It’s not that I can’t wedge a slice of pizza into Kenya’s LapTop Lunch Box, it’s just that it can be a bit of a challenge. When kids open their school lunch, the first thing they’ll likely judge their food on is it’s appearance, so a piece of pizza that’s been smashed to fit in the box, doesn’t seem like the easiest sell — no matter how much they love it.
That was part of the reason that I came up with these Pizza Pinwheels. If you tune in to weelicious enough, you know that we make a lot of pizza in our house and coming up with new recipes for how to present it besides the everyday slice with tomato and cheese is part of the fun for me.
These pinwheels are really like a pizza “sandwich” because the filling is savory, kind of like a ham and cheese sandwich, but much cooler looking. They almost dare you not to eat them. It’s also a versatile recipe in that you can substitute your fillings to fit your mood (see the recipe below for suggestions). Whether you decide to replace the ham with turkey or chicken or even go with just traditional red sauce and cheese, these Pizza Pinwheels will have your kids coming home from school asking for more!
Pizza Pinwheels
Ingredients
- 1 pound pizza dough, recipe linked below
- 2 tablespoons dijon or yellow mustard
- 1 cup chopped ham
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees
- Roll out pizza dough until 1/4 inch thick and the shape of a large rectangle (about 18 x 12 inches).
- Evenly spread the mustard on the dough, and sprinkle the ham and cheese on top.*
- Starting with end nearest you (the long end of the rectangle), roll the dough away from you, creating an even cylinder as you go (similar to a jelly roll).
- Lightly sprinkle some flour on top of the roll (so it’s easier to cut) and using a serrated knife, cut the roll into 1 inch discs (pinwheels).
- Place pinwheels on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and lightly press them with the palm of your hand to slightly flatten and bake for 12-15 minutes.
To Freeze: After rolling up the dough, cut the roll in half and freeze for later. When you are ready just take it out and let it thaw to room temperature then cut them into pinwheels and follow the steps 7-8. Or you can just cut the entire roll in pinwheels and place some pinwheels on a baking sheet, freeze for 30 minutes then place them in a ziploc bag, label and freeze. But be sure to always let the pinwheels come to room temperature then bake.- * can also be made subbing the mustard and ham with tomato sauce and favorite pizza topping such as pepperoni, onions, peppers, olives, leftover vegetables and more.
hello,after you bake them do you keep them in the fridge overnight?
For the next day lunch?
I always pack an ice pack with lunch just to be extra certain everything is kept at a safe temperature! With hot foods, I let them cool completely on the counter before placing in the fridge or in the lunch box. I usually pack lunch at night after dinner so the entire lunch stays in the fridge all night.
can you please detail how you deal with the pizza wheel for instance, if you make them the night before you are going to put them into your child’s lunchbox? (Cooling time, wrapping etc.) And do these need an ice pack, or do they stay safe until lunchtime? Thank you! yes, I man one of those moms that need every detail 😉
[…] bentos for the week. Really wish I had gotten a pic of yesterday’s….pizza pocket and pizza pinwheels plus sauce for dipping, edamame and carrots. […]
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Hmmm I think the tortillas would work!