A quick pizza dough becomes a delicious and simple meal idea when rolled out and stuffed with cheese and spinach! 

Necessity is the mother of invention, and this is especially true in the hour before lunch.

When there is no sandwich bread baked and no leftovers in the refrigerator… when my blood sugar is dropping and all the peoples still require food, despite the fact that it seems such a short time since I last fed them… when we are all hungry for more than a snack-style lunch…

Then it’s time to come up with something that will satisfy the masses.

Last week we had such a day. These breadsticks were the result.

Cheese and spinach are staple ingredients in our kitchen, so they are often obvious choices for filling quesadillas or topping pizzas or, in this case, stuffing into breadsticks.

I have also been pushing the greens a lot more in the past week because one of my children is fighting a cold and I’m hoping the extra vitamin C will help everyone get (or stay) healthy. So it’s been green smoothies in the morning, spinach with our lunches, and delicious dinners of pesto chicken enchiladas.

(I know, pesto enchilada sounds interesting, but I promise they are really tasty and another great way to get in a lot of vitamin-packed greens! I will share the recipe soon.)

Give these breadsticks a try this week! Lunch or dinner, they are sure to please. Serve them with dipping bowls of marinara sauce for extra tastiness. 

Check out these other healthy and easy lunch ideas too:

• Sheet pan nachos
• Five twists on cheesy quesadillas
• Carrot raisin muffins
• Soup for lunch
• Grilled cheese with garlicky Swiss chard, caramelized onions & roasted chicken

Three Cheese & Spinach Stuffed Breadsticks

Ingredient List

Dough:

• 2 2/3 C flour
• 2 tsp yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 C hot water

Filling: 

• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder & onion powder
• 1 handful (about 1 C) spinach leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 C each shredded cheddar & mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 500° (to use with a baking stone/steel) or 450° (to use with a baking sheet).

2. Combine the hot water and yeast in a liquid measuring cup.  Mix together 2 C of the flour and the salt in a small mixing bowl. Stir the water into the flour mixture, and add enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Transfer the dough to a clean, floured surface and knead for a couple of minutes, adding pinches of flour as needed until the dough is no longer sticky.

3. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 10″x15″. Drizzle olive oil across the top of the dough and spread it with your fingers. Sprinkle the salt, pepper, and spices on the olive oil. Distribute the chopped spinach, then the cheeses, evenly across the dough. Press dough slightly to combine the layers.

4. Fold the bottom third of the rectangle up towards the middle. Fold the top third down, to form a sealed “envelope”. Use a dough scraper or knife to divide the dough envelope into ten strips.

5. Twist each strip twice and place on a piece of parchment paper. (Optional) Drizzle the strips with additional olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for 7 minutes at 500°, or 10-12 minutes at 450°.

6. Let cool slightly and serve with marinara dipping sauce.

What foods do you start pushing when your family is sick? 

What is your favorite filling lunch to make?