mozzarella

Cheesy Dinner Rolls

Cheesy Dinner Rolls with Tomato Dipping Sauce recipe by wood and spoon. These are soft and fluffy yeast rolls filled with gooey mozzarella cheese. Baked in a skillet and topped with italian herbs and cheese, these rolls serve as a great appetizer, side dish, and more! Make your holiday bread bowls extra delicious with these stuffed yeast breads! Check it out on thewoodandspoon.com

I don’t know about you, but I’ve already started preparing my body for the holidays. Although I exercise and try to eat reasonably healthy about 90% of the year, November and December are the months where I let delicious food (and the company I share it with) shine. There’s almost always fancy appetizers and indulgent desserts, an extra glass of wine, or rich, savory dishes that I really only break out around the holidays. I can already feel my insides getting excited to nibble on all of those seasonal bites that we enjoy this time of year.

Cheesy Dinner Rolls with Tomato Dipping Sauce recipe by wood and spoon. These are soft and fluffy yeast rolls filled with gooey mozzarella cheese. Baked in a skillet and topped with italian herbs and cheese, these rolls serve as a great appetizer, side dish, and more! Make your holiday bread bowls extra delicious with these stuffed yeast breads! Check it out on thewoodandspoon.com

In years past, the one thing I’ve not had much trouble saying no to is the bread basket. On the Thanksgiving table, at the church potluck, and even in my own home kitchen, those little brown-and-serve rolls, cold biscuits, and dense muffins just really don’t do anything for me. When there’s cornbread dressing and salty glazed ham on the table, is anyone really even paying attention to the bread basket? Absolutely not.

Cheesy Dinner Rolls with Tomato Dipping Sauce recipe by wood and spoon. These are soft and fluffy yeast rolls filled with gooey mozzarella cheese. Baked in a skillet and topped with italian herbs and cheese, these rolls serve as a great appetizer, side dish, and more! Make your holiday bread bowls extra delicious with these stuffed yeast breads! Check it out on thewoodandspoon.com

I’m proposing a comeback of the bread basket; a bread that was worth writing home about. What if the dinner rolls were so impressive that they could be served as a standalone appetizer or side dish that people were excited to eat? What if you are destined to be the delightful human that brings a skillet full of these cheesy dinner rolls to the next dinner party, and they’re so good that everyone begs you to bring the bread every year from here on out? Sounds pretty epic, huh?

Cheesy Dinner Rolls with Tomato Dipping Sauce recipe by wood and spoon. These are soft and fluffy yeast rolls filled with gooey mozzarella cheese. Baked in a skillet and topped with italian herbs and cheese, these rolls serve as a great appetizer, side dish, and more! Make your holiday bread bowls extra delicious with these stuffed yeast breads! Check it out on thewoodandspoon.com

Cheesy Dinner Rolls

These cheesy dinner rolls are soft and fluffy yeast rolls filled with gooey morsels of mozzarella cheese and seasoned with Italian herbs and garlic. These are like a mozzarella stick meets Parker house roll, and I am not even remotely mad about it. Although they’d be delightful on their own, we up the ante here by serving them alongside a tangy spiced tomato sauce.

Cheesy Dinner Rolls with Tomato Dipping Sauce recipe by wood and spoon. These are soft and fluffy yeast rolls filled with gooey mozzarella cheese. Baked in a skillet and topped with italian herbs and cheese, these rolls serve as a great appetizer, side dish, and more! Make your holiday bread bowls extra delicious with these stuffed yeast breads! Check it out on thewoodandspoon.com

I’m sharing today’s recipe for cheesy dinner rolls in partnership with Lucini Italia. They have long been my go-to for olive oil. Only recently I tried their tomato sauce and I was really pleased to find that it is near perfect straight from the jar. It requires no doctoring with extra pepper for flavor or sugar to cut the super acidic sauce; it’s a delicious, restaurant quality sauce that comes straight from the jar, and it makes the perfect accompaniment to these cheesy dinner rolls. You can spend your time preparing the rolls and let the Lucini sauce take care of the rest.

