With garlic-herb cheese, Italian blend, sharp cheddar, and
cream cheese,
these cheese pizza bagels are anything but boring. If you start now, you’ll
be eating them in 25 minutes or less.
This recipe is for everyone who dislikes cooking or high-effort meals.
I lived with my best friend, Abby, for three years. She is not a cook, so I usually did the food planning and was in charge of dinner. When I moved back to the States, she stayed in Scotland, and is less than thrilled to be cooking for herself after three years of avoiding it.
I was thinking of her when I developed these cheese pizza bagels. They’re incredibly low effort—only three quick steps! These could also definitely fall under the struggle meal category. All you do is mix the cheeses with a little bit of pasta sauce and parsley, then layer sauce and the cheese mixture on bagels and bake. If plain cheese pizza doesn’t appeal to you, you can use this recipe as a base and add whatever toppings you want.
Cheese pizza bagels make a great party snack, or serve them with salad and make them a meal. The blend of cheeses makes them flavorful and interesting, and you’re done in 25 minutes or less.
Here are a few notes:
- Boursin: It’s a packaged garlic-herb cheese. Use 1/3 of the package for this recipe and eat the rest with bread or crackers.
- Pasta sauce: just use your favorite, or whatever you have on hand. I used Classico tomato & basil.
- Bagels: I used plain, but don’t be afraid to use whatever flavor you want. Garlic, onion, jalapeno, or everything bagels would be really good here.
- Additional toppings: pepperoni, mushrooms, slices of tomato, fresh basil, etc.
- Storage: Keep covered and refrigerated, and use within 4 days.
cheese pizza bagels
time: ~25 minutes
makes 6 pizza bagels
ingredients
1/3 package boursin
1 ¼ cup Italian blend or mozzarella
1/2 cup sharp cheddar
¼ cup cream cheese (preferably whipped)
dried parsley or chives (optional)
a large pinch of salt
3 bagels (halved to make 6)
¾ cup pasta sauce + a couple of tablespoons
directions
- Preheat oven to 375. In a medium bowl, combine cheeses, and parsley, a large pinch of salt, and 1-2 tablespoons of pasta sauce. Mix until cheeses are thoroughly combined and there are no big chunks of boursin or cream cheese. If it’s all too cold and hard to mix, zap it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.
- Assemble the bagels. Lay the bagel halves on a baking sheet and top them with 2 tablespoons each of pasta sauce. Add cheese mixture. The best way to do this is to spoon it on top and then use the back of a spoon to squish it down and cover the bagel. Sprinkle a little more parsley on top.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly. Let cool before serving.