Broccoli Pesto Pizza Rolls
As I write this, I’m trying to think of an occasion where these pizza rolls wouldn’t work well. They’re perfect for packing into the school lunchbox, and would make a brilliant accompaniment to comforting creamy pasta or nourishing bowl of soup. As my husband and I tucked into a warm batch of these rolls during lunch hour, we also decided they would make an excellent pre-dinner appetizer for casual entertaining, especially if they were served alongside a bowl of warm marinara.
The beauty of this recipe is that it’s endlessly adaptable. For example, you can swap the pesto for traditional pizza sauce, or replace the broccoli with roasted cauliflower. You can skip the veggies altogether and just fill these with shredded cheese and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Or better yet, skip filling the rolls and brush the dough with melted butter mixed with minced garlic, and top with a blanket of parmesan cheese before baking for a pull-apart party bread you won’t be able to stop making.
Recipes like this are what I like to think of as back-pocket essentials. They are simple, adaptable and utterly delicious, and if they allow you to sneak some broccoli into a meal without any bribes—that alone makes them worth making.
Broccoli Pesto Pizza Rolls
Adapted from Weelicious
Makes 16
Prep and Cook:
- Olive oil
- 1 – 16 oz. pkg. white or whole-wheat pizza dough
- ¾ cup broccoli florets, finely chopped
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup pesto
- Parmesan cheese, grated
- Oregano
Prep and Cook:
- Preheat oven to 425°F and generously grease a 9’ springform pan or pie plate with olive oil.
- Bring pizza dough to room temperature and divide it into 16 even pieces.
- In a medium bowl combine the broccoli, mozzarella and pesto, and stir well.
- Press out each piece of dough into 3’ circle. Place 1 tablespoon of the pesto mixture in the center. Bring the edges of the dough towards the center, pinching along the edges to make sure they stick together, then shape into a ball.
- Place the ball, seam-side down, in the prepared pan, and repeat with the remainder of the ingredients to make the rest of the balls.
- Brush each ball with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and oregano.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown all over and serve warm or at room temperature.
