Kid Friendly Valentine Personal Pizza Recipe

Some people associate Valentine’s Day with a fancy meal but with this recipe, you don’t have to be extravagant to show your loved ones how much you care. This Valentine Olive You Very Much Pizza Recipe can be made for the entire family or enjoyed as a couple.

If you’re looking for something different for the family to do this Valentine’s Day, consider exploring romantic Italy through it’s cuisine and history. Not only is this a great angle for you and your spouse but the kids will get a kick out of eating pizza for Valentine’s Day!

Now, on to the Valentine’s Day pizza recipe. Here is what you will need:

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. olive oil
½ C. minced onions
1 C. tomato sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp. dried oregano, crumbled
¼ tsp. Italian herb seasoning
¾ C. sliced mushrooms
4 (6-inch) tortillas
1½ C. grated mozzarella cheese
1 C. diced, green, bell pepper
½ C. sliced olives

Instructions:

1. In a medium saucepan, heat 2 Tbsp. oil over medium heat.
2. Add onion and cook until golden, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in tomato sauce, garlic, oregano, and Italian seasoning. Simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes.
4. Heat the remaining oil in a skillet.
5. Add mushrooms and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place tortillas on baking sheet and bake until crisp, about 4 minutes.
7. Spread ¼ C. sauce over each. Sprinkle each with cheese.
8. Top the pizzas with mushrooms, bell peppers, and olives.
9. Bake until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

Variation: Before baking, arrange mini pepperoni slices or other toppings in the shape of a heart. To make this more decorative, start in the middle with a cheese heart. Around the heart, use the chopped peppers to make a heart shaped row. Do this with the other toppings. For a “lacie” effect, cut the pepperoni slices in half and use as the last row, placing the cut edge next to the previous row. Bake as usual.

More Than Cooking Lessons:

Here are a few ideas of things to do or talk about as you and your family prepare the pizzas.

For The Kids

• Name the food groups each ingredient belongs in.
• Play 20 questions – You think of an ingredient and tell whether it’s an animal (product), vegetable, or mineral. The kids must ask up to 20 questions to discover the identity.
• Have kids guess which part of the plant the ingredient comes from. For example oregano-leaves, tomato-fruit, etc.
• For older kids, play a trivia game involving facts about Italy.

For Your Spouse

• If you are doing this as a special dinner with your spouse, teach him or her a few Valentine related Italian words appropriate for the occasion.
• Take turns naming or discussing the “great loves” of the ages. These could include Romeo & Juliet or the people in your lives, who you think have a life-long love.
• Discuss what you would like to do if/when you go to Italy.

Memory Reminder:

Cooking is a great way to bond with your family members, especially the children. If you plan on cooking with them often, please consider getting them their own cooking tools that they can manipulate easily. The set of tools at the right  is a great example and can be purchased from our shop. Just click the graphic for details.