Making the Rolls

To prepare cheesy dinner rolls, we start by making the dough. Yeast dissolves over warm water and milk and is added to some melted butter and olive oil. Next we stir in some sugar, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. The flour comes next, kneading the dough until it is smooth and only slightly tacky. Allow the dough to proof in a warm spot before you shape and form your rolls.

Cheesy Dinner Rolls with Tomato Dipping Sauce recipe by wood and spoon. These are soft and fluffy yeast rolls filled with gooey mozzarella cheese. Baked in a skillet and topped with italian herbs and cheese, these rolls serve as a great appetizer, side dish, and more! Make your holiday bread bowls extra delicious with these stuffed yeast breads! Check it out on thewoodandspoon.com

Cut your dough into about 15 equal-sized portions and flatten each ball out into a round. Place a square of part-skim mozzarella in the center of the dough and pinch the edges into the center. Place each roll seam side down in a greased pan and allow them to rise for just a few minutes. When you’re ready to bake, brush the rolls with water and sprinkle on additional cheese, and Italian herbs.

Serving the Rolls

Allow your cheesy dinner rolls to cool slightly before serving. Serve them with a cup or so of Lucini tomato sauce (I prefer the Spicy Tuscan Tomato Sauce here). The rolls are tender and extremely flavorful, a perfect compliment to the tangy sauce. If you make them in advance, re-warm prior to serving, making sure that the cheese melts thoroughly.

Cheesy Dinner Rolls with Tomato Dipping Sauce recipe by wood and spoon. These are soft and fluffy yeast rolls filled with gooey mozzarella cheese. Baked in a skillet and topped with italian herbs and cheese, these rolls serve as a great appetizer, side dish, and more! Make your holiday bread bowls extra delicious with these stuffed yeast breads! Check it out on thewoodandspoon.com

I hope you’ll give these cheesy dinner rolls a try in the coming months. Happy baking!

This post is sponsored by Lucini Italia. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that make Wood and Spoon possible!

If you like these cheesy dinner rolls you should check out:

Tomato Olive Rolls

Roasted Summer Vegetable Quiche 

Tomato Galette with Basil Pesto and Feta

Cheddar Cornmeal Chicken Pot Pie

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Cheesy Dinner Rolls

These soft and fluffy dinner rolls are herby crusted and stuffed with gooey mozzarella cheese! Dipped in a spicy tomato sauce, these cheesy dinner rolls are a tasty appetizer and bread offering!

  • Author: Kate
  • Prep Time: 25
  • Cook Time: 25
  • Total Time: 360
  • Yield: 15
  • Category: bread

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (120 gm) lukewarm water
  • 1/2 cup (120 gm) lukewarm milk
  • 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup (55 gm) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 1/4 cup (120 gm) olive oil
  • 1/4 cup (50 gm) sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 3 cups (420 gm) all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
  • 23 ounces block mozzarella cheese cut into 3/4” sized chunks
  • Shredded cheese for sprinkling (I used cheddar and mozzarella)
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 cup warmed tomato sauce, for serving

Instructions

  1. Combine the water and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over top and allow it to dissolve, about 5 minutes. Be sure the water mixture is warm but not hot! Once the yeast has dissolved, stir the butter, olive oil, sugar, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder into the mixture. Add three cups of flour and stir until a shaggy dough forms. Using the dough hook attachment, knead the mixture on medium speed (I use 4!) for 7 minutes. Alternatively, you can knead this by hand on a lightly floured surface. If the dough does not pull away from the sides of the bowl, add an additional 1/4 cup of flour. Once done kneading, lightly grease a bowl and place the dough inside. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise in a warm place in your kitchen until doubled in size, about 1-1/2- 2 hours. 
  2. Once risen, dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough into about 14-15 equal-sized balls and gently roll the dough in your hands to form a ball. Flatten each ball into a circle with your fingers and place a chunk of cheese in the middle. Fold the perimeter of the dough over the cheese and pinch the edges together to close the dough around the filling. Place the balls in a lightly greased oven-safe skillet or baking dish about 1/2″ away from each other. Cover the pan and allow to rise a second time for about 25-30 minutes while the oven preheats to 375.
  3. Once rise, lightly brush the dough balls with water and sprinkle on additional shredded cheese, the Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper. Bake in the preheated oven until golden, about 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool slightly. Serve with warmed tomato sauce.

