Broccoli, Salami, and Mozzarella Pizza Pockets

Oh, you guys, this was The Meal That Almost Wasn’t. Everything seemed to go wrong when I was making these pizza pockets.

…Okay, not everything; that may be a little bit dramatic. I was originally planning to make this stromboli from Martha Stewart, but then I sliced my pizza dough in a way that didn’t allow for all the filling to fit. So then, thinking myself quite clever, I decided to make pizza pockets instead, and I divided the dough into 8 squares. I’m brilliant! I thought.

In my brilliance, I added the filling to each one and wrapped the dough around all of them...before I realized I hadn’t seasoned the filling in any way, or added the marinara sauce. So I had to improvise further. I decided to heat the marinara and just use it for dipping, and quickly melted and seasoned some butter, which I brushed over the top of the pizza pockets before I baked them.

Then I crossed my fingers and just hoped they were edible. Much to my surprise, not only were they edible...they were absolutely delicious, and something we all loved. When I thought about it later, I realized this really shouldn’t have been all that surprising, since what I did was pretty much unknowingly follow the directions for these pizza rolls. In any case, I still think these are worth sharing, especially since this particular filling combination is a knock-out. Whether you make the stromboli in the original recipe, or you adapt it into these pizza pockets out of necessity as I did, this is definitely something worth trying. The filling options are endless, and I’ll be trying lots of variations in the future.

(And I know I've listed marinara as the dipping sauce in the recipe, and while that was very good, I should also mention that I ended up dipping one of my pizza pockets in ranch dressing, and I loved that. Ranch is the best!)

Broccoli, Salami, and Mozzarella Pizza Pockets
source: heavily adapted from Martha Stewart

1 package refrigerated pizza dough
1 package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
4 ounces thinly sliced Genoa salami, chopped
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt and black pepper to taste
Marinara sauce, warmed

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out pizza dough and cut into 8 equal squares.

2. Place broccoli in a strainer, and press to remove excess liquid. Transfer to a double layer of paper towels, and pat dry.

3. Dividing evenly, scatter broccoli over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Top with mozzarella and salami.

4. Carefully lift up each square and wrap the dough around the toppings. Pinch to make sure each ball is sealed shut and then place them seam side down on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Slice a hole in the top of each to vent.

5. Combine melted butter, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper and brush over tops of pizza pockets.

6. Bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with marinara (or ranch!) for dipping.