Description
Garlic Butter Pizza Roll-Ups are an easy answer for busy nights because soft pizza dough wraps around savory pepperoni and stretchy mozzarella before baking with a rich garlic butter finish. These quick bites bring simple dinner ideas to the table and make one of the best options for weeknight dinner plus meal prep plus holiday gatherings plus potluck spreads plus brunch tables or a casual party. Add a healthy salad for balance and serve them warm with marinara.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Refrigerated pizza dough
- 4 tablespoons Unsalted butter
- 3 cloves minced Garlic
- 1 teaspoon Dried Italian seasoning
- 1 quarter teaspoon Fine salt
- 1 and 1 half cups Shredded low moisture mozzarella
- 24 slices Sliced pepperoni
- 2 tablespoons Grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon Chopped fresh parsley
- 1 cup Marinara sauce
Instructions
- Stir the melted butter with the minced garlic plus Italian seasoning and salt until the herbs and garlic are unevenly suspended throughout the glossy mixture. The butter changes from plain yellow to a speckled mixture with visible garlic pieces and green herb flecks.
- Stretch the one pound pizza dough into one imperfect rectangle and brush it with half of the garlic butter while leaving a narrow uncovered edge. Scatter one and one half cups mozzarella unevenly across the dough and arrange exactly twenty four pepperoni slices with natural overlap so the plain dough becomes a layered pizza sheet.
- Roll the layered dough from one long edge into a snug log while keeping the cheese and pepperoni folded inside the spiral. Slice the log into exactly twelve uneven roll-ups so each piece reveals curved layers of dough plus cheese and pepperoni.
- Transfer all twelve roll-ups to a baking dish with the cut sides facing upward and leave small uneven spaces between them. Brush the remaining garlic butter over the spirals and scatter two tablespoons Parmesan across the tops so the pale dough becomes glossy and lightly textured.
- Bake the twelve roll-ups until the dough expands and the outer edges turn golden while the mozzarella melts unevenly between the spirals. The roll-ups shift closer together as they rise and several pepperoni edges darken while small patches of cheese bubble and brown.
- Move three warm roll-ups onto a white plate and pull one slightly open to reveal the soft spiral plus melted mozzarella and pepperoni layers. Scatter one tablespoon parsley unevenly across the serving and add a small portion of warm marinara beside the roll-ups for dipping.
Notes
Pro Tips:
- Chill the rolled dough for ten minutes before slicing so the spirals hold their shape and the filling stays neatly layered.
- Leave a little space between each roll-up so hot air can reach the edges and create better browning without drying the centers.
- Brush on half the garlic butter before baking and the rest afterward so the tops stay flavorful and develop a glossy finish.
- Serve the roll-ups soon after baking because the cheese stays stretchy while the outer edges remain pleasantly crisp.
Storage: Let the Garlic Butter Pizza Roll-Ups cool completely before storing them so trapped steam does not soften the golden edges. Place the cooled roll-ups in a sealed container and refrigerate them for up to four days. Keep the marinara in a separate covered container so the dough does not become soggy. Reheat the roll-ups until the centers are hot and the cheese softens again. Dry heat gives the outer edges a firmer texture while gentle microwave heating creates a softer result. For longer storage freeze the baked roll-ups in a single layer until firm and then transfer them to a sealed freezer container. They can be frozen for up to two months and reheated directly from frozen.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Italian American