Yeah, I know I'm a couple of days late with this fun Super Bowl party recipe. But who's to say that unhealthy morsels of cheese-filled goodness have to be shared with a crowd? Since I couldn't care less about football and don't have enough local friends to throw a party for any occasion I made these chicken- and bacon-stuffed pizza rolls for dinner on Saturday, all for my husband and me. Kind of a throwback to my family's tradition of hunkering down with some Geno's pizza rolls and watching Star Trek: The Next Generation on Saturday nights while growing up. Except that these are 1,000 times better than anything you'd find in the freezer section.
I cheated and used refrigerated pizza crust, whipped up some shredded chicken earlier in the day, and tossed in crispy bacon, a few pieces of chopped onion, and some cilantro. Since I didn't cut my dough perfectly evenly I had a little trouble wrapping some squares around all of the filling but I somehow made it work. The dough puffs up nicely when baking so I had minimal loss of toppings.
The best part is there are no rules when making these so you can fill them with whatever pizza toppings you have on hand. I'm sure I'll be making these again with homemade dough as an easy weekend meal, assuming I've stuck to my diet earlier in the week so I can justify eating a bunch of carbs and cheese.
Stuffed Pizza RollsRecipe from The Farm Girl Recipes 1 roll refrigerated pizza dough, (or make your own)
1 teaspoon Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
1 1/2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon melted butter
Mozzarella cheese, cubed (or use a combo of mozzarella and cheddar)
5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup shredded, cooked chicken
*or any other ingredients for your favorite pizza (pepperoni, pineapple, ham, peppers, sausage, onions, etc.)
1. Take 1 teaspoon of ranch dressing mix and combine it with 1 1/2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to heat specified on pizza dough package. If you are making your own, 425 degrees.
3. Unroll your pizza dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat or roll the dough so it's about 12" by 8". Using a pizza cutter, slice dough into 24 squares. Place cheese and desired toppings on each square.
4. When all of your dough squares have cheese and toppings on them, carefully lift up each square and wrap the dough around the toppings. Grab the four corners first and then squeeze the seams shut. Then place them seam side down in a lightly sprayed pie pan (or similar sized dish). Brush with melted butter sprinkle with the Parmesan-ranch mixture.
5. Place rolls in the oven. The baking time really depends on the type of dough you're using. Whether it's different brands from the store, or homemade dough, they all take different amounts of time. Set your timer for 10 minutes and check on them after that. They may take up to 15 or 20 to be done. Take them out when they're lightly golden on top. Serve them warm with a side of pizza sauce for dipping.
