1tuberefrigerated pizza crust, whole grain if available
½poundlean ground beef
½smallonion, diced
¼tspblack pepper
24slicespepperoni
1Smallcan of pizza sauce
½cupshredded cheese
Olive oil
Instructions
For the pockets
Brown ground beef with diced onion and black pepper. Tip: To make assembly of the pockets go more quickly, complete this step the night before or earlier in the day and refrigerate until ready to use.
Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray non-stick baking sheet with cooking spray.
Open refrigerated pizza crust and unroll onto baking sheet. Using fingers, spread dough into larger rectangle about 14”x 10”.
Using a pizza cutter cut the dough in half and then make two equal cuts lengthwise to make six sections of dough. (see diagram above)
To each dough section, add a thin layer of pizza sauce, approximately 1 Tablespoon. When spreading the sauce, leave roughly 1 inch of the dough around the perimeter free of sauce. To the center of each section add 4 slices of pepperoni, ¼ cup hamburger mixture and top with approximately 1 tablespoon shredded cheese. If any meat or cheese remains distribute equitably among sections. Tip: Using cooled ground beef will make it easier to form the pockets as the dough is less likely to tear.
Take one of the short edges of the section and fold over to the other short edge. Pinch the edges to seal the contents and make a pocket. Flip the pocket so that the pinched edges are on the baking sheet. Do this for all six pockets.
Bake pockets until slightly brown, about 12-15 minutes. Pull pockets from oven and brush with olive oil. Bake for an additional minute.
While the pockets are baking prepare a salad and fresh fruit for a healthy meal! These pockets are a great on-the-go meal option. Wrap in foil to keep warm until you get to your destination.