Homemade Pizza Rolls

By Venzie

Homemade pizza rolls are delicious and you know what's in them! Feel free to add your favorite pizza topping ingredients before mincing the filling, like mushrooms.

Ingredients

• 1/4 pound ground Italian sausage
• 1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoon tomato paste
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 heaping teaspoon dried basil
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained well (juice reserved) and chopped fine
• 2 cups 6-cheese Italian blend, shredded**
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 5 to 6 dozen wonton wraps
• 3 tablespoon cornstarch
• Vegetable oil for frying
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh basil or thyme, minced just before serving
• Parchment paper
• Candy thermometer

Preparation

Step 1

Fry ground sausage over medium heat, breaking it apart with your spatula as it cooks. Drain off grease when it is just about completely browned, then add your bell peppers and onions and cook for about 2 minutes more. Pulse the sausage, onion, and pepper together in a food processor until is finely, finely minced, or get your patient knife skills on and mince super fine. Place in refrigerator once cool.

Sauce:

Add the olive oil to a skillet and set over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the tomato paste. Cook, stirring continuously, for about 3 minutes, or until the mixture is a deep rust color. Add the garlic, oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes to the pan. Cook for about 30 seconds, or just until fragrant. Mix in the chopped tomatoes and the reserved juice. Allow the mixture to come to a simmer, then continue cooking (about 10 minutes) until it has thickened and reduced to a thick paste. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 days.

Meanwhile, line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a fine mesh sieve, dust about half of the cornstarch onto the parchment.

Assemble the pizza rolls:

Add the cheese to the chilled tomato mixture and stir to combine. Add in your toppings mixture (I used all but about 1/4 cup of my toppings mixture). Season the mixture to taste with salt and pepper.

Place the wonton wraps on a plate and cover with a damp towel (this will prevent them from drying out). Fill a small bowl with water. Working with a few wrappers at a time, lay them on your work surface. Add a heaping 1 teaspoon of filling to the center of each wrapper. Dip your finger in the water, and moisten the edges of one of the wrappers. Fold the bottom of the wrapper up and over the filling, then continue to roll toward the opposite edge. When you finish, the seam should be on the bottom. Gently press your fingers on either side of the filling to work out any air, then press the edges to seal completely. (It is REALLY important that you seal it completely, with no holes; otherwise, when you fry it, grease will fly everywhere.)

Trim down the edges of your wrapper; kitchen scissors work great for this. Transfer to the prepared cornstarch-dusted baking sheet (seam side down). Repeat the sealing process with the other wrappers then continue to fill and seal using the remaining filling and wrappers. (Place additional sheets of parchment dusted with the remaining cornstarch between layers of pizza rolls on the baking sheet.)

Once you've assembled all of the rolls, cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and transfer to the freezer for at least 30 to 60 minutes (until they are firm) or up to 1 month. Once they are frozen completely, you can throw them together in a freezer-safe bag and they will not stick together.

There are two options to cook - bake or fry.

Option 1: Fry the pizza rolls:

Set a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet. Top the rack with a double layer of paper towels. Add enough vegetable oil to a pot to measure about 1 1/2 inches deep - you can do this in a large Dutch oven or a smaller pot but just be aware that you should fry fewer rolls at a time in the smaller pot so as not to overcrowd and drop the oil temperature too much. Set the pot over medium to medium-high heat and heat the oil until it measures 375°F on a candy thermometer. Add the pizza rolls (how many depends on how big a pot you used) and cook for about 1 minute, stirring and flipping them over a few times so both sides brown evenly. Try to maintain the oil temperature between 350° and 375°F, adjust the heat under the pot as necessary. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the rolls to the wire rack you prepared earlier to allow any excess oil to drain. Return the oil to 375°F before frying the next batch of rolls. Continue until they've all been fried.

Option 2: Bake the pizza rolls:

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 400°F. Place the pizza rolls on the parchment paper and spray the tops with cooking spray. Bake for 7-10 minutes until golden-brown. Warning: these taste just fine but are ugly...and the texture is okay but not great. Again, cooking option #2 is about convenience and convenience only. Don't serve the baked variety at a party; eat them in your pajamas on a Friday night.

The rolls will be very hot when they come out of the oil so let them cool for a few minutes before serving. Sprinkle with fresh herbs, and serve as is or with warm marinara sauce for dipping.