You guys. YOU GUYS. This recipe. It’s such a winner, I can barely complete full sentences.
I saw this recipe on Emily’s blog a while back and thought, “Those look good.” Then I kind of forgot about them until she posted on Instagram that she was making them again.
I HAD to have them.
Want to hear a dirty confession? (It’s not really that dirty.)
These were so good, we had them TWICE. In ONE DAY.
That’s right. I made them for lunch, and had enough ingredients for a second batch…so they became dinner, too.
I’m not normally a huge, huge fan of pepperjack cheese. But in this recipe, the pepperjack and the pepperoni give just a hint of heat that is perfectly balanced by the ranch dressing, and the green onions really brighten everything up in a big, perfect way.
Since the rolls themselves don’t contain any tomato sauce, I pulled together a super quick and easy marinara dipping sauce. Because tomatoes aren’t in season yet, I used some canned tomatoes and brightened them up with some fresh basil and garlic, but I can’t wait to do a variation on this with some fresh cherry tomatoes later this summer.
Seriously, guys. Make these rolls. You can thank me later. (You don’t have to tell me how magnanimous I am. I already know that.)
Pepperoni Rolls with Easy Marinara Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
For the pepperoni rolls:
- 1 pound pizza dough this was half of a recipe for me
- 1/3 cup ranch dressing
- 1 cup pepperjack cheese
- 1/2-3/4 cup pepperoni
- 1/3 cup green onions
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
For the marinara dipping sauce:
- 1 14.5- ounce can diced tomatoes well drained
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
Make the pepperoni rolls:
- Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Grease a 9-inch cake pan or pie plate. Set aside.
- Roll dough into a 15x8-inch rectangle. Don't worry about it being perfect, we are just going for general size here.
- Spread the ranch dressing over the dough, leaving about 1/2 inch of space along the edges. Evenly sprinkle the cheese over the dressing, then place enough pepperoni to cover the cheese. Sprinkle with the green onions and garlic powder.
- Starting at one of the long edges, roll the pizza dough (just like cinnamon rolls). The pepperoni may not want to cooperate, but a little smart maneuvering will prove you victorious. Once rolled, pinch the edges together and cut into 8 pieces, about 2 inches each.
- Place cut rolls into the prepared pan and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown and cheese is melted. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve with marinara dipping sauce.
Make the marinara dipping sauce:
- In a food processor or blender, combine tomatoes, tomato paste, and basil. Process until tomatoes and basil are finely chopped.
- Transfer to a small saucepan over medium heat. Add oregano, garlic, salt and sugar. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for about 8 minutes, or until the flavors are well-blended and the tomatoes lose some of their raw taste.
- Use as a dipping sauce.
- If using as a pizza sauce, you can opt to simply combine all ingredients in the food processor/blender and use without heating, as the raw tomato taste will dissipate when you cook the pizza.
I can so see eating these twice in one day so no judgement here!!! They look awesome!
Glad you liked them! I don’t blame you for eating them twice. I would totally do that too.
Yum! These look delicious. I love pepperoni pizza…and in roll form? I’m too excited to make these!
These look so good! I think I’d eat the whole batch! 🙂
Hi Stephie,
I think these are genius. I love a bit of deconstructed food. Obviously the standard problem of us bloggers making something so delicious is that we want to eat our new creations all the time. I have been know to have some of mine at Breakfast!
Oh, breakfast is a truly dangerous time to be a food blogger. =)
West Virginia staple right there! I love the way you made them look like cinnamon rolls. Here in WV, our’s look like standard dinner rolls with a pepperoni surprise in the middle. Love the blog!
Thank you!
I would have to disagree with David above me, only because I’m usually not fully awake to be competent enough to prepare blog worthy food at breakfast. These look good and congratulations on making the foodbuzz Top 9!
These pepperoni rolls look delicious:) In reading over the recipe, I was glad they were not that difficult to make. I can’t wait to make them – I am sure they will be a family favorite:)
I would eat them twice in one day too! They look crazy good.
Those look amazing! Already printed out the recipe. Can’t wait to try them.