Tag: freezer-friendly

Cheddar Egg Bake With Spinach

Cheddar egg bake with spinach cut into squares, one on a small plate in a shallow bowl.

Nutrition Snapshot

  • About 21 grams of protein in one small square, from eggs, cottage cheese, and cheddar.
  • About 285 calories in that same square, most of it from the cheese and the eggs, so a few bites carry a lot.
  • The trade-off: cheese makes this a higher-fat, higher-sodium dish. That is by design for someone eating very little, and the card shows the amounts.

Eggs whisked with cottage cheese and milk, poured over thawed spinach and shredded sharp cheddar, and baked in a square pan until just set. It cuts into six soft squares that keep in the refrigerator for four days and in the freezer for two months. One square reheats in the microwave in about a minute.

The texture is soft and moist all the way through, more like a savory custard than a frittata, and the flavor is mild: cheddar, a little onion, spinach, and pepper. Nothing sharp, nothing spicy.

Why This Egg Bake Is Great When Appetite Is Small

During an illness or a course of treatment, two things happen at once. The body needs more protein than usual to repair tissue and fight infection, and appetite falls, sometimes to a few bites a meal. A plate of plain food cannot close that gap, because the person cannot eat enough of it.

The answer is to put more nutrition into every bite. Eggs, cheese, cottage cheese, whole milk, nut butter, and olive oil all raise protein and calories without raising the amount of food on the fork. A square of this egg bake a little larger than a deck of cards carries about 21 grams of protein, roughly what a person would get from a full plate of eggs and toast.

Every Ingredient Is Doing Two Jobs

The eggs are the base and about half the protein. The cottage cheese is stirred into the eggs, where it disappears, and adds protein while keeping the texture soft. The cheddar adds protein, calories, and most of the flavor. Whole milk instead of water does the same on a smaller scale.

The spinach is there for iron, folate, and color, and because a small amount of vegetable is easier to eat when it is baked into something soft. How to fortify other everyday foods the same way, and how much protein a day of illness calls for, is in Protein Density: Eating Enough When Appetite Is Small.

Make It on a Good Day

Fatigue is as much a barrier to eating as appetite. This is a recipe for a good day, or for a friend to make: fifteen minutes of work, then the oven does the rest. Cut it into squares while it is warm, cool it, and store the squares in a single layer.

On a hard day, one square goes from the refrigerator to the microwave to the plate in about a minute, with no cooking smell to face. Frozen squares reheat in about two minutes.

Soft, Mild, and Not Too Hot

For a sore mouth or a changed sense of taste, serve the square warm rather than hot, and skip the black pepper. A spoon of plain yogurt or sour cream on top adds moisture and a little more protein. For a metallic taste, the sharpness of the cheddar helps; use extra-sharp.

Cheddar egg bake with spinach cut into squares, one on a small plate in a shallow bowl.
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Cheddar Egg Bake With Spinach

Eggs, cottage cheese, sharp cheddar, and frozen spinach baked into soft squares that reheat in a minute. About 21 grams of protein in one square.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Breakfast, lunch
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cheddar egg casserole, egg bake, high protein breakfast, make ahead breakfast, soft food
Servings: 6 square
Calories: 285kcal

Equipment

  • 8-inch square baking dish
  • Whisk

Ingredients

  • 8 large eggs
  • 1 cup 2 percent cottage cheese
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach thawed and squeezed dry
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (6 ounces)
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1 tablespoon butter for the dish
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish.
  • Squeeze the thawed spinach in your hands or in a clean towel until no more water comes out. Spread it over the bottom of the dish with the chopped onion and 1 cup of the cheddar.
  • In a bowl, whisk the eggs with the cottage cheese, milk, salt, and pepper until blended; small curds of cottage cheese are fine.
  • Pour the eggs over the spinach and cheese. Scatter the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar on top.
  • Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until the center is set and no longer jiggles and the top is lightly golden. Cool 10 minutes before cutting into 6 pieces.
  • Refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze up to 2 months. Reheat one square in the microwave for about 1 minute from the refrigerator, or 2 minutes from frozen.

