If you are looking for a quick and easy lunch or dinner, you have to try these Grilled pizza pita pockets. These are SIMPLE, but DELICIOUS! You will never look for another pizza pockets again after you try this one! It’s deliciously gooey, melty and cheesy on the inside, and once you take a bite of that crispy outside, it is absolute perfection!
In today’s recipe, you end up with delicious pockets of pita bread filled with Italian favourites, giving a fun twist to your typical pita pockets. When it comes to pita pockets this one is my all-time favourite! Stuffed with cream cheese, pizza sauce, mozzarella, cheddar, red onions, and peppers, this recipe is a keeper. Serve it with a soup or salad for a hearty lunch. This recipe is very easy to customise, too. Just take your favourite pizza toppings and turn it into a pocket!
As much as we love an elaborate meal, we also love simple classics that warm you from the inside out! That’s what this Grilled Pizza Pita pocket is.
What is Pita Bread?
Pita bread is a leavened Mediterranean flatbread made from yeast, water, and flour, salt and sugar. It’s traditionally baked on a stone surface, which allows the layers of baked dough to remain separated inside the deflated pita, allowing the bread to be opened to form a pocket. This makes it perfect for filling with all kinds of different foods such as falafel, hummus, Tabbouleh, Coriander and Mint Hummus , and in this case, pizza favourites.
Pita bread is a versatile flatbread that is soft and slightly chewy. Greek-style pita bread tends to be flatter, making it perfect for a wrap. Popular because of gyros and pita chips, the usefulness goes way beyond. We use them as a base for pizzas or for an open faced sandwich topped with hummus, onions, lettuce, cucumber, and feta.
What’s in an Easy Grilled Pizza Pita Pockets?
- Pita Bread: Pita is the key ingredient so always use fresh pita. You can use store bought or make your own.
- Pizza sauce: (homemade or store bought|)
- Cream Cheese: This give the pizza pockets a creamy texture on the inside.
- Cheese: While the recipe calls for shredded mozzarella, cheddar and parmesan. But any combination of melty cheese will do.
- Veggies: I’ve used sliced onions, jalapeños, peppers & olives. But you can alter the vegetables as per your preference.
- Spices: Dried oregano, chilli flakes (for some heat) and salt to taste.
- Fresh Basil leaves
How To Make Easy Grilled Pizza Pita Pockets:
My mouth is watering even just thinking about how delicious these pizza pockets are!
- Combine: In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, pizza sauce, sliced red onions, olives and peppers. Stir all of the ingredients together until smooth.
- Now add the shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese, chopped basil, dried oregano, chilli flakes and salt to taste. Stir everything together.
- Preheat: Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium heat until warm.
- Stuff the pita pockets: Grab your pita and create a small opening on one side. Stuff the cheesy mix inside, then butter the outside of each pita.
- Cook: Place the pita pocket on the pre heated skillet. Let the outside of the pita get a little crisp and the cheese inside get really melty. This will take approximately 4-5 minutes.
- Flip and Cook: Carefully flip the pita pocket over using a spatula. Cook the opposite side until it is also golden brown, approximately 4-5 minutes. Finally finish with a pinch of flaky sea salt.
Helpful Tips and Tricks to make Easy Grilled Pizza Pita Pockets:
You don’t want to mess up this grilled cheese sandwich by burning it or by undercooking it. It has to have that perfect golden brown outside edge to make it taste just right! Here are a couple of tips to help yours come out perfect every time.
- Use pita bread that is two-ply, the kind you can cut in half to make pockets that can be stuffed. You can find it at your local grocery stores.
- Use Medium Heat: I know that it’s tempting to cook it at a higher heat to make the process go faster but don’t do it! The trick to grilling is to not have the heat too high. Cooking it at medium heat helps to melt the cheese without toasting the bread too fast.
- If the bread has crisped up and gained colour but the mozzarella has not fully melted, you can cover the pan briefly to trap the heat and help the mozzarella to melt. Manage the heat, turning it down so that the bread does not burn.
- If the cheese isn’t fully melted, add a teaspoon of water to the skillet and cover so the cheese melts without burning the bread.
- Prep pizza pita pockets ahead and keep them chilled until ready to grill!
.
Ingredients
method