Pizza Cups

The concept of baked tortilla cups is courtesy of one Mrs. Cleochatra who also gave us the infamous 'Oopsie Rolls.' Her website can be found in my (currently short) list of links; The Lighter Side of Low Carb - which I highly recommend. :)

After baking my first batch of tortilla cups, the pizza filling idea quickly followed. Pizza cups are slightly time consuming, but are one of those comfort foods that is guaranteed to ward off the fast food sirens. They've saved my butt numerous times in the past and have been a family favorite since the first batch came out of the oven.

With the right brand/variety of low carb tortilla (Mission Wheat is the lowest count I've found), and pizza sauce (I use Value Right - Walmart brand Pizza sauce - also the lowest carb/sugar I've found) I've been able to keep the carb count down to apx. 1 carb per cup.

Now! On to the nitty gritty!

You will need:

Mini cupcake tin
Large Biscuit cutter
Low-Carb Tortillas (Mission Wheat is best)
Pizza Sauce
Pepperoni
Shredded Cheddar cheese
Shredded Italian blend cheese
Italian Seasoning
*Preheat Oven to 350*
Use the biscuit cutter to cut out five to six circles from the tortillas.
Tuck the mini tortilla circles into the (ungreased) cupcake tin, making sure to firmly press in all the edges for a uniform "cup" shape. Bake for 8-10 min.

**They should be crisp, but not brown - just tap a finger on the inside of the cup to test for firmness**
Set pan aside to cool.

Filling:
Mince pepperoni (I use the food processor - we're shooting for 'baco' size pieces).
Shred the cheese (or buy pre-shredded ... I've found freshly shredded gives the richest flavor, but for time's sake, bagged shredded cheese will do the job).
Layer filling into the cups in this order: pepperoni, sauce, cheddar, Italian blend, Italian seasoning.

Bake for 10 minutes - Cool for additional 5 minutes.
Consider your butt saved.

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*Look for the largest Mission Wheat Tortillas for the lowest carb count and highest pizza cup count per tortilla.

*To check if the cups are fully baked, use your finger to spin the tortilla cup in the pan. If the cup spins easily in the tin, they're ready to come out.

*Keep the tortilla scraps! You can cut these into strips and bake on a cookie sheet for ten minutes in a 350 degree oven for a crunchy salad topping!