Notes

For more calories in the same square, whisk 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the eggs or use 4 percent cottage cheese. For a sore mouth, leave out the pepper and serve warm rather than hot. Lower-sodium version: use no-salt-added cottage cheese and skip the added salt. Frozen broccoli, thawed and chopped small, can replace the spinach.

Nutrition

Calories: 285kcal | Carbohydrates: 6.6g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 9.6g | Sodium: 552mg | Potassium: 309mg | Fiber: 1.5g | Sugar: 3.4g | Calcium: 362mg | Iron: 2mg | Magnesium: 52mg | Phosphorus: 355mg | Choline: 220mg

Gluten Free

Eggs, cheese, cottage cheese, milk, and spinach are naturally free of gluten, and this recipe uses no flour or bread. For people with celiac disease, check the shredded cheddar label, since a few brands dust shredded cheese with wheat starch to keep it from clumping; a block of cheddar shredded at home avoids the question. People who avoid gluten by preference can use any shredded cheese.

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Pasties (meat hand pies)

Nutrition Snapshot

  • A 2-ounce beef portion and a refined crust keep one pastie moderate in protein, potassium, and phosphorus.
  • At 382 milligrams of sodium a serving, this is moderate for a savory meat pie with a full filling.
  • Each pastie has 22 grams of fat and 1 gram of fiber, both from the crust, so add a vegetable side.

Savory pies usually come off the menu on a kidney-friendly plan, and this one does not have to. Seasoned beef and vegetables go inside a folded crust, and the crimped edge holds the filling while it bakes. One pound of ground sirloin stretches across eight pasties, which is what keeps the minerals in range. A batch takes about an hour and freezes for weeks.

A Small Beef Portion and a Refined Crust Keep the Minerals in Range

Why a Kidney-Friendly Plan Tracks These Two Minerals

Healthy kidneys clear potassium and phosphorus from the blood and hold the amount in circulation steady. When kidney function drops, less of each mineral leaves the body. The level in the blood then rises. A potassium level that climbs too high can disturb the heart rhythm. A high phosphorus level raises parathyroid hormone, and that hormone releases calcium from bone.

Your own limits come from lab results rather than from a stage number, so ask your care team which ones apply to you. For more on managing stages 1 to 3, see Early Kidney Failure.

Two Ounces of Beef per Pastie

Meat is the largest source of both minerals in most meals, so the size of the beef portion matters most here. One pound of ground sirloin divided across eight pasties comes to about 2 ounces each, which gives a serving 11 grams of protein. Most of the potassium and phosphorus in a pastie traces back to that beef.

A Refined Crust Is Low in Phosphorus

Refrigerated pie crust is made from refined white flour, which is low in phosphorus. A whole grain crust has more phosphorus and more potassium. Here the refined crust is the better choice.

The Vegetables Add a Small Share

A quarter cup of carrot, a quarter cup of corn, and one cup of peas spread across eight pasties, so each gets a spoonful or two. At that scale they add only a little potassium, along with color and fiber.

What’s in a Serving

The protein and the iron come from the ground sirloin, and so do most of the potassium and phosphorus. The peas and carrot add a little fiber and some vitamin A.

The fat and nearly all of the sodium come from the crust, since a refrigerated pie crust is built on flour, solid fat, and salt. The Worcestershire sauce and the teaspoon of ketchup each add a small amount of sodium. The card below lists the figure for every nutrient.

What to Buy

The Pie Crust

One 15-ounce package of rolled refrigerated crust holds two crusts, and each crust cuts into four pieces, which is where the eight pasties come from. Scan the ingredient list for anything containing PHOS, since added phosphates absorb almost completely and the nutrition label does not list them. Check for butter or milk solids too if you are avoiding dairy.

Buy organic (to avoid glyphosate), since wheat is one of the crops often sprayed to dry the field before harvest, and organic growing does not allow it.

