DIY: Pizza Balls
Written by Kate Tietje
A while back, I stumbled upon this recipe for pizza snowballs, but it gave me an idea! I mean, anything can be made with real food, right?
We need more tasty, wholesome foods, especially for those looking to get away from processed foods!
There was another problem to address, too: lunch. I could put together anything for the kids (when I was writing this, they were eating bits of leftover pasta, cheese cubes, and chocolate-coconut bars), but for me? Or to go? Please. Apparently, I am lame at that. This led me to believe I need to find new and improved lunch solutions. Thus, Pizza Balls to the rescue!
These are great for:
- People who work outside the home
- Kids, for school lunches
- Playdates/on-the-go lunches
- Fast dinners on busy nights
- To have on hand for any time you don't want to cook
You can find more of these healthy, kid-approved recipes like this in my Wholesome Real Food Favorites Cookbook!
Pizza Balls
Today's selection is "Pizza Balls." These can come with so many variations if you're not into pizza. You could use almost anything -- any meat, cheese, or veggies you like.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups of white whole-wheat flour
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 & 1/4 cups water
- 2 tsp. sea salt
- 3 tsp. yeast
- 1 lb. mozzarella, shredded
- 1/4 lb. pepperoni, chopped into bite-sized pieces
Directions:
Step 1: The night before you want to make these, mix the flour, oil, and water in a bowl. Cover it, and set it aside. This is the soaking step, and we do this to neutralize the phytic acid (which makes it healthier and more digestible). It needs to sit at least 12 hours in a warm place.
Step 2: The next day, add the sea salt and the yeast and stir it together. Knead it for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Return it to the bowl and place it in a warm location. Allow it to rise until doubled, about 2 hours.
Step 3: Punch it down. Shred your mozzarella if it doesn't come that way.
Step 4: Chop up your pepperoni into bite-sized pieces. I started with Applegate Farms' sandwich-size pepperoni slices. It is nitrate-free and uncured. I chopped each slice into 16 pieces.
Step 5: Now, you could choose to add diced green peppers, sliced and sauteed mushrooms, cooked sausage, or whatever other pizza toppings you prefer. I kept it simple this time, but I might try using peppers, mushrooms, and sausage next time! (Which my kids won't eat...oh well.)
Step 6: Roll three small pieces of dough into balls. 1" balls work great in regular-sized muffin trays (which should be greased), and 1/2" balls work great in mini-muffin trays.
Step 7: Grab your dough balls in your hand.
Step 8: Add a tbsp. or so of cheese and 4 - 5 pepperoni pieces.
Step 9: Mash it into a rough ball shape, with the toppings mostly in the center. Put this into the muffin trays.
Step 10: Let this rise for about an hour. Preheat the oven to 425° (but don't accidentally put them in the oven to rise and forget that when you go to preheat!). Bake the pizza balls for about 15 minutes.
Step 11: When they're done, pop them out and serve them with tomato sauce for dipping, or let them cool completely and put them in a bag and freeze. They can be reheated by separating them on a tray (with space between each ball) and baking at 400ºF for 5 - 10 minutes.
They are a bit of work in the initial stages.
It took me a good hour to get the whole batch done. But I got almost three dozen minis and 12 regulars, so that will work for a lot of lunch! I serve with some veggie sticks and home-canned fruit for a really simple, well-loved meal.