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Tomato Olive Rolls

Tomato Olive Rolls by Wood and Spoon blog. These are scone like pinwheels with basil pesto, green and black olives, mozzarella and asiago cheese, and tomatoes! All of the ingredients are wrapped up in the butter and cream dough and baked until the cheese and crust are golden brown. These are similar to appetizers you can make with crescent rolls! Find the recipe and how to for these Italian mediterranean party snack foods on thewoodandspoon.com

In another life, I’m outdoorsy. I enjoy things like camping and cycling and building fires. Instead of cuddling up under an umbrella at the pool, I’m the girl belly flopping into the ocean, rolling in the sand, and pulling fish from the water with my bare hands.

I’ve been an indoor cat most of my life and, as a result, have indulged primarily in hobbies that are done from the comfort of my air-conditioned home. Baking, sewing, and Netflixing are among some of my favorite activities, a truth that has been largely influenced by my aversion to bugs and boob sweat. Yes, it’s the indoor life for me, forever and always, but there’s just this one little thing that I wish I was good at.

Tomato Olive Rolls by Wood and Spoon blog. These are scone like pinwheels with basil pesto, green and black olives, mozzarella and asiago cheese, and tomatoes! All of the ingredients are wrapped up in the butter and cream dough and baked until the cheese and crust are golden brown. These are similar to appetizers you can make with crescent rolls! Find the recipe and how to for these Italian mediterranean party snack foods on thewoodandspoon.com

On Gardening

I really want to be a gardener. In my dreams I have giant square planters filled with vine-ripened tomatoes and herbs and spicy orange peppers. I tend to rows of blackberry bushes with ease and teach my kiddos how to hunt out the ripest fruit. My flower pots are filled with ferns and pansies and geraniums and they even manage to survive a hot weekend without being fried to a crisp. Unfortunately, these are just dreams, and in the real world of green thumbs and black thumbs, I belong to the latter. This is the reality of outdoor Kate.

The older I get (and the longer I continue to pay for my own groceries) the more I appreciate the value of being able to live off the land. My husband and I have an above-ground garden with a few small produce plants. It’s been a whole month and I have yet to kill anything, although, to be fair, my husband is 100% responsible for any and all work that has been done to it at this point. As far as I’m concerned, I’ll keep our kids (and him) alive if he can remember to weed-eat and water the peppers, okay? Still, I am set on this tiny baby garden of ours producing some killer veggies someday, and when it does, you can bet I’ll be throwing them into all sorts of treats. Like these tomato olive rolls.

Tomato Olive Rolls by Wood and Spoon blog. These are scone like pinwheels with basil pesto, green and black olives, mozzarella and asiago cheese, and tomatoes! All of the ingredients are wrapped up in the butter and cream dough and baked until the cheese and crust are golden brown. These are similar to appetizers you can make with crescent rolls! Find the recipe and how to for these Italian mediterranean party snack foods on thewoodandspoon.com

Tomato Olive Rolls

The inspiration for these tomato olive rolls comes from a bakery treat a friend bought for me a few years ago: a soft yeast dough filled with asiago cheese and briny olives. Tomatoes and herbs added Italian flair and moisture for the filling. Immediately, I set out to make the rolls, and within a few days I landed a recipe I really liked. Although I’m always  fan of yeast doughs, I really wanted another option that wouldn’t require so much waiting time and energy in the kitchen. Enter tomato olive rolls 2.0.

This round of tomato olive rolls comes together with a scone-esqsue dough that is tender and cakey. I got the idea from that cinnamon roll I told y’all about a while ago. I’m pleased to say that it totally works! Let’s talk about how to make them.

