your children Corina? They are a great pizza cheat.
Rebecca Sutton says
We made toffee mallow cakes, basically toffee, marshmallows and rice crispies, yum!!
angiesrecipes says
These puffy pizza bites are definitely crowd pleasing and delicious!
Choclette says
They’d be great for a party as they are really good cold as well as hot. Works better than pizza in that respect.
Kim M says
Used to love going to my friends house – we’d raid the pantry for jelly cubes and crisps, she had much more freedom in the kitchen and could make Macaroni Cheese!
Choclette says
Gosh yes, jelly cubes. I’d completely forgotten about those. I think I might have done the odd raid for those too.
Maxine G says
I think it mainly involved trying to make ‘secret’ chocolate cornflake cakes before my mum came home!
Choclette says
Ooh chocolate cornflake cakes. Now you’re talking. I’m thinking I might have to dash out and get some cornflakes right now.