Pizza Packet

This Pizza Packet post (say THAT 10 times fast!) is unique for two reasons. The first is that this recipe was given to me by my friend, Danielle. Danielle has been cleaning my house for years (yes,  I know it seems a bit extravagant to have someone come and help clean my house, but it saves my sanity on a continuous basis…I would give up cable TV before I would give that up!).

I don’t even know how many years it has been now. She is one of the sweetest and nicest people you would ever want to meet. I trust her completely and I know I can depend on her for anything! She also LOVES our cats, and many times when we go away for more than a couple of days, we ask her to come and check on them. I recently told her that I started this blog, so she has been sending me some of her own recipes. I am going to try each and every one of them, they all sound so good!

This first one is easy and fun to make, and a total kid-pleaser. Also, it is super-customizable. Just follow the basic directions and add whatever fillings you like. After much debate amongst the family members, we are calling it a pizza packet, because it is not quite a calzone and not really a stromboli either.

The second reason that this post is unique is that Thing 1 did the prep and the cooking, and also wanted to write about it for the blog. So, without further ado, I will turn the post over to Thing 1!

Pizza. An all time family and kid favorite. What’s not to like? Dough that’s crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, a small layer of sweet red tomato sauce and a healthy blanket of gooey, melty cheese? You’d have to be crazy to resist! But why stop there? Why not take pizza, give it an all new shape, and make it a whole new adventure? That’s exactly what I did! I rolled out the pizza dough, laid down the sauce and cheese, and bombarded it with pepperoni and mushrooms and spinach sautéed in olive oil. Then, I did the unthinkable, and folded it in half! After sealing the edges with a fork, I put it into the oven and waited until my “pizza packet” was ready. After careful thought, it’s been determined that it was too big to be called a pizza “pocket”, so pizza packet it is! Cutting into it and seeing the melty cheese slowly ooze out is almost magical, and the taste? Heaven.

Thank you, Thing 1! Excellent job.

Thing 2 rating = (4 biscuits out of 5), mostly because of the pizza sauce (crazy kid) and maybe a little because of the fact that it was his brother who made the pizza packet LOL.

Danielle's Pizza Packet

Print Recipe

Recipe Author: Kristin

A cross between a pizza and a calzone, fill it with your favorite toppings and cheese and enjoy!

CourseEntree

CuisineAmerican

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time35 mins

Servings2

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 handfuls fresh baby spinach
• 8 ounces fresh sliced mushrooms
• 16 ounces whole wheat pizza dough (thawed)
• 1/2 cup pizza sauce (more or less according to taste)
• 3 ounces turkey pepperoni (1/2 pack)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (more or less according to taste)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Heat the olive oil in a skillet.
• Add the mushrooms and saute about 3 minutes until they start to get soft.
• Add the spinach and continue to cook until the spinach is a little wilted.
• Remove from heat and set aside.
• Spray a baking sheet or pizza pan with cooking spray.
• Spread the pizza dough on the pan into a circle of desired thickness.
• Spread the sauce on one side of the dough, then top with the spinach and mushroom mixture, pepperoni, and cheese.
• Fold the other half of the dough over to form a packet in the shape of a half moon, and press the edges together to seal.
• Bake for about 20 minutes, until the dough is golden brown and cooked.

Notes

One pizza pack feeds 2-3 people, but if your kids are older and/or extra-hungry, you may want to make more!

Nutrition

Calories: 851kcal | Carbohydrates: 105g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 2423mg | Potassium: 796mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 740IU | Vitamin C: 6.7mg | Calcium: 302mg | Iron: 2.6mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @dizzybusyandhungry or tag #dizzybusyandhungry!

Enjoy!