Get ready to add a new favorite dinner recipe to your weekly rotation…whole-wheat pizza pockets! These are sure to please eaters of all ages and the best part is you can use up food or leftovers from your fridge for the fillings.
Want to Save this Recipe?
Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you'll get great new recipes from us every week!
Little ones might especially enjoy making their own pizza pocket so don’t be afraid to get them involved. Their friends might like to help as well so for the next sleepover or birthday gathering consider hosting a “make your own pizza pocket” party. And if you have time to double the recipe these are great leftover the next day or even weeks later if stored in the freezer.
For another fun flavor, make these into Mexican Flavored Pizza!
Whole-Wheat Pizza Pockets
Get ready to add a new favorite dinner recipe to your weekly rotation…whole-wheat pizza pockets! These are sure to please eaters of all ages and the best part is you can use up food or leftovers from your fridge for the fillings.
Print Recipe
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup water
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cups whole-wheat flour
Filling
- 1 ¼ cups ricotta cheese
- 1 ¼ cups mozzarella cheese (shredded)
- ½ cup parmesan cheese (shredded)
- salt (to taste)
- pepper (to taste)
- pizza sauce
- sesame seeds (raw (optional))
Other Filling Options (you could sauté together and combo of these)
- sausage
- 4 oz mushrooms
- ½ green bell pepper
- onion
- garlic
- figs
- zucchini
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- In a glass measuring cup heat 1-cup water until warm. Drop in 2 teaspoons yeast and let rest for a minute.
- After the yeast foams up a bit add the salt and olive oil to the water mixture and gently stir if necessary.
- In a food processor or mixer with a dough blade/hook add 3 cups flour. Pour in the water mixture and process until a dough ball forms.
- Coat a large bowl with olive oil, add the pizza dough ball, and cover with plastic wrap while you prepare the other fillings.
- In another bowl mix together the ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Chop and/or cook other desired fillings while dough rises on the counter (20 – 30 minutes). Alternatively you can make the dough earlier in the day and let it rise in the fridge or if you are short on time it will still work if you don't let it rise at all!
- Divide dough into 6 equal sized pieces. Shape each one into a ball and then flatten it out with a rolling pin. Don’t roll it too thin (see picture for recommended size).
- Spread a spoonful of pizza sauce in the center of the dough. Add two heaping spoonfuls of the cheese mixture and one spoonful of filling (or 3 spoonfuls of cheese mixture if no other filling is desired).
- Seal edges of the dough together as best you can with your fingers (see photo for two examples) and flip it over so seam side is down on a greased baking sheet. Make a couple of holes with a fork in the top (to prevent the cheese from leaking out the bottoms/sides) and top with raw sesame seeds if desired.
- Bake in the oven for 12 – 15 minutes and once done let cool for a few minutes.
Serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping and enjoy!
Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Whole-Wheat Pizza Pockets
Amount Per Serving
Calories 683
Calories from Fat 270
% Daily Value*
Fat 30g46%
Saturated Fat 14g88%
Cholesterol 78mg26%
Sodium 1065mg46%
Potassium 395mg11%
Carbohydrates 71g24%
Fiber 11g46%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 37g74%
Vitamin A 740IU15%
Vitamin C 12.5mg15%
Calcium 535mg54%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Want weekly REAL FOOD meal plans made for you?→ Check It Out
Dea says
Hi - Do you think I could substitute a gluten free flour instead of the whole wheat? I was thinking brown rice, but not sure how it would hold up?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Dea. We haven't tried gluten free for this recipe. Please let us know your results! Good luck. ~Amy
Dea says
Hi - Do you think I could substitute a gluten free flour instead of the whole wheat? I was thinking brown rice flour, but not sure if it would work out the same way.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Jessica. Of course, you could fill the pocket however you like. You could do pesto pockets, or black beans and nacho cheese, etc. Enjoy. ~Amy
Jessica says
This recipe looks delicious I just have one question... my husband and I are both allergic to tomatoes, could this be made without the pizza sauce?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Caroline. I am packing these in my sons lunches tomorrow. I'll baked them tonight and will refrigerate them until I pack lunches in the morning. I don't make mine with meat both because my kids don't eat much meat but also so I don't have to worry about keeping the meat cold. My kids are perfectly happy with room temp pizza pockets. Hope that helps. ~Amy
Caroline says
Is this the same dough recipe as the pizza dough? It looks like it is. Anyway, do you ever put these in your girls' lunches? My oldest isn't fond of sandwiches so I have a hard time finding things to pack for him. How would you prepare and pack it if you were sending it with lunch?