Ground Sirloin

Sirloin is the leanest of the common ground beef cuts, so less fat renders out during browning. The drained meat stays crumbly and holds its shape in the filling. Ground round works the same way.

Frozen Peas and Corn

Plain frozen vegetables have no added salt, which keeps the sodium where the card says it is. Check the bag for a sauce or a seasoning blend, since either one adds sodium.

Worcestershire Sauce and Ketchup

A tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce adds a lot of flavor for a small amount of sodium. If you buy a reduced-sodium version, read the ingredient list for potassium chloride, which some of them use in place of salt. The ketchup goes on the side, a teaspoon per pastie.

Who This Fits and Who Should Go Easy

This fits anyone tracking potassium, phosphorus, and sodium, and anyone who wants a hand-held lunch that reheats well. The 2-ounce beef portion also suits a plan that limits protein, and cutting the sirloin to 8 ounces takes it lower still. The crust is wheat, so these are not gluten-free as written.

One pastie with a vegetable side is the portion to plan on. Each one has 22 grams of fat, most of it from the crust. Fiber is low at 1 gram for the same reason, so a salad or a cup of raw vegetables supplies the fiber for the meal. If you are watching saturated fat, a homemade crust made with olive oil is the way around it.

How to Make It Your Own

Green beans in place of the peas lower the potassium a little further, and chopped celery adds crunch and fiber. Mushrooms are the one vegetable to leave out, since they are high in potassium for their size. Rosemary, sage, or a teaspoon of Dijon mustard all work in place of the thyme.

Swaps recap:

  • Lower sodium: serve the ketchup on the side and skip the salt shaker. A crust made at home with unsalted butter or olive oil lowers it further.
  • Lower sugar: the recipe adds no sugar, and the teaspoon of ketchup is the only sweet element.
  • Dairy-free: choose a crust made without butter or milk solids, since many contain one or the other.
  • Nut-free: the recipe is nut-free as written.
  • Gluten-free: use a gluten-free refrigerated crust, and check the Worcestershire label, since some brands use malt vinegar.

Storage, Make-Ahead, and Serving

Pasties freeze well, which is the reason to bake a full batch. Cool them completely, wrap each one, and freeze them on a tray before moving them to a bag so they stay separate. They keep 3 days in the refrigerator and 3 months in the freezer.

Reheat them in the oven at 350 degrees F, about 25 to 35 minutes from frozen and about 15 minutes thawed, until the center reaches 165 degrees F. The oven re-crisps the crust, and a microwave leaves it soft. To get ahead, cook the filling a day early and refrigerate it, then assemble and bake in about half an hour.

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Pasties (Meat Hand Pies)

Seasoned ground sirloin, peas, corn, and carrot folded into a flaky hand pie. A 2-ounce beef portion and a refined crust keep each pastie moderate in protein, potassium, and phosphorus, so it fits a kidney-friendly plan.
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Main Course
Keyword: beef hand pie, freezer meal, kidney-friendly, low potassium, meat hand pies, pasties
Servings: 8 pasties
Calories: 154kcal

Equipment

  • Large skillet
  • Microwave-Safe Dish
  • baking sheet

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup carrot diced
  • 1/4 cup onion chopped
  • 1 pound ground sirloin
  • 1/4 cup corn frozen
  • 1 cup green peas frozen
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce reduced-sodium
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper ground
  • 1 teaspoon thyme dried
  • 15 ounces organic pie crust refrigerated, unbaked, two rolled crusts from one 15-ounce package
  • 1 egg white large
  • 8 teaspoons ketchup

