Pepperoni Pizza Quinoa Skillet is a healthy, protein-packed meal to feed your family that is all made in one skillet!
I like pizza as much as the next person but my husband LOVES pizza. Like, he would probably eat it for every meal, if he could. It turns out his love for pizza was passed along to our four year old, Lars. So when he saw that I had pepperoni on the countertop while I was cooking dinner, he got REAL excited.
I have to admit – I was a little worried that he was going to be disappointed when he found out that dinner wasn’t actual pizza. But I have good news – he didn’t even care once he tasted it! He loved this pepperoni pizza quinoa skillet, as we all did.
What Ingredients Are In Pepperoni Pizza Quinoa Skillet?
This Pizza Quinoa Skillet is basically like a pepperoni pizza with your typical pizza veggies – onions, green bell pepper, mushrooms, and black olives, and quinoa. In addition to those ingredients, I used pizza sauce, pepperoni, Italian seasoning, and a “pizza blend” of shredded cheese.
Speaking of pepperoni – not all pepperoni is created equal! I used Applegate’s Turkey Pepperoni, which seemed to be the best option among the others. If you’d like to use a different meat, you can definitely use sausage, or just make it meatless!
You can definitely swap different pizza ingredients that you prefer in and out. If you’re worried about your kids not liking certain vegetables that you put in it I have a couple of tips. One – try chopping them up really small. Lars picked out the black olives because, despite trying them multiple times, he just doesn’t like them. Other than that, since I cut them up pretty small, he didn’t notice the vegetables.
Second, try just adding a small amount of any of the vegetables you think your kids might not like. I have found that introducing new foods to my kids works best if I do it in small doses. Then they aren’t picking out half of the dish, but it’s also giving them the opportunity to try something new.
How To Cook Pepperoni Pizza Quinoa Skillet
This whole dish is made in one skillet and is all cooked on the stovetop. You start by cooking the veggies in olive oil. Then all that is left to do is add the seasonings, pizza sauce, pepperoni, quinoa, and water, and let it all cook until the quinoa is fluffy.
Once the quinoa is cooked, add the cheese and cover for another minute or two until it is melted. Top it all off with some fresh parsley and serve it up!
It was crazy easy to make and it actually smelled and tasted like pizza!
While this dish pretty much has it all – protein, vegetables, carbs, and fat, I still served it with a side of raw veggies and some melon balls. I’ve been trying to add more simple vegetable options such as carrot sticks at meal time. Lars likes to dip them in ranch and Soren likes to chew them up and then spit it out…ha! Even though they’re not always a hit, I think exposure is important at this stage, so I keep trying!
Yields 4-6 servings
12 minPrep Time
30 minCook Time
42 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, seeds and stem removed, and chopped
- 8 ounces mushrooms, chopped
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chopped Pepperoni
- 8 ounces pizza sauce
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup shredded Pizza blend cheese (mozzarella would also work)
- 1/4 cup black olives, for topping
- chopped parsley, for topping
Instructions
- In a large skillet, add the olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the chopped onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms and cook until softened, stirring frequently, about 7-10 minutes.
- Add the Italian seasoning, salt, and pepperoni, and cook another minute to combine.
- Add the pizza sauce, quinoa, and water.
- Cover the skillet and cook for 15-20 minutes, until the quinoa has absorbed the water, stirring every 5 minutes or so, to prevent the bottom from burning.
- Once the quinoa has cooked, sprinkle with cheese, remove from heat, and cover with a lid for about 2 minutes, for the cheese to melt.
- Top with olives and parsley.
- Serve and enjoy!
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