Pizza bundles make for convenient snacks, but frozen prepared versions can be filled with extra sodium and un-healthy fats. These pockets of pizza allow you to control what goes into each bite, and give you the chance to make your own favourite flavours. Try replacing the meat with an equal weight of ground chicken, or turkey. Love spinach? Trow that into the pan as well.
Ingredients
- 60 ml / ¼ cup Mirage® Margarine, melted
- 60 ml / ¼ cup Onion, diced
- 4 pieces Red pepper, diced
- 2 tsp Garlic, minced
- 454 gm / 1 lb Ground Beef
- Pinch Salt
- 1 Recipe Quick Puff Pastry
- 250 ml / 1 cup Tomato Sauce
- 250 gm / 1 cup Mozzarella cheese, grated
- 1 Egg, for an egg wash
- Salt and Pepper for garnish
Directions
1. Prepare Quick Puff Pastry as directed, and place in the refrigerator.
2. In a large frying pan, melt the Mirage Margarine over medium heat. Add in the diced onion, pepper and minced garlic. Season with a few pinches of salt and pepper. Continue cooking until the onions are translucent and the peppers are soft.
3. Add the raw ground beef into the frying pan with the onions and peppers. Brown the beef and cook until no longer pink. Add in the tomato sauce and simmer for 2 minutes
4. Transfer the filling mixture to a baking sheet to cool.
5. Once the filling has cooled, roll the quick puff pastry to a square slightly larger than 12” x 12” (30cm x30cm). Trim the edges, or for a more rustic look leave them as is.
6. Measure out 4” intervals along 2 sides of the square, dividing the dough into a grid of 3 squares by 3 squares. Measure again to be sure; measure twice cut once applies here too.
7. Divide the cheese amongst the squares, placing the cheese.
8. On top of the cheese place a 2 tablespoons of the meat filling.
9. Fold one side of the square over the filling to create a rectangle shaped bundle. Pull the dough up and over the filling, as it will stretch and hug the filling.
10. Transfer the bundle to a lined baking sheet, and crimp the joining seams together with a fork.
11. Repeat with the remaining pizza bundles.
12. Once all the bundles are complete. Place the in refrigerator to rest for 30 minutes. This will allow for more rise in the puff dough when it heads into the oven.
13. Pre-heat oven to 450°F(260°C).
14. Remove the baking sheet from the refrigerator. Mix the egg with 2 tbsp of water. Brush the tops of each bundle with the egg wash. Sprinkle each bundle with salt and pepper, and snip a small opening in the top of the bundle to allow steam to escape.
15. Place the bundles in the oven and bake at 450°F(260°C) for 3 minutes.
16. Turn the temperature down to 375°F(185°C), and continue baking for 15-25 minutes, until the surface has an even, golden colour, and all the individual layers are no longer white. If you find the bundles are colouring too fast, reduce your heat to 350°F(160°C) after the initial 3 minutes.
17. Remove the bundles to cool before enjoying as the centers can be extremely hot.
Chef Notes
- Try removing the ground beef and replacing it with an equal amount of sliced mushrooms for a tasty meatless option.
- Once the bundles are formed, and ready to go in the fridge to rest, you can transfer them to the freezer. Just pull the frozen bundles, place them on a lined baking sheet and follow the baking instructions above. These make for a great after school snack that can be ready in less than 30 minutes.
- If there is any left over filling, store it in a freezer bag, in the freezer for up to a month. Or toss it into a lunch wrap.