Quick Pizza Pot Pies

Finding a dinner that combines comfort food with convenience can be tricky, especially when you’re trying to feed a family on busy weeknights. Pizza is always a crowd-pleaser, but ordering takeout gets expensive, and making homemade pizza from scratch takes more time than most of us have after a long day.

That’s where these pizza pot pies come in handy: they give you all the cheesy, saucy goodness of pizza in a cozy, handheld form that’s surprisingly easy to make and perfect for using up whatever toppings you have in your fridge.

What Kind of Biscuits Should I Use?

For these pizza pot pies, you’ll want to grab a standard 16-ounce package of refrigerated biscuits from the grocery store – brands like Pillsbury or Great Value work perfectly fine. The regular buttermilk biscuits are your best bet since they have a nice neutral flavor that won’t compete with your pizza toppings. You can use the flaky layers variety if that’s what you have on hand, but the standard ones actually hold their shape better when you’re pressing them into the muffin tins. Just make sure your biscuits are fresh and not close to their expiration date, as older dough can be harder to work with and might not rise as well.

Options for Substitutions

This recipe is super flexible and works great with whatever you have in your kitchen:

• Refrigerated biscuits: If you don’t have canned biscuits, you can use pizza dough cut into squares, or even puff pastry sheets. Just adjust the baking time accordingly – pizza dough might need a few extra minutes.
• Pepperoni: Feel free to swap this with any pizza topping you love – cooked sausage, ham, mushrooms, bell peppers, or even leftover cooked chicken. Just make sure any veggies are pre-cooked since the baking time is short.
• Mozzarella cheese: While mozzarella is classic, you can use any good melting cheese like cheddar, provolone, or a pizza blend. Just stick with similar amounts.
• Pasta sauce: Pizza sauce works best, but marinara or even a simple tomato sauce will do the trick. If your sauce is thin, use a bit less to avoid soggy bottoms.
• Butter and olive oil mixture: You can use just melted butter or just olive oil if that’s what you have. The mixture just gives a nice flavor, but either one alone works fine.
• Italian seasoning: No Italian seasoning? Mix together dried basil, oregano, and a pinch of thyme, or just use whatever dried herbs you have on hand.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Baking

The biggest mistake when making pizza pot pies is not greasing your muffin tins well enough, which can lead to stuck biscuits that fall apart when you try to remove them – use plenty of cooking spray or butter in every corner.

Another common error is overfilling the biscuit cups with sauce and toppings, which causes messy overflow and uneven cooking, so stick to about a tablespoon of sauce and a light sprinkle of cheese and pepperoni per cup.

Don’t skip flattening and stretching each biscuit properly before pressing it into the muffin tin, as this creates a better cup shape and prevents thin spots that might tear.

Finally, keep a close eye on the baking time since the tops can go from golden to burnt quickly – if the cheese starts browning too fast, cover loosely with foil for the remaining baking time.

What to Serve With Pizza Pot Pies?

These little pizza pot pies are pretty hearty on their own, but a simple side salad really helps balance out all that cheesy goodness. I like to throw together some mixed greens with cherry tomatoes, red onion, and a basic Italian dressing to keep the pizza theme going. Garlic bread or breadsticks are always a hit too, especially if you’ve got kids at the table who can’t get enough carbs. For something a bit lighter, roasted vegetables like zucchini, bell peppers, or broccoli work great since they won’t compete with the bold pizza flavors.

Storage Instructions

Store: These pizza pot pies keep really well in the fridge for up to 4 days when stored in an airtight container. I like to let them cool completely before putting them away so they don’t get soggy from steam. They make great leftovers for lunch the next day!

Freeze: You can totally freeze these for up to 3 months! Just wrap each pot pie individually in plastic wrap or foil, then pop them in a freezer bag. I sometimes make a double batch just so I can have some ready to go in the freezer for busy weeknights.

Reheat: To warm them up, bake in a 350°F oven for about 10-15 minutes if they’re from the fridge, or 20-25 minutes if frozen. You can also microwave them for a quick option, but the oven keeps that nice crispy biscuit top that everyone loves.

Preparation Time	15-20 minutes
Cooking Time	20-23 minutes
Total Time	35-43 minutes
Level of Difficulty	Easy

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 1200-1400
• Protein: 60-70 g
• Fat: 80-90 g
• Carbohydrates: 90-100 g

Ingredients

For preparing the biscuit cups:

• 1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp italian herb blend, plus extra for sprinkling (optional)
• Pinch of ground black pepper
• Cooking spray or oil to grease pans
• 8 refrigerated biscuits (from 16 oz package)

For filling and topping:

• 1/4 cup plain tomato pasta sauce or meatless pizza sauce
• 3 oz chopped pepperoni
• 7 oz to 8 oz grated mozzarella cheese

Step 1: Make the Seasoned Butter Mixture

• 1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp Italian herb blend, plus extra for sprinkling (optional)
• pinch of ground black pepper

In a small bowl, combine the softened butter, olive oil, salt, garlic powder, Italian herb blend, and a pinch of ground black pepper.

Stir thoroughly until well mixed.

This mixture will be used to flavor the inside of the biscuit cups.

Step 2: Prep Muffin Tins and Biscuits

• cooking spray or oil to grease pans
• 8 refrigerated biscuits (from 16 oz package)

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).

Lightly grease 8 muffin cups (or tin foil muffin cups) with cooking spray or oil, taking care to dab away any excess so it doesn’t pool.

Separate each refrigerated biscuit and press one into each muffin cup, molding them gently onto the bottom and sides.

Prick the bottoms and sides of each biscuit with a fork to prevent air bubbles while baking.

I like using a paper towel to make sure the pans are perfectly oiled without making the biscuits soggy.

Step 3: Brush Biscuits and Add Sauce

• seasoned butter mixture from Step 1
• 1/4 cup plain tomato pasta sauce or meatless pizza sauce

Brush the inside of each pressed biscuit cup with the seasoned butter mixture from Step 1, covering the bottom and sides evenly.

Next, brush a thin layer of plain tomato pasta sauce or pizza sauce (about 1/2 heaping teaspoon) over the buttered surface inside each biscuit.

This builds a flavorful base for the filling.

Step 4: Stuff Biscuits with Cheese and Pepperoni

• 7 oz to 8 oz grated mozzarella cheese
• 3 oz chopped pepperoni
• extra Italian herb blend for sprinkling (optional)

Fill each prepared biscuit cup with 1 heaping tablespoon of grated mozzarella cheese, then add 1/2 heaping tablespoon of chopped pepperoni.

Repeat, adding another 1 tablespoon of mozzarella followed by 1/2 tablespoon of pepperoni to each cup.

Optionally, sprinkle the tops with extra Italian herb blend to enhance the flavor.

For a more authentic, aromatic result, I like to use a little extra Italian seasoning here.

Step 5: Bake and Serve the Biscuit Cups

If using foil muffin cups, arrange them on a sheet pan for stability before baking.

Bake the filled biscuit cups at 350°F for 20-23 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Once done, gently lift the baked cups from the muffin pan and arrange on a platter for serving.

You can serve them in the foil cups or transfer them to a plate as you wish.