I make this 3-ingredient dinner for under $6, and it feeds my entire family

It's one dinner go-to I've made dozens of times.

I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but pizza delivery has gotten expensive! Even from the cheaper big chains, my family could easily spend over $30 for two large pizzas. I’m working on shifting our dining out budget this year, so I was pretty delighted to find a quick and easy alternative to making homemade pizza, while also saving the money I’d spend on takeout.

Pillsbury’s Pizza Bubbles recipe is so easy, my kids can make it (and sometimes they do). I love that I can grab the ingredients to make it for less than $8 and it's infinitely adaptable to additional flavors and ingredients.

How To Make Pillsbury Pizza Bubbles

Pizza bubbles require just three base ingredients: canned biscuits, pizza sauce, and shredded cheese. You can change up the cheese or add toppings like pepperoni or canned olives and still make this a budget recipe. The bubble up is baked in a 13x9 baking dish at 375°F. Be sure to grease the dish with nonstick spray or coat it with olive oil because pizza sauce and cheese are quite sticky after baking.

Next you’ll cut the biscuits into bite-size pieces, about six pieces per biscuit. Use a mixing bowl to stir the biscuit pieces and pizza dough together. It's super tempting to mix everything in the baking dish but this once resulted in uneven cooking and burned sides for me, so I wouldn’t recommend it.

After mixing, the biscuit pieces go into the baking dish—you’ll get more even baking if you ensure that the pieces are in an even layer. Don’t stress if the pan isn’t completely covered, the biscuits need room to expand in the oven!

The sauce-covered biscuits bake for 25 minutes before you sprinkle on the cheese and bake for 5 additional minutes. I like to roast some broccoli while the pizza bubbles cook to make this a more complete dinner, but a salad is also a classic addition. Sometimes I broil the cheese for one to two minutes to get some golden brown crispy bits on the top.

The baked pizza bubble is crispy on the edges and soft in the middle—not unlike monkey bread—and tastes just like cheese pizza.

Tips for Making Pillsbury 3-Ingredient Pizza Bubbles

Having made this recipe dozens of times, I also have a few key tips for making the best pizza bubbles possible:

Make sure you cut the biscuits into six pieces each. Bigger pieces take longer to bake and can end up gummy in the sauce.
Toss the biscuit pieces with the sauce in a separate mixing bowl. I know it diaries an extra dish but it actually makes for a better bubble up. Plus, this makes clean up easier after baking.
Keeping this recipe budget-friendly is as simple as buying as many store-brand options as you can. I like to sub Italian cheese blend for the mozzarella the recipe calls for because you get a little more flavor without spending any extra.
Adding veggies or proteins you already have on hand can make this recipe heftier without a lot of cost or effort.

The Cost Breakdown of My Ingredients

I find this recipe as-is is enough to feed my family of four without leftovers. Here's what I spent:

Pillsbury Buttermilk Grands : $2.87 at my local Walmart
A 14-ounce jar of store-brand pizza sauce: $1.12
One 8-ounce bag of store-brand Italian cheese blend: $1.96
My total for one batch of pizza bubbles: $5.95

My kids are now able to make this themselves and my son recently fed three of his friends “pizza bubble up” (as he calls it) during a playdate. It's a recipe worthy of always picking up ingredients when the craving for takeout pizza strikes.