My husband loves these delicious savory treats so much I decided to name them dad’s keto pepperoni cheese bites! I hope you’ll enjoy them and the homemade marinara dipping sauce as much as we all do!
Dad’s keto pepperoni cheese bites are a regular at my house. I first made these years ago and my husband loved them! I love having quick and easy go-to snacks and appetizers, and this dish is always a big hit! The homemade marinara sauce also comes together quickly and is perfect for dipping sauce for these awesome pepperoni bites!
Let’s talk about the first option for making dad’s keto pepperoni cheese bites!
You have a couple options for making these bites. The first option is to use mozzarella string cheese for your cheese. This is the easiest since you start with 6 pieces of string cheese and cut each one into 8 pieces. This gives you 48 total pieces to top your 48 pieces of pepperoni. Since the string cheese pieces are about as tall as they are wide, it takes longer for them to melt. This will give you crispier pepperoni since it will be in the oven longer. It takes about 10-12 minutes baking time for this option. Also, the cheese stays a little thicker with using string cheese and the cheese doesn’t spread out to cover the entire pepperoni, which makes for a very pretty presentation. Since it’s so easy, I often make my pepperoni bites using string cheese.
Let’s talk about the second option for making dad’s keto pepperoni cheese bites!
The second option for these awesome bites is to start with a 6 ounce block of mozzarella cheese and cut it into 48 square pieces. This will take a little longer since you’re doing more cutting, and you’ll want to try to cut the pieces into similar sizes. But, since the pieces are square and flatter, the cheese will melt faster. It takes about 5-7 minutes to melt the cheese. This also keeps the pepperoni softer since they’re in the oven for less time. The other difference is that the cheese will melt and cover most, if not all, of the pepperoni. Both options create amazingly delicious pepperoni cheese bites. Our family is actually split on this one!😂We like both options because they’re both very tasty; but my husband and son prefer the crispier pepperoni, and my daughter and I like the softer pepperoni.
How do I make the homemade keto marinara for these pepperoni bites?
Our homemade marinara is quick and easy to make. It’s also low carb and delicious! We start with sauteing some finely diced onion in olive oil. Then, after the onion is softened, we add tomato paste, water, Italian seasoning, keto granulated sugar, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Making our own tomato sauce by combining tomato paste and water helps to keep the carb count down. This combination comes out to about 10 net grams of carbs. If we used tomato sauce, it would be about 16 net grams of carbs. The keto sugar balances our flavors well. You can add all your ingredients, cook it for a while, then add salt and pepper to taste. For the best results, I recommend allowing the sauce to simmer for 15-20 minutes. I make this marinara and then while it’s simmering, I make the pepperoni cheese bites.
Need some more quick and easy appetizer and snack recipes? Here are some fun ones I think you’ll enjoy!
Blistered Shishito Peppers with Keto Lime Aioli
Keto Blueberry Chipotle Little Smokies
Low Carb Dilly Cucumber Rounds
Helpful Hints:
*If you use string cheese, it will take longer to melt, so you’ll get crispier pepperoni. If you’d like your pepperoni softer, you can cut square flatter pieces from a block of mozzarella cheese.
*You might want to grab a few of these pepperoni bites before serving them as they disappear quickly!😊
Main Kitchen Equipment and Utensils:
Splash of Encouragement:
***Salvation belongs to the LORD. Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah Psalm 3:8***
Dad's Keto Pepperoni Cheese Bites
My husband loves these delicious savory treats so much I decided to name them dad’s keto pepperoni cheese bites! I hope you’ll enjoy them and the homemade marinara dipping sauce as much as we all do!
Ingredients
For the marinara sauce:
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon finely diced onion
- 3 ounces tomato paste
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar substitute (Swerve)
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the pepperoni cheese bites:
- 48 pepperoni slices
- 6 string cheese or 6 ounces mozzarella cheese
Instructions
For the marinara sauce:
1. In a small saucepan, over medium heat, add oil. Once hot, saute onion until softened, about 4 minutes. Add remaining sauce ingredients and whisk to combine.
2. Decrease heat to medium low. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
For the pepperoni cheese bites:
1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place pepperoni onto parchment paper, without overlapping them.
3. Cut each piece of string cheese into 8 pieces, to make 48 total pieces. Top each pepperoni slice with 1 piece of cut string cheese.
3. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
4. Alternately, cut mozzarella cheese into 48 square pieces. Top each pepperoni slice with a piece of cheese.
5. Bake for 5-7 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
6. Serve immediately with marinara sauce.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 6 pepperoni bites with approximately 2½ tablespoons of marinaraAmount Per Serving: Calories: 132Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 354mgCarbohydrates: 2gNet Carbohydrates: 1.5gFiber: 0.5gSugar: 1gProtein: 7g
Thanks for stopping by! Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is calculated with the assistance of a third party service. Values are approximate, can’t be guaranteed, and should be considered as estimates only. Values differ according to types and brands of foods used. When used in a recipe, erythritol has been removed from the carb count as it is a sugar alcohol. Please note net carbs are total carbs minus fiber.
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