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Let the pie crusts stand at room temperature according to the package directions.
  • Dice the carrot.
  • Chop the onion.
  • Brown the ground sirloin in a large skillet over medium heat.
  • Drain the beef and set it aside.
  • Place the carrot in a microwave-safe dish and add 1 tablespoon of water.
  • Cover the dish and microwave on high for 2 minutes.
  • Add the frozen corn and frozen peas, then microwave for 2 more minutes.
  • Drain the vegetables.
  • Combine the beef, carrot, corn, peas, onion, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, and thyme in a bowl.
  • Unroll the pie crusts on a lightly floured surface.
  • Cut each crust into four pieces.
  • Spoon 1/4 cup of the filling onto half of each piece of crust.
  • Moisten the crust edges lightly with a little of the egg white.
  • Fold the empty half of the crust over the filling.
  • Seal the edges by crimping them with a fork.
  • Cut slits in the top of each pastie.
  • Brush the tops with the remaining egg white.
  • Place the pasties on a large ungreased baking sheet.
  • Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.
  • Cool the pasties slightly on a wire rack.
  • Serve each pastie with 1 teaspoon of ketchup.

Notes

Look for an organic pie crust. Wheat is one of the crops often sprayed with glyphosate to dry the field before harvest, and organic wheat is grown without it.
Buying the crust: scan the ingredient list for anything containing PHOS. Added phosphates absorb almost completely and the nutrition label does not list them, which matters on a kidney-friendly plan. Check for butter or milk solids as well if you are avoiding dairy.
Lower sodium: nearly all of the sodium comes from the crust. Serve the ketchup on the side so each person adds their own, and skip the salt shaker at the table. A crust made at home with unsalted butter or olive oil lowers it further. If you buy a reduced-sodium Worcestershire sauce, read the ingredient list for potassium chloride, which some reduced-sodium products use in place of salt.
For a controlled-potassium plan: most of the potassium in a pastie comes from the beef, so the 2-ounce portion is what keeps it low. Green beans in place of the peas lower it a little further. Leave mushrooms out, since they are high in potassium for their size.
For a lower-protein kidney plan: cut the ground sirloin to 8 ounces and add another 1/2 cup of vegetables to keep the filling volume. Protein per pastie drops to about 8 grams.
More fiber: a pastie made with a refrigerated white-flour crust has only about 1 gram of fiber. Serve it with a green salad or a cup of raw vegetables, or stir 1/2 cup of chopped celery or green beans into the filling.
Gluten: the crust is wheat, so these are not gluten-free. A gluten-free refrigerated crust works the same way and bakes in about the same time. Check the Worcestershire sauce label too, since some brands are made with malt vinegar.
Allergens: nut free as written, and dairy free when the crust is made without butter or milk solids. Check the crust label, since many refrigerated crusts contain dairy.
Timing: the total time counts about 25 minutes of hands-on work and a 15 to 20 minute bake. Letting the crust come to room temperature is passive time and happens while the filling cooks.
Make-ahead and storage: pasties freeze well, which is the best reason to make a full batch. Cool them completely, wrap each one, and freeze on a tray before bagging so they do not stick together. They keep 3 days in the refrigerator and 3 months frozen. Reheat in a 350 degree F oven, about 25 to 35 minutes from frozen and about 15 minutes thawed, until the center reaches 165 degrees F. The oven re-crisps the crust; the microwave leaves it soft.
Working ahead: the filling can be made and refrigerated a day before you assemble the pasties.

Nutrition

Calories: 154kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 121mg | Potassium: 284mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 2mg | Magnesium: 21mg | Phosphorus: 127mg | Choline: 43mg

One Pastie Plus a Vegetable Side Is the Kidney-Friendly Portion

This pie works because the beef is portioned small and the crust is refined flour, so the potassium and phosphorus in a serving stay well below what a full meat entree brings.

Most of the 22 grams of fat and the missing fiber both come from the crust, so eat one pastie with a vegetable beside it. Bake eight, freeze what you do not eat that day, and lunch is ready for the rest of the week.

Serve It With

These need a vegetable side, and a lower-potassium vegetable keeps the whole meal in range. Roasted Rosemary-Cauliflower makes a warm side and is low in potassium. Easy Cilantro Lime Coleslaw brings crunch and raw cabbage next to the soft filling. A green salad with a squeeze of lemon works too and takes less time.

