Broccoli and Cheese Stromboli

The cooking with my kid blog... I very rarely actually do these recipes with either of my kids but, regardless, I do find the simplicity of the recipes very appealing! Here was another of her simple but tasty treats. It's basically a pizza that is rolled into a log before you cook it. Interestingly, I enjoyed this more as a reheated dish than I did when it was straight out of the oven. Straight out of the oven the cheese is too melty and so it oozes out the side when you cut it up. If you let it cool completely first and then cut it up and microwave it, the cheese stays (more) in place and allows you to eat this like a sandwich. Max loved it... Stella was dubious but ate about 1/3-1/2 of what I served her. As with any pizza-like recipe you could easily change the "toppings" (or filings, in this case) but this is one of those great ways to sneak some green veggies in to whomever you are serving.

Ingredients:

• 1 package pre-made pizza dough (we used whole wheat)
• 2 cups broccoli florets (blanched and chopped)
• 1 cup good marinara sauce
• 2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 1/2 cups part skim mozzarella
• Grated Parmesan for sprinkling
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 
2. In a small bowl mix together ricotta, sauce and oregano. 
3. Roll out pizza dough on a floured surface into a rectangle. Spread sauce mixture evenly on dough leaving room on the sides for crimping. Top with broccoli and mozzarella. Sprinkle the top with some Parmesan. 
4. Starting at one end roll the dough up and crimp the edges to seal. Transfer to a greased cookie sheet. 
5. Crack egg into a small bowl, add water to egg and whisk to form egg wash. Brush the top of the dough with egg wash and poke a few holes to let steam out. 
6. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until crust is well cooked and golden brown. Be sure to let it cook until it’s good and crusty – otherwise the inside will be too doughy. Let sit for 5 minutes before slicing. 
7. Serve with extra marinara for dipping. Makes approximately 8 slices.

Recipe and photo courtesy of cookingwithmykid.com