This recipe is so easy, I’m almost embarrassed to share it.
Almost.
But not quite.
These Cracked Out Soyrizo Bagel Bites are too good to let my pride get in the way.
Cracked Out Bagel Bites: A Brief History
We got bagel bites for the first time in I have no idea how long last month. We made the purchase for a few reasons:
1. 40 bagel bites for under $5 is too good a deal to pass up.
2. It was about time my daughter tried bagel bites.
But when we got home and tore open the box, I was a little underwhelmed by the childhood pizza favorite before me.
The bagel part was great, the sauce was…just fine, but there was basically no cheese on any of the bagel bites. And what there was certainly wasn’t freshly grated.
Wow I sound like such a snob right now.
All I can say is that, probably for the better, my tastes have changed since the peak of my bagel bite fandom in sixth grade.
Bagel Bites Get a Makeover
So. 40 bagel bites, what to do with them? It occurred to me that a few simple ingredients from my fridge and pantry could dress these bagel bites up into something truly delicious. The bagel base was good (not to mention adorable). The bagel bites as a whole just needed more flavor.
And that’s how the Cracked Out Soyrizo Bagel Bite was born.
I started by baking the bagel bites as is, straight from the box, but only about halfway through. Then I pulled the partially baked bagel bites out of the oven, and topped them with my creamy chipotle sauce—literally the only element of this recipe that requires any effort, assuming you call dicing up a chipotle pepper and mixing it with sour cream “effort.” Then I added freshly grated cheddar and some leftover soyrizo from the previous night’s Taco Tuesday feast.
I baked the now cracked out bagel bites for an additional five minutes, and topped them with tomato and cilantro to make them more fancy-like.
And that’s it.
Certainly not the classiest or healthiest dish ever, but boy are these cracked out bagel bites easy and delicious!
So add this addicting vegetarian appetizer to you snack rotation, or make these bites a light meal by serving with a salad. I’m sure they’ll be as popular in your home as they are in mine.
One Thing!
If you have one, use a small offset spatula to spread the creamy chipotle sauce on each bagel bite. I promise you, it’ll make the job so much easier. Here’s my favorite offset spatula set on Amazon [aff. link]. I use the smallest spatula in the set for these cracked out bagel bites.
Cracked Out Soyrizo Bagel Bites
Ingredients
For the creamy chipotle sauce:
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 2-3 chipotles peppers, minced
- 1 tsp adobo sauce, from the can of chipotle peppers
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
Everything else:
- 20 cheese bagel bites
- ¾ cup cheddar, freshly grated
- 5-6 oz Soyrizo, cooked
To garnish:
- ⅓ cup tomatoes, diced
- ¼ cup cilantro, minced
Instructions
Prepare the components
- If you haven’t already, cook the Soyrizo in a medium-sized skilled with 2 tsp of olive oil. Cook over medium-heat until slightly browned, about 10 minutes. Be sure to flip the Soyrizo about halfway through cooking.
- Now is also a good time to grate the cheddar, dice the tomatoes, and mince the cilantro.
Bake the bagel bites halfway
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Oil a standard-sized baking sheet, and evenly space the bagel bites out on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 9 minutes.
- After 9 minutes, take the bagel bites out of the oven. They will be about halfway baked at this point. Let them cool for 2 minutes.
Make the chipotle sauce
- While the bagel bites are in the oven, make the chipotle sauce.
- Mince the chipotles if you haven’t already. Use 2 chipotles for less heat, and 3 chipotles for a little more.
- Combine the minced chipotle, adobo sauce, salt, garlic powder, and sour cream in a small bowl. Stir until everything is incorporated. It won’t be a perfectly smooth mixture and that’s okay.
Compile the cracked out bagel bites
- Now with your offset spatula, spread about ½ tsp of the chipotle sauce over each bagel bite. The chipotle sauce will cover (what little) cheese is already on the bagel bite.
- Now top the chipotle sauce with about 1 tsp of freshly grated cheddar.
- Last, top the cheddar with ½-1 tsp Soyrizo.
Bagel Bites Final Bake
- Now put the bagel bites back in the oven, and bake at 425 degrees for an additional 5 minutes.
- Remove the cracked out bagel bites from the oven, and let cool for 5 minutes.
Serve and enjoy!
- Garnish each bagel bite with some diced tomato and minced cilantro, and serve.
Don’t ever apologize for a simple recipe! We all need simple recipes to balance out all the complex ones! And especially when it comes to party food. You want simple recipes, so that you’re able to enjoy your party along with your guests. (Hey, love the new look of your blog, by the way.)
Thanks Jeff! You make excellent points, simple recipes definitely have their place, and can truly be lifesavers.
Haha – I love that you called these ‘cracked out.’ Perfect name! Also, I remember bagel bites being a fun snack back when I was a kid, but (like you) I haven’t had them in ages. Thanks for the heads up! Although I do like the idea of transforming those boring bagel bites into something delicious – great use of leftovers here!!
Thanks David! Haha another childhood bagel bite fan yes! 😃👍. Oh for sure, the possibilities in dressing bagel bites up with leftovers is truly endless.
How did I even miss this idea?
As a huge fan of savoury things, these tiny bites are delicious, easy to make, and elegant enough for the times you crave for a pizza or a savoury pie but lazy / do not have time for making one. And so many possible topping ideas! Really great stuff.
Haha thanks Ben! I so relate, I can’t believe I never thought to do this before. I’m right there with you, I love savory bites, and these fit the bill without taking too much time to prepare.