Stuffed Pizza Rolls

When I originally posted about these stuffed pizza rolls on my old recipe blog, I sounded really bitter and kind of mad about them. I think I made them on a really rough day (translation: PMS), and I did a couple of things wrong, like using pre-shredded mozzarella cheese (translation: giant mess). In truth these little "pizza balls" as we call them, are awesome. I like them better than making a regular pizza for two reasons 1 - they are less messy for toddlers to eat than regular pizza and 2 - one of the biggest disputes that B and I have in our marriage is how much pizza sauce belongs on a pizza. For me, there can never be enough, for him even a little is too much. So these pizza balls solve that dilemma.

You can make these as easy (with a refrigerated pizza crust and sauce from a jar) or hard (homemade pizza dough and sauce) as you want. I haven't experimented with this, but I am guessing they would freeze well and be an easy meal to keep on hand in the freezer to just pop in the oven on a rough day.

Stuffed Pizza Rolls

by: www.ourbestbites.com

1 roll refrigerated pizza dough (or make your own)
pizza sauce (or make your own)
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil or melted butter
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
mozzarella cheese, cut in small cubes
pizza toppings of your choice: ie ham and pineapple, pepperoni, sausage, etc.

Preheat the oven to the heat specified on the pizza dough package (or recipe - usually about 400 degrees). Unroll your dough onto a lightly floured surface. pat or roll the dough so it is about 8". Cut the dough into about 24 squares with a pizza cutter (I'll just tell you right now that the best pizza cutter you will ever get can be purchased at your local Papa Murphy's for $5).

Place cheese and desired toppings on each square (not the sauce!). Just place enough toppings on each square so you have enough dough left to make a ball. When all of your dough sqaures have cheese and toppings on, carefully lift up each square and wrap the dough around the toppings. Pinch to make sure each ball is sealed shut and them place them seam side down in a lightly sprayed pie plate (or similar dish).

Brush the tops of the dough balls with olive oil or melted butter, then sprinkle with garlic and Italian seasonings and top with parmesan cheese (or in lieu of that you can just use garlic bread seasoning).

Cook for 15-20 minutes until golden brown on top. You may want to check after 10 minutes since cooking times may vary. Serve with warm pizza sauce.

Kristi's Notes: If you are local, the best garlic bread seasoning is Chef Tom's. I'll be honest, I'm not sure where my mom gets it from, but she gives it to me occasionally on holidays and I swear by it. I'm going to venture out and try making my own sometime soon though, stay tuned for that!