Spinach Pizza Bites
Warm cheese filled rolls with marinara sauce for dipping, spinach pizza bites make a great dinner entree or hearty appetizer.
Creamy ricotta cheese blended with sharp Parmesan, spinach and Italian seasoning, is the yummiest filling baked inside warm bread rolls. With spicy marinara sauce for dipping, these pizza bites are pretty hard to resist. Great for parties or a light entree!
Today is a special day. It’s my friend Nelly’s (aka: Marnely, author of Cooking with Books, one of the nicest girls around, etc.) big day! She’s getting married and we’re throwing a {virtual} wedding shower in her honor. I’m bringing a quick and easy appetizer that is sure to please everyone. It tastes like pizza and who doesn’t love pizza?
We’re all giving Nelly and her man advice or words of wisdom for her new marriage. There are so many things that could be said like:
“Don’t go to bed mad” (Sometimes easier said than done. Let’s be real here.)
or
“Always make time for each other”
or
“Make sure to plan date nights” (Hubs and I? Not so good at this one!)
But really? I have one word of wisdom. Marriage isn’t always easy, any married person will tell you that. For my husband and me, not being married is not an option. We take our vows very seriously. We’ve seen “better,” we’ve seen “worse.” And I’m positive there are more “better” times and more “worse” times to come.
Because that’s life.
But we’re committed to each other and our marriage. Divorce isn’t an option for us. How can something happen if it isn’t even an option? That’s our mindset.
Sidenote: Obviously in situations where there is infidelity or abuse sometimes new “options” have to arise, but that is a different conversation for a different time. I just don’t want any nasty emails.
Honestly though? Brian cooks for Nelly and Nelly bakes for Brian. What else do you really need? I see a long and happy marriage for these two!
About these spinach pizza bites
These appetizers are pretty easy to make. The rolls are made from pizza dough, divided into twelve parts and rolled flat. You don’t have be fancy with this. They can be pretty rustic looking. My husband, who says he could eat these every day, calls them pizza “balls” if that gives you a picture of how fancy they are.
Simply place a tablespoon of filling onto each round of dough and fold it over. Press the edges gently to seal them. Pop them in the oven until they’re nice and toasty brown.
What will I need to make pizza bites?
- Frozen pizza dough, thawed and at room temperature
- Ricotta cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Frozen spinach, thawed and excess moisture pressed out
- Italian seasoning
- Olive oil
- Marinara sauce, for serving
Add your favorite pizza toppings to these pizza appetizers. Gooey, melty mozzarella cheese is always a good choice, but small pepperoni, finely diced peppers or onions, or olives are great ideas, too.
If you prefer using your own recipe for pizza dough, by all means do that. Frozen bread dough works great, too, and whole wheat dough is an option, as well.
Pizza, Pizza!
Like I said, who doesn’t love pizza? Try one of these delicious riffs on our favorite Italian pie:
- Pizza Pasta : 1 pan, 6 ingredients, 20 minutes
- Pizza Sliders Recipe (Pepperoni Pizza)
- Pepperoni Pizza Dip
- Zucchini Pizza Bites
- Pizza Mac and Cheese Muffins
- Pizza Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
- Pizza Quesadilla on the Grill
- Pepperoni Pizza Tortilla Pinwheels
- Grilled Pizza with Pesto and Tomatoes {5 ingredients!}
Spinach Pizza Bites
These spinach pizza bites are great for a party — kids will love them too!
Ingredients
- 1 pound frozen pizza dough, thawed and at room temperature
- 10 oz. package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and as much moisture as possible squeezed out
- 1/2 cup part skim ricotta
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- marinara sauce for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375*F. Spray an 8×8 baking dish with non-stick spray.
- Cut pizza dough into 16 pieces.
- In a bowl, combine drained spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, salt and pepper. In another small dish, combine olive oil and Italian seasoning.
- Stretch a piece of dough into a 3 inch round (it doesn’t have to be perfect!). Fill with one tablespoon of the spinach mixture and bring dough around the filling. Place in pan with seams side down. Repeat with the remaining dough and spinach mixture.
- Brush tops with your oil/seasoning mixture. Season with more salt and pepper if desired. You can also sprinkle some Parmesan on the top.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve with marinara sauce.
Notes
- Add your favorite pizza toppings to the filling like mozzarella cheese, mini pepperoni, finely chopped red or green peppers, onions, etc.
- Use whole wheat pizza dough, if desired. Make your own pizza crust dough if you like.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 177Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 324mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 5g
RachelCooks.com sometimes provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as they are not calculated by a registered dietitian. Please consult a medical professional for any specific nutrition, diet, or allergy advice.
What advice would you give to a newlywed?
Special thanks to Sanjeeta kk at Lite Bite for hosting, and Heather for the beautiful logo.
