Pepperoni Cheese Bites – Crispy Low Carb!
Crispy Pepperoni Cheese Bites are a No Questions asked Appetizer!
Who doesn’t love the flavor of pizza? Pepperoni Cheese Bites make a crispy snack or appetizer out of three easy ingredients so there is no waiting and no guilt!
Nobody asks questions because they don’t want to know if Pepperoni Cheese Bites are low carb, high carb, keto, diet… although they are low carb and keto. They are not low fat, although a little goes a long way.
Back in the day, after having our babies, I would eat low carb for a while – after the babies were weaned, of course. The weight came off quickly. Of course, at the same time, I became completely enamored of how delicious low carb could be. It’s filling without being heavy, so low carb is often a go to – no matter what state we are in diet-wise.
Do you know the difference between low carb and keto?
Low carb diets are all about lowering or removing carbohydrate consumption. The ultimate form of low carb is keto. Keto differs from low carb because it induces a metabolic state known as ketosis. Yet, lowering carb consumption may not put everyone into ketosis. Ketosis is a natural process the body begins to help us survive when carb intake is low. When carbs are lowered glucose is lowered. Glucose is the preferred fuel source for the body. Until recently, fat has historically been the body’s primary fuel source. A keto diet, like low carb, focuses on burning fat for body fuel instead of carbohydrates.
Lakanto
So basically, keto is extreme low carbing. Huh. I have no idea if it works, but the low carb diet always did. It’s just kind of hard to live with. Plus no potatoes. That’s a lot hard for me to live with.
Pepperoni Cheese Bites are low-carb with no-sugar-added marinara sauce and keto without any marinara sauce.
The longest part of making Pepperoni Cheese Nibbles is waiting for the oven to heat.
Turn on the oven! While it’s preheating, lay three pieces of pepperoni in each section of a mini-muffin tin (affiliate links follow).
You don’t need to be super precise or smush them in. They’ll drop into the tins as they cook.
If you don’t have a mini-muffin tin, you can use a regular baking sheet – just group three pieces of pepperoni together. They won’t form into little cups, but they will still be delicious. And disks might be easier to dip.
Sprinkle on the cheese – mozzarella is stringy and beautiful once it’s melted, but provolone would still be traditional and has a bit more flavor. Sprinkle on some Parmesan for fun. Mix it up!
You can add other toppings if you like – olives, peppers, onions and mushrooms would all work. We like to keep things simple around here though.
Bake until melted and crispy – about 10 minutes. Don’t knock off the crispy cheese bits – it’s the best part of the appetizer!
Take them out of the mini-muffin tray and let them drain on a paper towel a few minutes before plating them with a warm bowl of your favorite marinara sauce. I got this platter at the grocery store (you have to keep your eyes open!) but this black and white platter is super cute too.
You can add a dollop of marinara in each one, but we love to dip, dip, dip! One of the nice parts about this appetizer is that you can make as many as you need – there were only 4 of us, so I made 12 Pepperoni Cheese Bites (which wasn’t actually enough).
Pepperoni Cheese Bites
Ingredients
- 36 pieces Pepperoni, regulation size
- 4 ounces Shredded cheese (mozarella or provolone)
- 1 cup Marinara Sauce, warmed
- Cooking Spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spray mini-muffin tin with cooking spray.
- Put three pieces of pepperoni in each tin of a mini-muffin tray.
- Sprinkle cheese evenly on top of pepperoni. Add additional toppings if desired.
- Bake Pepperoni Cheese Bites for 7-10 minutes until melted and slightly brown around the edges. Remove from tin and let cool slightly on paper towel. (They will set up as they cool.)
- Platter up and serve with warmed marinara.
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