I have gotten into a rut lately with what I feed the kids for dinner. As I’ve mentioned before, I feed the boys early, then The Pants and I eat a couple of hours later after they are in bed. Because of picky kids and busy schedules, their dinner often features mac and cheese, hot dogs, chicken tenders, or quesadillas with a side of fresh fruit and veggies. These meals aren’t exactly unhealthy, but they aren’t exciting and varied either.
Yesterday I decided enough was enough, and I was determined to branch out a bit. I pulled out an old Better Homes & Gardens cookbook full of kid dinner ideas, and The Tall One and I looked through it together to choose some new dishes.
Ham and Broccoli Pockets Recipe
These Ham and Broccoli Pockets (think homemade Hot Pockets) were the first new kid-friendly recipe we tried, and it was a hit. I will say that the broccoli flavor was pretty strong, so if you don’t really like broccoli, you might want to try it with something else (maybe peas?) or just serve your veggie on the side. Both my kids enjoyed these though. I put the extras in the freezer, and they will be easy to pull out and reheat in the microwave or toaster oven.
Serves 2 adults and 2 little kids.
What You Need for Making Ham and Broccoli Pockets:
- 13 oz. can refrigerated pizza dough (regular, not the thin crust)
- 1 c. broccoli florets, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 c. ham, diced
- 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/4 c. cream cheese
How to Make Ham and Broccoli Pockets:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, stir together broccoli, ham, cheddar cheese, and cream cheese.
- Unroll pizza dough, and pinch together any holes. Press the dough with your hands or roll it with a rolling pin to make it somewhat uniform in thickness and rectangular. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into six squares.
- Place about 1/3 c. of filling in half of each square, about 1/2″ away from the edge.
- Fold the other half of the dough over, and pinch the edges together. Gently press the tines of a fork along the edge to seal.
- Carefully move each pocket to a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, until brown. (Warning: These pockets are extremely hot inside! I recommend cutting them in half and letting them cool for a few minutes before serving them to children.)
9 comments
I made these using your Greek yogurt pizza crust recipe and both kids gave them a big thumbs up. We added sautéed mushrooms and brushed them with an egg wash before baking. As my daughter helped seal the edges we were brainstorming other filling options (spinach, diced chicken and corn; tomato sauce, mozzarela and mushrooms….) so there is more experimenting on our horizon. Great lunchbox option.
This made my day, Jennifer, especially since you used my pizza crust recipe too! I am so glad you liked the recipe, and you are right that the possibilities are endless. You inspired me to make another batch this week and put them in lunchboxes. Thanks so much for your very nice comment!
looks like fun :-)
Nothing says fun like broccoli! ;) Thanks for stopping by!
These look amazing!! Thanks for sharing :)
Thank you so much, Camille!