Pizza Kabob Party Platter for Various Diets – dairy or no dairy, gluten or no gluten, meat or vegan; something delicious for everyone.
Pizza Kabobs
What?? Pizza Kabobs? Yep! Think; deconstructing your perfect pizza options, put them on a ‘to-go’ stick and you’ve got yourself the perfect food for a casual gathering, indoors or out.
Who doesn’t love pizzas, and the numerous variations we can prepare them. Something for everyone, whether you are topping or bread specific.
Coming from a Mediterranean background, kabobs have never been a new thing for me.
We have always put lots of delicious meats, seafood or veggies on a stick, popped them on a grill, or in a hot oven and just enjoy a casual approach to great food.
Kabobs and More Kabobs!
When my kids (now adults), were little I found that the easiest way to serve delicious, healthy, creative food, with no fuss or complaints, was on a stick.
Fruit salad on a stick, sandwich on a stick, deconstructed, of course.
Sometimes leftovers on a stick, just made sense when packing four lunches to send them off to school.
I loved how festive they looked, and discovered they ate things, on that stick, they might not ordinarily eat on a plate.
So… why not a Pizza Kabob, but make them 2-ways!
Is A Pizza Platter Possible For A Party?
A pizza platter is definitely possible for a party if we put that pizza on sticks! Take for instance, any of my favorite pizzas:
- Savory Fig Feta and Zucchini Pizza the dough is made with almond flour, the toppings are zucchini rolls, fresh figs, a little lamb and feta cheese.
- Ratatouille Pizza – an easy homemade dough, eggplant, zucchini, peppers and cheeses.
- Bacon Spinach and Tomato Pizza with cheese rolled into the dough, crisp bacon, fresh tomatoes and leaves of fresh spinach.
Each of these pizzas can be deconstructed, placing the ingredients, along with small pillows of already baked dough, placed on kabob sticks – wood or reusable metal, and served on party platters, warmed or room temperature.
Why A Pizza 2-Ways?
Now that my kids are grown and have food preferences of their own, a gathering in my home often means a lot of altering my recipes to meet their special requirements:
- Gluten-free – an easy to make gluten free dough can be pressed into bite size pillows and baked to serve as the pizza dough on sticks. Or store bought gluten-free wraps can be pressed with biscuit cutters, warmed and served on the pizza kabob sticks in place of pizza dough.
- Dairy-free – with such a variety of plant based cheeses available now, lactose intolerant folks can enjoy cheese on their pizza kabob as well.
- Vegan – with a homemade pizza dough, plant based cheese and a variety of roasted veggies on kabob sticks, these are sure to be a hit.
And so I found it was easy to adjust the concept of a pizza, and all its various components, put them on a stick, and make everyone happy.
Not only do pizza kabobs go over big on a party platter but are great to transport to picnics and to-go lunches.
Pizza Kabobs With Meatballs
My Pizza Kabobs have both Meatballs and Vegan Meatballs. Homemade Pizza dough and gluten-free dough.
Lots of veggies are hidden in both the meatballs and vegan meatballs, because that’s the way this health conscience grandma roles!
Homemade meatballs, at least my Grandma’s Sneaky Meatballs, have veggies pureed into the ground meat mixture, making them already loaded with hidden veggies.
How about a Vegan Meatball, on a kabob stick or on top of a pizza, made with French lentils, quinoa or oats and lots of herbs and spices!
More Pizza Kabob Options
Dairy cheese and non-dairy cheese. Tomatoes or mini peppers stacked onto a skewer stick, piled high on a platter that looks like a party. Makes everyone happy and it’s easy for me.
For the gluten-free dough, if I haven’t had time to make it in advance, I find tortilla wraps pressed with a round cookie cutter work perfect.
On this occasion I used a cassava and coconut wrap but there are many other options in markets today.
Homemade Dough or gluten-free tortillas pressed into small rounds make for the perfect pizza dough aspect of the pizza kabobs.
Bake the bread rounds just as you would a pizza dough, brushed lightly with olive oil and a sprinkle of grated cheese, or lightly toast the tortilla rounds, prepared just as you would the bread.
Party Food Pizza Kabobs for Various Diets
This platter was created for a Super Bowl Sunday, but I have recreated it often for patio dining, picnics, even tucked in a to-go lunch container.
You can add your own favorites to these sticks, but be sure to give special time and attention to making the meatballs taste fantastic (meat, or vegan)!
All you need to do next is decide what cheeses you want, mini-tomatoes, peppers, herbs or any other ingredient you like as a topping on a pizza.
Stack everything onto the skewers and pop them in a 350 degree oven for just 5 minutes and serve!
Pizza Kabob Party Platter for Various Diets
Equipment
- 16 6-inch Kabob sticks
- Platter
- 1-inch biscuit cutter
Ingredients
- 16-32 mini Sneaky Meatballs meat or vegan
- 16-32 mini Cheese balls mozzarella or vegan tortellini pasta
- 16 Cherry tomatoes halved
- Pizza dough homemade or store bought
- 32 Baby Spinach leaves
- 16 Oregano leaves or basil
- 1/4 cup Flour for dusting
- 1/4 cup Grated cheese
- 2 Grain-free wraps suggested
- 1/4 cup Olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.Roll out the pizza dough on a floured surface. With the 1-inch biscuit cutter, press out 32 mini pillows of dough. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle a little grated cheese on top of the dough and bake for 15 minutes. Set aside when baked. If choosing gluten-free, use the wraps suggested and press out 32 mini rounds. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, brush with a little olive oil and bake in the oven for 2-minutes.
- Cook the mini meatballs as directed in the recipes given for either meat or vegan meatballs. Set aside.
- Cut the mini mozzarella balls in half, if using cheese. If not using dairy, cook the vegan tortellini pasta as directed and set aside.
- Assemble – Depending on the options you are choosing, or preparing an assortment of options, simple place 2 of every part of this pizza kabob on each stick; meatball, cheese, cherry tomato, spinach leaf and finish with an herb leaf on top. Or vegan meatball, vegan tortellini, cherry tomato, spinach and finish with an herb leaf on top.Arrange on a platter and serve.
Notes
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.