Lora says
Made a batch of these for dinner last night and they was such a hit I had to make another batch for everyone to have for lunch today. They were great.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Amy. My suggestion would be to cook them, wrap them, and put them in an airtight container to freeze. You can pull them out as you need them. When possible, allow them to thaw in the fridge overnight, and reheat in the oven. ~Amy
Amy says
Made these last night for my family and they were a hit. My 3.5 year old twin boys loved rolling out the dough, putting the sauce and cheese on and all the toppings! So much fun to have them help me cook. They also both ate raw peppers for the first time while cooking!!!
I was wondering have you tried freezing the dough? If so how do you thaw the dough? I was hoping I might be able to make a double batch of the dough (and freeze one set) so that it would be a little less work/clean up next time we make them. Thanks
Liz Lowe says
If I freeze a batch how should I heat them up when frozen? (Microwave, oven-degree?)
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
I would heat them up in the toaster oven on 350 degrees. Jill
Brenda says
I'm having a difficult time with dough recipes such as whole wheat pizza, cheese biscuits, etc. the dough doesn't rise at all and everything is hard as a rock. I'm at 7500' altitude and not accustomed to baking at this altitude. When I mixed the yeast in the warm water it didn't expand at all. Any ideas what I am doing wrong?
Ashlee says
Since there is no sugar in the recipe, the yeast will not foam. The salt will "feed" the yeast, though. The water should look milky when the yeast and salt have dissolved. You could also try instant yeast (unless that is against "the rules"?). Also use the amount of flour as a guideline not a hard fast rule. When the dough pulls from the sides of mixer you have probably added enough flour.
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Brenda. I am sorry I don't. Have you tried to research anything related to the altitude? I'm guessing that might be your problem. Jill
Jessica W. says
Tried this tonight, and hit was a huge hit! I let my 4 year old daughter help me make them and she had so much fun. I was finally able to get her to eat bell peppers! Your blog has totally inspired me. Thank you!!
Wendy H says
My boys and I made these for lunch today. They are delicious! I used canned Trader Joe's tomato sauce instead of pizza sauce, and filled with Beeler's breakfast sausage, pineapple, zucchini, carrots, and kale and collards from my garden. Delish!!
HeatherB says
SCORE! This was a hit with my two picky eaters, I cannot believe it! So excited that we can make "Ceezaa" a real food in our house. Thank you!
Jessie says
We made these last night! We did one batch with sauce, ground turkey, bell peppers (fresh picked from our garden!) and mozzarella cheese. And we did another batch with ground beef and cheese, no sauce- sausage bread style. My husband loves my homemade sausage bread but I stoppped making them when we started our real food mission. My daughter made hers with just cheese. She even tasted a few different cheeses to see which one she wanted! She loved helping make the dough and I gave her her own rolling pin to roll out hers. Thanks for all your amazing recipes and ideas! I'm slowly working my way through them all.
Dotchi says
I made these for the kids tonight because they looked pretty quick and easy to make. Okay, so they took a tad longer than I planned but the kids LOVED them! And I finally found something to do with the whole wheat flour! WOOHOO!
Veronica B. says
My daughter has been craving pizza since we started eating nonprocessed foods two months ago! I was so happy to find this recipe, which I found thanks to one of your meal plans, which I love by the way! She loved them!!! I'm looking forward to sending these to school with her on pizza days! Thank you so much!
Catherine says
I tried this recipe and it was a big hit! My husband said this one is a keeper! I added a tablespoon of honey to my dough and used the white wheat flour. It was light and fluffy and tasted great. Thank you for sharing it!
Caroline says
My husband loves chicken Alfredo calzones. So I made these pizza pockets but made your pesto and alfredo sauces instead of red sauce. Added in ground pork, leftover chicken (from your chicken in a crockpot recipe), broccoli, spinach and cheese. And everyone made their own. So they decided what they wanted and didn't want! And we have leftovers for lunches.
Lisa says
I just discovered your blog and made these for dinner last night! They were a big hit and I was so happy to have one leftover for my lunch today. I can't wait to try more of your recipes!
Christi says
Do you use regular whole wheat flour, or whole wheat pastry flour? I'm just wondering if the pastry flour would be more like all-purpose white flour which is what my hubby and kids are used to. Thanks!!!
100 Days of Real Food says
I think white whole wheat by King Arthur would be your best choice if you want it to be closer to white flour. It is still 100% whole grain, but made from a lighter variety of wheat.
Caroline says
I tried Bob's Red Mill pastry flour for a while and my recipes all came out very dry. BRM organic whole wheat flour works well, but is expensive! As Lisa has suggested Kig Arthur's works really well and is much cheaper and you can find it at most grocery stores. Even Target has it!
Jennifer says
God bless you! I have been trying to figure out a healthy alternative to hot/lean pockets, which were (unfortunately) one of my favorite grab and go breakfasts! I will definitely be making some this week. SO excited!!
Katie says
These look delicious! Can I substitute the ricotta for another type of cheese? Has anyone tried it with other cheeses? Recommendations? Thanks!
