I realized the other day that most of my ‘creations’ start with me looking in the fridge to see what I have on hand.  The meal is usually born out of some ingredient that I need to use before it goes bad.  This recipe is a perfect example.  I had a ton of pita bread leftover from a weekend take out order.  Meatless Monday incorporated the pita and it turned out really well.

 

What you’ll need:

• 4 pita breads (whole wheat or white)
• 1/4 cup olive oil + a little more for drizzling
• 2/3 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese or goat cheese
• 1/2 sweet onion, sliced
• 1/2 pound brussel sprouts – shredded
• 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

 

      

 

What you’ll do:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the 1/4 cup olive oil with the minced garlic.
3. Add a Teaspoon of the oil mixture to a sauté pan and heat on medium high heat.  Add the onions and cook until they are soft.  If you leave them on low heat for awhile they will caramelize (yummy!) but that takes time so you don’t have to do that.
4. Place pitas on a baking sheet. Brush the top of each pita with a little of the olive oil garlic mixture.
5. Lay the cooked onions on pitas, then sprinkle each with your cheese of choice.  I used fresh mozzarella on some and goat on the rest.
6. As a time saver, I bought the brussel sprouts already shredded.  There’s no magic to shredding them though.  Just chop until they look like the picture here.  Add them to bowl with remaining olive oil and garlic, and toss well.
7. Divide brussel sprouts between each pizza. Pile loosely and don’t get too close to the edge.  If you have more brussel sprouts, spread them around the baking sheet.  They will get nice and crispy!
8. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes, along with a generous pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
9. Drizzle each lightly with about another teaspoon of olive oil.
10. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes until pitas are golden brown and getting crisp around the edges, the cheese is melted, and the shredded Brussels are tender and lightly browning.
11. Cut into quarters and serve.