Whole-Wheat Turkey Pizza Pockets for the Lunchbox

Nutrition Snapshot

  • One pocket carries about 20 grams of protein, enough to hold a school-age child through the afternoon.
  • Each pocket brings about 4 grams of fiber from the whole-wheat dough and the spinach in the filling.
  • Most of the saturated fat comes from the mozzarella, so drop to a cup and a half and add extra marinara.

These are pizza pockets built from scratch: a soft whole-wheat yeast dough folded around ground turkey, marinara, mozzarella, and a little turkey pepperoni. The dough mixes in ten minutes and rises while the filling cooks. Baked, they come out crisp at the edge and molten inside. One batch makes twelve, and they reheat straight from the freezer.

Why These Are Great for Packing School Lunches

A lunch built mostly on bread and a thin layer of filling empties fast, and hunger returns within the hour. Protein and fiber slow that down. Protein takes longer to digest, so the stomach stays fuller for longer. Fiber slows how fast the starch in the dough turns into blood sugar.

The ground turkey supplies about 7 of the 20 grams of protein in one pocket, the mozzarella about 5, and the whole-wheat dough about 4. Ground turkey is the protein that carries this recipe, and the pepperoni is there for flavor in a small amount. Whole-wheat flour is also where the fiber comes from.

Three cups of chopped spinach cook down into the turkey and disappear into the sauce, which is how the vegetable gets past a child who picks vegetables out. The dough uses organic whole-wheat flour, since wheat is one of the crops sprayed with glyphosate before harvest. The explainer on protein at lunch carries the dose arithmetic.

Microwaving the Pepperoni First Takes Out Some of the Fat

Lay the pepperoni slices on a paper towel, cover with a second towel, and microwave for 30 seconds. The towels come away greasy, and that grease is saturated fat that would otherwise sit in the filling. The slices also crisp slightly, which keeps them from making the dough soggy. This step costs half a minute and changes the fat number on the card.

No-Sugar-Added Marinara and Uncured Pepperoni Change the Numbers

Jarred marinara is permitted here, and the label is where the choice happens. Buy a no-sugar-added marinara; the sweetened ones add several grams of sugar per batch and nothing to the flavor. For the pepperoni, look for uncured turkey pepperoni, which carries less saturated fat than pork pepperoni. Sodium is the number to compare across marinara brands, since it varies more than anything else on the label.

A Batch of Twelve Freezes Flat and Comes Back Crisp

Cool the baked pockets completely on the pan, then freeze them in a single layer on that pan for an hour before bagging. Frozen separately, they stay loose in the bag, so you pull one at a time. They keep three months.

To reheat, bake from frozen at 375 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes, or use a toaster oven. A pocket packed frozen in the morning thaws by lunch and can be eaten cool, which is what a lunchbox needs.

Whole-Wheat Turkey Pizza Pockets for the Lunchbox

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A freezer batch of twelve pizza pockets on soft whole-wheat dough, filled with ground turkey, spinach, marinara, and mozzarella. One pocket carries about 20 grams of protein.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Rise 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings: 12 pockets
Course: lunch
Cuisine: American
Calories: 263
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

Dough
  • 3 cups organic whole wheat flour plus more for rolling
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt 2 percent
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 3/4 cup warm water about 110 degrees
Filling
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound ground turkey 93 percent lean
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed crushed
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 cups organic baby spinach finely chopped
  • 1 cup marinara sauce no sugar added
  • 2 ounces uncured turkey pepperoni about 36 slices
  • 8 ounces part skim mozzarella cheese shredded
Assembly
  • 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Equipment

  • Mixing Bowls
  • Large skillet (12-inch)
  • Sheet pan (rimmed
  • 13 by 18 inches)
  • parchment paper
  • Freezer Bags

Method
 

  1. Whisk the flour, yeast, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Add the yogurt, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and warm water, then stir until a shaggy dough forms.
  3. Knead the dough in the bowl for 5 minutes, until it is smooth and slightly tacky.
  4. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm spot for 45 minutes.
  5. Lay the pepperoni slices between two paper towels and microwave for 30 seconds, then set them aside.
  6. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  7. Add the ground turkey and cook for 6 minutes, breaking it apart, until it is cooked through.
  8. Stir in the oregano, garlic powder, fennel seed, and black pepper, and cook for 1 minute.
  9. Add the chopped spinach and cook for 2 minutes, until it wilts.
  10. Stir in the marinara and cook for 2 minutes.
  11. Take the skillet off the heat and let the filling cool for 10 minutes.
  12. Heat the oven to 400 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
  13. Divide the dough into 12 pieces and roll each one into a 6 by 5 inch rectangle on a floured counter.
  14. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of filling onto one half of each rectangle.
  15. Top the filling with 3 pepperoni slices and about 2 tablespoons of shredded mozzarella.
  16. Fold the dough over the filling and press the edges together with a fork.
  17. Set the pockets on the lined sheet pan and brush the tops with the beaten egg.
  18. Cut two small vents in the top of each pocket with a knife.
  19. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until the tops are deep golden.
  20. Cool the pockets on the pan for at least 20 minutes before eating.
  21. To freeze, arrange the cooled pockets in a single layer on the pan, freeze for 1 hour, then move them to freezer bags.

Nutrition

Calories: 263kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 22gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 485mgPotassium: 411mgFiber: 4gSugar: 2gCalcium: 192mgIron: 2mgMagnesium: 72mgPhosphorus: 330mgCholine: 47mg

Notes

Lower the saturated fat: use 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella instead of 2 cups and add 1/4 cup more marinara to the filling.
Lower the sodium: leave out the pepperoni and add 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika to the turkey.
No rolling pin: a straight-sided drinking glass or a wine bottle rolls the dough.
Freezing: freeze the cooled pockets in a single layer for 1 hour before bagging so they stay loose. They keep 3 months.
Reheating: bake from frozen at 375 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes, or use a toaster oven. A pocket packed frozen in the morning thaws by lunch and can be eaten cool.
Meatless version: swap the ground turkey for one 15-ounce can of white beans, drained, rinsed, and mashed. A cup and a half of home-cooked dried beans replaces the can if you would rather skip the can lining.
For a child who picks vegetables out: chop the spinach very fine so it disappears into the sauce.
Leftovers become: a fast dinner with a green salad, or an after-school snack straight from the freezer.

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Gluten Free

The dough is the one source of gluten here. Swap the whole-wheat flour for a cup-for-cup gluten-free baking blend that already contains xanthan gum, and add about two tablespoons more water. The dough will be softer, so roll it between two sheets of parchment.

If you have celiac disease, the label check extends past the flour. Pepperoni, marinara, and dried spice blends can all carry wheat starch or barley, so buy versions labeled gluten free. People who avoid gluten by preference can skip that step.

Go deeper

  • How Much Protein a School Lunch Needs (food.nutriscape.net)
  • Fiber (supplement-sciences.nutriscape.net)

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