It’s Friday night, the kids are hungry and you’re game for a quick and easy meal.
Using sandwich fixings or leftovers from a previous meal, you can make your children a healthy lunch, snack or dinner simply by wrapping up their favorite foods in a handy pizza crust wrapper.
Like a calzone, these treats can be filled with anything you have handy in the frig.
You can make your own pizza dough, or you can use the convenient pizza crust dough canisters in the dairy section of your grocery store.
Just pop open a tube, spread out the dough, add fillings, fold ‘em up, and slide them into the oven.
Your kids will love these hands-on meals and may want to get in on the action by making their own!
Homemade Hot Pocket Sandwiches
Unroll an 8 ounce container of Pillsbury Pizza Crust onto a sheet of waxed paper. Roll with a rolling pin to slightly thin out the dough. Cut into four equal rectangles.
Place fillings in the center of the bottom half of the rectangle. Fold the top half over and crimp all three sides, pressing firmly to seal.
Depending on the filling that you’ve chosen, you may want to brush the outside with a little bit of oil and sprinkle with parmesan cheese, oregano, basil, or other herbs. Transfer pocket sandwiches to a baking sheet that’s been sprayed lightly with cooking oil. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until beginning to brown.
Fillings can be anything that your kids like. Here are some ideas:
- Ham and Cheese - chopped ham and shredded swiss cheese
- Meatball Sub – meatballs sliced in half, marinara sauce, provolone cheese
- Pepperoni Pizza – pepperoni slices, pizza sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese
- Veggie – Cooked broccoli and cauliflower, and cheddar cheese
- Cheese Pizza - pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese and cooked, chopped green pepper
- Tex Mex - black beans, corn, Monterey jack cheese and salsa
- Turkey and Cheese – leftover turkey, swiss cheese
- Florentine - cooked spinach, sliced mushrooms and parmesan cheese
- Asparagus – brush inside of dough with Dijon mustard and fill with asparagus and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese
- Chicken Alfredo – leftover cooked chicken and alfredo sauce
Tips:
- To get the edges to stay closed after you crimp them, be sure you don’t overfill the sandwiches. Leave an edge big enough to make a nice-sized crimp in the edges. Press firmly to close up the gap.
- To transfer the sandwiches to the baking sheet, lift gently with a large metal spatula, being careful not to tear the dough.
For more kid-friendly meals, see:
