Naturally Delicious Back-to-School Pizza Pockets
Not only does back-to-school season necessitate lots of new lunchbox packing ideas, it also calls for easy, family-pleasing weeknight meal recipes. My family loves pizza in all shapes and sizes, so we took our love for pizza one step further this fall with these cool pizza pockets. I use fresh store-bought pizza dough from our local pizza parlor, lots of naturally delicious Arla Dofino cheese, pizza sauce and any other toppings we want to try.
In many ways, making these is just like making a pizza, but easier. I roll all of the dough like a pizza and cut it into rectangles. Then, I top each one with a little sauce and a blend of shredded Arla Dofino Chipotle Gouda, Havarti and Fontina, add anything else I want (pepperoni!), roll them up and bake. It is really quite simple! The nice thing is that pizza pockets are very easy to personalize. My daughter wanted plain cheese, my husband wanted some chopped up pre-cooked sausage and my son had some chopped leftover meatballs. You also could add cooked vegetables or even fruit!
I came up with the cheese blend based on my favorite Arla Dofino cheeses. They all taste delicious and melt beautifully to create a unique blend of flavor, perfect for a pizza. To spice it up more, you could blend in Jalapeno Havarti, or swap out the portion of Fontina for more Chipotle Gouda – yum! Give these a try this week with your kids and get the whole family involved in the kitchen fun!
Ingredients
- 1 ball pizza dough store bought or homemade
- 1 cup or more of pizza sauce (depending on how saucy you like your pockets)
- 1 cup coarsely shredded Arla Dofino Creamy Havarti
- ½ cup coarsely shredded Arla Dofino Chipotle Gouda
- ½ cup coarsely shredded Arla Dofino Fontino
- Additional topping ideas: Pepperoni, crumbled cooked sausage, crumbled cooked meatballs, cooked mushrooms, cooked peppers and onions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Divide the pizza dough into 8 balls and roll each ball out into a 5x7 square. Try to get the dough as thin as possible.
- Drizzle the sauce on the dough and spread it smooth with the back of a spoon leaving a 1-inch border all the way around the dough. Then top with ¼ cup of the shredded cheese mixture and any other toppings you'd like. Then roll up the dough and pinch the sides and ends together to form a pocket. Place the pockets seam side down on the lined baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
- Remove the hot pockets to a plate to cool. Be careful when you cut them open because the inside will be very hot. Enjoy once cool enough to handle!
These pockets look so delicious and easy to make too!
THanks! They are delish and easy to make for sure!
How fun! My kiddos would love these in their lunch boxes!
Hi Jamie – they would be GREAT in lunchboxes!!!
[…] 1) Easy Back to School Pizza Pockets […]
Oh, these cheesy pockets look great for kids, but I’d love them for my lunch, too!!!
These are so fun for back to school. Love them!
My boys would Looooved these! Great recipe!
Love these! I swear my kids could eat pizza every day. I know they’d love this cheesy concoction!
My kids would go crazy for these!! And I must find that Jalapeno Havarti – yum!!!
I love the combination of cheeses in these!
What a fun recipe! Perfect for after school snacks!