100 Days of Real Food says
I've heard of people using cottage cheese instead of ricotta although I have not tried it yet myself.
Stacy says
I realize that I'm an oddity in general :), but my fiance and I actually prefer them out of the freezer and into the microwave versus oven/toaster oven! We like the taste and texture better, plus it's way faster for a grab and go meal than the toaster oven. We are almost through our double batch and already thinking of what new things to put in our next batch!!!
Jesiqua R. says
I made these last night and they were delicious! I had been buying pre-made whole-wheat pizza dough to make pizza, but I made the dough from scratch last night and it was 100 timex better!
Valarie says
I made these but they turned out rock hard...yours looks so soft and golden in your pictures..any ideas where I might have went wrong?
100 Days of Real Food says
Are you sure all your ingredients were fresh? Whole-wheat flour has to be kept in fridge or freezer or it will go bad. And one bad/old packet of yeast can ruin the whole thing.
zamadylady says
Oh man, both of those are good to know. D: I should throw mine out then. :(
Franki says
Do you have to keep it in the fridge if you use it quickly? I have kept it in the freezer before when I wasn't baking much because I have had it go rancid before. But I used a large container in about 10 days and had it in an air tight container on my counter with no issue.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Franki. I would, at minimum, keep it in the fridge. Chances are the flour was sitting on the store shelves for a while, too. ~Amy
Jill says
Do you think this recipe would work for a school lunch if heated up in the microwave?
100 Days of Real Food says
I would recommend heating it in the toaster (so it doesn't get soggy) or serving it cold. If you want it to be warm you should try sending it in a thermos. Let me know how it turns out!
Abigail says
my family is working very hard at getting healthy. We are doing everything from making our own hair products, toothpaste/deodorant, cleaning products, ect. The hardest area for us is the food. We know what not to eat but getting creative with what to eat is so hard! I'm grateful I found your blog! I have one question though, we have decided to go yeast and gluten free...not for health reason but because we have learned a lot on how it's not good for you... do you think these will turn out ok with an all purpose gluten free flour and no yeast?
Christa M says
Abigail, perhaps consider natural yeast and heirloom varieties of wheat? Check out the book by Caleb Warnock & (I think) Melissa Richardson about baking with Natural Yeast.
Jasmine says
Any suggestions on having them not come out so "doughy"? I followed the recipe exactly and baked for around 16 minutes. They looked done, but especially where the dough was sealed they didn't cook all the way through and ended up just being overly doughy. Should I just bake longer?
Heidi says
I also got a doughy result the first time I made these. I tried again and folded them calzone-style instead, so there isn't so much dough in one spot. They turned out perfectly this way!
Carol Grose says
Your recipes look good but you are using too much sodium and you mustn't forget that Americans are eating too much salt in their diets. Use salt free or low sodium products and don't add additional salt in your recipes but find herbs or salt free substitutes instead. They are delicious and once you acclimate your palate to no salt, it is easy. I regulated my bp with diet and went from 140/80 to 118/70 by eliminating the salt.
rachel h. says
This is not a real concern if you are using sea salt instead of table salt. Besides, salt is important in recipes with yeast. It helps to control the rise.
Katherine says
How do you freeze them? I have them in the oven now!
100 Days of Real Food says
Sorry this may be getting to you a little late...just wrap in freezer-safe container/bag and save till next time! Let defrost overnight if possible and reheat in oven.
Lacey says
Can I make the dough if I do not have a mixer with a dough blade/hook?
Katherine says
I just did it by hand! So easy, and less clean up!
Season with Reason says
Portable and real - it doesn't get much better.
Sarah says
These look great! Can't wait to try!
Emma says
Maybe this is a silly question, but if you wanted to make a double or triple batch and freeze some... should you bake and then freeze? Or freeze them raw?
Tiff says
That looks great! The hubby and I could really do some damage to those. :)
Amy Kratzer says
I wondered what lunchbox your children use that fits the divided ziploc container?
100 Days of Real Food says
I bought a rectangular fabric type lunch box from Old Navy last year that worked. I also saw some the same shape at Target this year.
Niki says
These look great! How do you think they would freeze? I could see these as a perfect grab-and-go meal too.
100 Days of Real Food says
I think they would be great defrosted out of the freezer and heated in the oven or toaster oven. You are right...great on the go!
Jen says
Great idea, would be fun for lunches too! I find if you replace about 1/4 cup of the whole wheat flour with wheat gluten you get a much better texture, you might want to try...
Leyla- Our favorite sauce recipe is so easy! Drain a can of diced tomatoes, add salt, pepper, olive oil, and fresh (or frozen in the winter) basil then mush it all up with your fingers (our son's favorite part!), yummmm....
:Leyla Nisaa says
This looks so good!!!! We don't live in NC, though. Any chance ur working on a pizza sauce recipie?