Prosciutto Ricotta Pinwheels – use purchased crescent rolls to make these quick and easy party appetizers with the flavors of Italy!
I’ve heard it said, “give a southern girl a package of crescent rolls and she’ll make a party.” There’s a lot of truth in that statement. Crescent rolls are one of the few items that are always in my refrigerator. And have been since I was a little girl.
I remember helping Mama roll them up and put them on the baking sheet. That was back when we whacked the tube against the counter top to open the package. We thought that was the most fun – smack that tube against the counter and out popped yummy crescent roll dough! It’s the little things, isn’t it?
Anyway, I was one of several food bloggers who were asked to put their own spin on one of Pillsbury’s classic crescent roll recipes. The one I chose to work on is the Bacon Cheddar Pinwheels – a fantastic recipe that is perfect for so many occasions.
I took the traditional ingredients and gave them an Italian twist using prosciutto instead of bacon and herbed ricotta instead of cheddar along with some chopped sun-dried tomatoes and a bit of mozzarella. I think they turned out great! What do you think?
How to Make Prosciutto Ricotta Pinwheels
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
If using crescent dinner rolls, separate the dough into 2 long rectangles. Press each into a 12×4-inch rectangle, firmly pressing the perforations to seal them. If using a dough sheet, cut the sheet lengthwise into 2 long rectangles. Press each half into a 12×4-inch rectangle.
Mix together the ricotta cheese and dried Italian seasoning. Spread half the mixture on each rectangle. Sprinkle each rectangle with half the diced sun-dried tomatoes.
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Place half the prosciutto on each rectangle.
Sprinkle each rectangle with half the mozzarella.
Starting from the short end, roll up each rectangle pressing the edge to seal. If the dough seems soft, place the two rolls in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.
Remove from the refrigerator and cut each roll into 8 slices. Place the slices cut side down on a non-stick, ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 14-17 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool briefly on a cooling rack. Serve warm. Leftover pinwheels may be reheated in the microwave for a few seconds.
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Prosciutto Ricotta Pinwheels
Ingredients
- 8 ounces refrigerated crescent roll dough (crescent dinner rolls or seamless dough sheet)
- 4 tablespoons ricotta cheese
- ½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 4 tablespoons diced sun-dried tomatoes
- 4 ounces paper thin prosciutto
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- If using crescent dinner rolls, separate the dough into 2 long rectangles. Press each into a 12×4-inch rectangle, firmly pressing the perforations to seal them. If using a dough sheet, cut the sheet lengthwise into 2 long rectangles. Press each half into a 12×4-inch rectangle.
- Mix together the ricotta cheese and dried Italian seasoning. Spread half the mixture on each rectangle. Sprinkle each rectangle with half the diced sun-dried tomatoes.
- Place half the prosciutto on each rectangle. Sprinkle each rectangle with half the mozzarella.
- Starting from the short end, roll up each rectangle pressing the edge to seal. If the dough seems soft, place the two rolls in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes. Remove from the refrigerator and cut each roll into 8 slices. Place the slices cut side down on a non-stick, ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake for 14-17 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool briefly on a cooling rack.
- Serve warm. Leftover pinwheels may be reheated in the microwave for a few seconds.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
These look like the perfect little appetizers! Love how quick and easy they are too.
Thanks, Renee! Yes, they’re really delicious. If you like Italian flavors, you’ll really love these little pinwheels.
These sound wonderful!! Got to try these. What a quick and easy way to make an appetizer. Thanks.
These are so easy! It took me no more than 10 minutes to put them together and get them into the oven. And the flavors go together so well.
Thanks for the idea. You know, Pillsbury crescent rolls are a wonderful item to use with children to get them into the kitchen and interested in food preparation. Almost any age child older than a toddler can be supervised to separate the individual pieces, and roll them into the classic shape. They can then watch the baking in the oven. There is a lot of pride when hot rolls hit the table, and the smallest diner says “I made those!” Of course, tasting wonderful doesn’t hurt a bit!
Miss P
You’re right, of course! Little ones love to roll up the crescents. It’s easy and they still turn out great no matter what kind of shape they were rolled into!
Thanks for the tip on the pre-packaged prosciutto; it is a better buy and will last longer in the frig if I don’t get around to using it quickly:). Thanks!
You’re welcome, Brenda.
Lana, brilliant idea! They look delicious!
Thanks, Sommer! You know…you could always add a bit of red pepper flakes in there for those who like it “spicy.” ;-)
This actually sounds rather expensive. Here in West Texas, proscuitto is pretty costly. Roughly accounting all the ingredients, I come up with $13 as the original investment. What about ya’ll?
Hi Brenda. Prosciutto can be costly depending on the brand and where it’s purchased. For this recipe, I buy the 4 ounce pre-packaged prosciutto. It’s actually pretty inexpensive, about $4.69 where I shop. The crescent rolls, of course, are always a good buy and the rest of the ingredients, well they’re basically leftovers. A couple tablespoons ricotta, a couple tablespoons of mozzarella, and a couple tablespoons of sun-dried tomatoes. All things I usually have hanging out in the fridge from making another Italian recipe.
How wonderful are those! I love pinwheels and I bet these are fantastic!
Thanks, Angie. Yes, they’re really good!
This post could not have come at a better time Lana! I’ve got to make some appetizers for work this weekend and have both time and budget constraints (isn’t that always the case??) and these will be PERFECT!!! I think your changes are fantastic!!!
So happy I could be of help, Nancy! I think you’ll be pleased with this recipe. The flavors combine very nicely and it goes well with a crisp, white wine.