Pizza Spirals OAMC

~Leslie~'s Note:

These tasty little morsels are so easy and versatile. I serve them as an appetizer or after school snack, but especially as a school lunch. I just make them ahead, freeze them and pop them into my daughter's lunch box frozen, and by the time she is ready to eat lunch they are all thawed out. There are never any left over! Hope you enjoy!

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 20 rolls

• 1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
• 3/4 cup chopped low-fat pepperoni
• 8 teaspoons pizza sauce or 8 teaspoons spaghetti sauce
• 5 teaspoons warmed low-fat cream cheese
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 1 1/2 cups shredded lowfat mozzarella cheese

any other fillings

• mushrooms or bell peppers or ground beef, etc, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Unroll dough into 4 long rectangles.
3. Press diagonal perforations firmly to seal.
4. Spread warmed cream cheese evenly on dough.
5. Spread pizza sauce evenly on top of cream cheese.
6. Add oregano and garlic spreading evenly over all.
7. Sprinkle chopped pepperoni over all.
8. Add any extra ingredients you would like.
9. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
10. Roll up each rectangle starting at the shortest side, press and seal firmly.
11. Cut each of the 4 rolls into 5 slices to make 20 slices.
12. Spray cookie sheet or muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray.
13. Place cut side down on sprayed cookie sheet or muffin tins. Careful, they can be sticky!
14. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
15. Remove from cookie sheet.
16. Can be served warm or cooled and placed in the freezer.

Reviews

[Chef #1392349]

I've made these many times....a family favorite!! I always make them when I'm going out of town so my DB has fresh food to prepare. I know they're not "healthy" per se, but it's better than what he would be eating. I make just about as directed, and hope they make it into the freezer. My only alteration is I throw them in the freezer for about 5-10 min to firm up before rolling and again after slicing. This makes them much less messy.

[zannah17]

I made these the other day & they turned out horrible. Everything was gooey & falling apart. Then I came back & read all of the reviews. Great! So today, I made exactly as directed except I used a combo of other pp's advice. Used ingredients just as directed, but I liberally floured my working surface & my hands. With four on my hands, I sealed each perforation & also turned the rectangle over & sealed from the other side too. This made rolling the spiral up much easier as the dough didn't break apart while rolling. Once rolled up, I placed the entire roll on a plate in the freezer for about 20 minutes & it cut perfectly with a serrated knife. My 5 year old ate 4 of them & I am thinking about all of the veggies he won't eat that I can hide in these things!! :-) Thanks for a great recipe.

[Chef #624615]

I would give this ten stars if I could. Seriously awesome, if for no other reason than its versatility. After the success of the pizza, I tried making it with sauteed spinach and swiss cheese (so easy!)... and ham and cheese... and ground beef with taco seasoning. On a budget but want to clean out all your random, unmatchable food? Buy some crescent dough and cream cheese! A note to Smaz and anyone else having trouble with the mess: Make sure the dough is COLD and also sprinkle some flour on the surface you're using, your hands, and the rolling pin if you are using one. I find the thinner you roll the dough the more stuff you can fill them with but the more messy they come out. also stick the rolls in the freezer for about ten minutes before you slice them and they will come out much more neatly! Once again easily ten stars for this awesome recipe!