CONGRATS NELLY! We love you!
36 Comments on “Spinach Pizza Bites”
These look amazing as is, but my brain keeps telling me that adding artichokes will make it Spinach Artichoke Dip Pizza Balls. My grandpa’s advice for marriage is to always make the other person priority #1. You only have a problem if they make you priority #2.
YUM! That sounds like a great idea. Good advice from your grandpa, too.
These were really good! You could easily make this appetizer into a meal.
I appreciate your words about marriage. Dad and I have been married for 33 years, always loving each other, committed even when that “loving feeling” isn’t there(let’s be honest with ourselves, we’re not 100 percent lovable all the time).
Always love you, too, daughter :)
Uhh, yeah. So this is pretty much exactly what I’ve been craving recently. Anything that can be dipped in marinara – yes please!
My hubby and I aren’t very good at regular date nights either. These look great and I am putting them on my menu for our party this week!
Wow! This looks awesome! Pinning for later. :)
Mmmm, I want these asap! :)
I’ve been enjoying all these wonderful posts! And these spinach pizza bites are calling my name. My kind of food!!
Loving these tiny bite, perfect for holiday parties!!
This look delish!! Perfect for the holiday or shower!! yummy, thnaks for sharing!!
How ingenious are these! What a great appetizer to bring to a party. Love the fact that you used the readymade pizza dough. Makes these very easy. Great party y’all threw!
I would lOVE to bring these beautiful and delicious looking PIZZA BALLS to any occasion! SO YUM! They look mouthwatering and addicting and totally perfect for any day, any time. Yes marriage takes work. All marriages take work and a willingness to stick by each other through the good, the bad and the ugly.
Congrats to Nelly and Brian! I love the idea of a Wedding Shower – so cute! These bites looks fabulous! Bookmarking…
I am loving this!
Yum! Great appetizer! I really wish this were a real party. I’m getting hungry!
Awesome appetizer- awesome recipe and awesome statement- divorce is not an option! Because its not! At least not to me and my husband either! This is such a sweet thing to do for Nelly. She is lucky to have friends like ya’ll!
How fun are these! Love how you could make them so many different ways.
These sound awesome, Rachel! And great advice for the two (almost) newlyweds!!
Yum! Have to agree with your husband: I could probably live on these too! :)
mmm these look and sound delish!
I’m so glad SOMEONE is keeping it classy – have you seen all of the booze at this party? :) These look delish and your photos are gorgeous, as usual!
If this was a live instead of virtual shower you wouldn’t have any left to share with other guests! WOW! These look amazing!Wise advise too! :)
Love your marriage advice Rachael! And these pizza spinach bites are to die for! Seriously yummy-I need to try and make a gluten-free version of these. So happy to celebrate Nelly’s Big Day with you :-)
Yeah, that whole “don’t go to bed mad” RIIIIIGHT. Ain’t possible sometimes.
These bites? o.m.g.
These look like a healthy alternative to pizza bites!! Hmm, I’m not sure I’m in the position to give advice on marriage yet, but I’d say enjoy each other as much as you can and don’t let the hardships get you down!
Great advice–marriage is about real life, and as much as we’d like ti to be, it isn’t like the fairy tales. Love the pizza bites, too–I def need one or two of these to cut all the sweets I’m virtually eating this morning:)
these look fabulous! i call little appetizers “bites” too – totally gives it more of a classy name hehe. i love using pizza dough, pie crust, puff pastry, phyllo dough and stuffing them with different savory flavors.
Oh Murray would LOVE these, he is such a pizza addict! Thank you for the great advice…Love it that when it’s not even an option, it’s not going to happen. Love love! Thank you!
This is so sweet. I love the idea of a virtual shower and what a sweet idea for her. plus, these spinach pizza bites look like breakfast to me, I defiantly want one. lol
Have a great day Nelly, and you too Rachael :)
These look fantastic!! I have family in town tonight, I just might have to make these as a starter!!
Oh forgot to say…thank you for the commentary on the way the tweet-event unfurled. I missed it as I was away…but your post got me teary eyed too. I saw a grab of the picture on someone elses blog…wonderful!
These are right up my street. Love how you dressed up the names for the shower. Ricotta and spinach in pizza dough? YES PLEASE!! What great bites to get to the shower…yum!
This sounds lovely!
Thanks for joining the fun, and being a wonderful support. Glad to have worked together to make this virtual party a success. Three cheers to this on-line friendship…:)
Oh…and these mini Pizzas are just right to kick start any party, Rachael!
Love and hugs.
Oh this is totally my kind of treat! Lets ride together for the big day and I’ll trade some of my cake for your cheesy spinach bites. :)
I love your advice. So true! I always shamefully roll my eyes when I hear people give the advice “don’t go to bed mad.” Sometimes it’s much easier to just sleep on it.