Tomato Olive Rolls by Wood and Spoon blog. These are scone like pinwheels with basil pesto, green and black olives, mozzarella and asiago cheese, and tomatoes! All of the ingredients are wrapped up in the butter and cream dough and baked until the cheese and crust are golden brown. These are similar to appetizers you can make with crescent rolls! Find the recipe and how to for these Italian mediterranean party snack foods on thewoodandspoon.com

Making the Rolls

First, for the dough, we start by mixing the dry ingredients. Flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder stir together before ice cold butter cuts in. Next is heavy cream,  added to bring the dough together. We set the whole lot of it aside while we prep the insides.

Finally, for the filling, use finely chopped olives, diced tomatoes, and a blend of asiago and mozzarella cheese. The goods layer on top of the rolled out dough with schmear of basil pesto and a sprinkle of herbs. The whole thing rolls in a tube and slices into flat little pinwheels ready for baking.

Tomato Olive Rolls by Wood and Spoon blog. These are scone like pinwheels with basil pesto, green and black olives, mozzarella and asiago cheese, and tomatoes! All of the ingredients are wrapped up in the butter and cream dough and baked until the cheese and crust are golden brown. These are similar to appetizers you can make with crescent rolls! Find the recipe and how to for these Italian mediterranean party snack foods on thewoodandspoon.com

The tomato olive rolls arrive from the oven with a light golden crust and a tight spiral of cheesy goodness. Allow the pastries to set slightly before serving; keep in mind they are best consumed the day they are made. These tomato olive rolls are perfect summer appetizers for all your outdoorsy (and indoor!) events. Give them a try and let me know what you think! And feel free to add your own variations. Maybe peppers and feta? Perhaps a little pepperoni and fig jam? You decide. Happy Friday and Happy Baking!

If you like these tomato olive rolls you should try:

Tomato Galette with Pesto and Feta

Buttermilk Biscuits with Pepper Bacon, Cheddar, and Egg

Cheddar Cornmeal Chicken Pot Pie

Maple Bacon Scones

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Tomato Olive Rolls

These tomato olive rolls are made with a quick scone-like dough and are filled with asiago and mozzarella cheese, olives, tomatoes, basil pesto, and herbs. Try these summer appetizers today!

  • Author: Kate Wood
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 40
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 20

Ingredients

For the dough:

  • 21/2 cups (325 gm) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (113 gm) unsalted butter, cold and cut into chunks
  • ¾ cup (180 gm) heavy whipping cream, cold, plus more for brushing
  • 1 large egg, cold

For the filling:

  • Two tablespoons prepared basil pesto
  • 1/3 cup (70 gm) black olives, diced small
  • 1/3 cup (70 gm) green olives with pimentos, diced small
  • 2/3 cup (135 gm) small diced Roma tomato, seeded (another large variety is fine)
  • 2/3 cup (80 gm) shredded asiago cheese
  • 2/3 cup (80 gm) shredded mozzarella cheese
  • Pepper
  • Baking spray or canola oil spray

Instructions

To prepare the dough:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Use a pastry cutter or the back of two forks to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until pea-sized clumps are present throughout and the butter is well integrated. In a separate bowl, whisk the whipping cream and egg. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir together until a shaggy dough forms. Dump the mixture out onto the counter and knead together just until a dry dough forms- do not overwork the dough. You can add an additional 1-2 tablespoons of cream if your dough won’t come together at all. Cover the dough with a tea towel while you prep your other ingredients, but don’t let it sit out more than 15 minutes.

To assemble the rolls:

  1. When ready to bake, roll out dough to a 8″x20″ rectangle, about 1/8” thick. Spread basil pesto out evenly over the dough. Sprinkle evenly with olives, tomatoes, and cheese. Finish with pepper, to taste.
  2. Starting with the widest end closest to you, begin to roll the dough somewhat tightly away from you until you reach the end. When finished rolling, pinch to seal the dough seam at the end. Slice the log into ¾” rounds and arrange them on the sheet pan. Bake in the oven until the crust is golden brown, usually about 20 minutes depending on the size of your rolls. Allow to cool slightly before consuming. Rolls are best eaten the day they’re prepared but can be reheated the following day.

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