Ingredient: English muffins, any variety, split

Shrimp, Bacon & Pineapple ‘Pizza’

When you think of an English muffin, breakfast usually comes to mind. An egg and bacon sandwich, melty peanut butter with jelly, or something as elegant as eggs benedict. While English muffins are great for breakfast, they also make a toasty lunch or snack!

Everyone’s tried English muffin pizzas at one point in their life. They offer all the flavors of traditional pizza without the hassle of dough.

Pizza took off across North America during the 1950s. There were numerous contributing factors to the rise in the sudden popularity, but one that profoundly shaped every day cooking was the desire for more convenient foods.

Takeout pizza from restaurants offered a great way to save on time but could be costly. Domestic brands knew one way to appeal to the 1950s ‘housewife’, was combining the convenience of opening a can or jar with the thriftiness of eating at home.

In 1954, Hunt’s brand tomato sauce started advertising the ‘English Muffin Pizza’ with the hope of selling more canned tomato sauce.

The ad called it a 10-minute pizza and included a prominent photo of a can of Hunt’s Tomato Sauce.

Back then, Mozzarella was not too familiar to the average home cooks, so the ad refers to it as ‘pizza cheese.’ Helpfully, the marketing suggests brick, Swiss, or other good melting cheeses.

Although these shrimp, bacon & pineapple pizzas take a bit of time to make, they are well worth it. Don’t be put off by the odd sounding combination of ingredients, they pair well!

Print Recipe
 Shrimp, Bacon & Pineapple 'Pizza'
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Rate this recipe!
Course Lunch
Cuisine American
Keyword shrimp, bacon & pineapple pizza
Servings
Ingredients
Course Lunch
Cuisine American
Keyword shrimp, bacon & pineapple pizza
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
  1. Crush panko crumbs slightly. In a plastic bag, place the Tbsp of flour. Add shrimp & shake to dust with flour. Add beaten egg to bag & shake to moisten shrimp. Add panko crumbs & OLD BAY seasoning. Shake to coat shrimp well. Set aside in refrigerator.
  2. Shred cheese & chop pineapple. Slice English muffins & very lightly butter.
  3. Grill bacon until cooked but not crisp. Set aside on paper towel. Sauté onions & mushrooms in bacon drippings, remove from griddle. Wipe griddle, then spray with cooking spray & cook shrimp 3-5 minutes. Push to one side & warm pineapple for a couple of minutes. Toast muffins.
  4. Place muffin halves on a baking sheet; cover each half with some of the cheese, mushrooms, onions, more cheese & pineapple.
  5. Broil 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with bacon & shrimp. Serve with guacamole & diced tomatoes on the side.

English Muffin Shitake Mushroom & Herb Pizza

From a history standpoint, I won’t dive into the origins of the English muffin simply because the origin doesn’t seem to be that clear. Some claim the English muffin is actually an American invention. Others claim it’s English, but with some slight modifications over time. It seems they began as another version of an English crumpet and have been marketed in North America in some form since the late 1850s (they were called toaster crumpets then).

An English muffin is a flat, savory yeasted flatbread, made from wheat flour (in most cases). It is made on a griddle, not in the oven like ‘regular’ muffins would. As with any food there are a ton of variations on the recipe. Their main distinguishing characteristic–although they are smooth on the outside, holes cover the interior surface. Those holes provide little pockets to hold melted butter or drops of marmalade, jam or jelly.

English Muffin Pizza is inspired by the infamous pizza bagels (and/or bagel bites). Pizza bagels didn’t come on the scene until about 1959 and there are actually several claims as to who invented them. The earliest claimed version was a pizza cooked on half of a bagel that was baked without a hole…which is kind of like an English muffin. Could this be the earliest iteration of the English Muffin Pizza?

That being said, English muffins actually can be used in numerous ways such as:
–  hamburger buns next time you make burgers
–  a side of garlic bread on pasta night
–  the base of an appetizer instead of crackers
–  in your favorite panini sandwich instead of bread
–  avocado toast with an English muffin

These mushroom pizzas make a great little lunch.

Print Recipe
 Shitake Mushroom & Herb Pizza on English Muffins
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Course Brunch, Lunch
Cuisine American
Keyword English muffin shitake mushroom & herb pizza
Servings
Ingredients
Course Brunch, Lunch
Cuisine American
Keyword English muffin shitake mushroom & herb pizza
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
  1. Heat large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and mushrooms; sauté 4 to 5 minutes or until mushrooms are tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and herbs; continue cooking 1 minute. Stir in sherry; remove from heat.
  2. Toast muffins; place on baking sheet. Brush with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil; cover with cheese. Top evenly with mushroom mixture & a bit more cheese.
  3. Broil 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with remaining herbs.