Baked Cauliflower Tots With Cheddar

Nutrition Snapshot

  • Each serving uses about half a pound of cauliflower, in a shape most children already eat without argument.
  • A serving carries about 17 grams of protein and about 5 grams of fiber from the cauliflower and the cheese.
  • The cheese makes these higher in saturated fat, so the notes give a version that uses less cheese.

Cauliflower tots are riced cauliflower squeezed dry, bound with cheddar, Parmesan, egg, and a little oat flour, then baked until the edges brown. They taste like a cheese crisp with a soft middle. They hold their shape when you wring enough water out of the cooked cauliflower and leave room between them on the pan. Frozen florets work and skip the steaming step.

Why These Are Great When You Have a Picky Eater

A child who pushes cauliflower to the side of the plate is usually refusing the form it arrives in. Steamed florets are wet, strong-smelling, and unfamiliar. Grate that same cauliflower fine, bake it into a small crisp shape, and it tastes like food the child already eats. Changing the form is what raises a picky eater’s vegetable count for the week.

Cauliflower is the entire body of these tots, about half a pound per serving. The cheddar and Parmesan supply the flavor a child will accept, and their protein and fat firm the tots up once the egg sets. The oat flour takes up the last of the moisture so the outside crisps.

Cauliflower carries about 2 grams of fiber per cup, so a serving of eight tots comes to about 5 grams, a real share of a child’s day. The arithmetic for a full day of fiber is in Fiber Math: Getting to 30 Grams a Day Without Trying.

Frozen Cauliflower Skips the Steaming Step

A 24-ounce bag of frozen cauliflower florets replaces one large fresh head and arrives already blanched. Thaw it fully in a colander, then squeeze it dry. Fresh cauliflower needs seven minutes of steaming first. Buy block cheddar and grate it yourself where you can, since pre-shredded cheese carries a starch coating that keeps the outside of the tots from crisping.

One Tray Feeds the Picky Eater and the Adults

Serve the child’s portion plain, with ketchup on the side. For the adults, leave the tots in for two extra minutes and spoon over plain Greek yogurt stirred with lemon juice, garlic powder, and black pepper. A teenager who eats twelve tots instead of eight takes in about 25 grams of protein from the same tray.

Freeze the Tots Raw and Bake Them From Frozen

Shape the whole batch, freeze the tots on the sheet pan for an hour, then move them to a freezer bag. They keep about three months. Bake from frozen at 425 degrees for 28 to 32 minutes, turning once. Baked tots hold four days in the refrigerator and crisp again in a hot oven or an air fryer; a microwave leaves them soft.

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Baked Cauliflower Tots With Cheddar

Riced cauliflower squeezed dry, bound with cheddar, Parmesan, and oat flour, then baked on one pan until the edges brown.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cauliflower, cauliflower tots, freezer friendly, gluten-free, high fiber, kid-friendly, Vegetarian
Servings: 4 servings (about 8 tots)
Calories: 295kcal

Equipment

  • Sheet pan (rimmed
  • 13 by 18 inches)
  • parchment paper
  • Steamer Basket
  • Colander
  • Food processor
  • Kitchen Towel
  • Mixing Bowls
  • Spatula

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds cauliflower florets fresh or thawed from frozen
  • 1 egg large
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese sharp, shredded
  • 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese grated
  • 1/3 cup oat flour organic, labeled gluten free
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper ground
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil extra-virgin

Instructions

  • Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and rub the olive oil over the parchment.
  • Steam the cauliflower florets in a steamer basket for 7 minutes, until a fork goes in with light pressure. Skip this step if you are using thawed frozen florets.
  • Drain the cauliflower in a colander and let it cool for 10 minutes.
  • Pulse the cauliflower in a food processor 8 to 10 times, until it looks like coarse rice.
  • Pile the riced cauliflower into the center of a kitchen towel, gather the corners, and wring it out over the sink until no more water runs.
  • Put the squeezed cauliflower in a mixing bowl. You should have about 2 cups.
  • Add the egg, cheddar, Parmesan, oat flour, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper.
  • Mix with a spatula until the mixture holds together when you press a spoonful in your hand.
  • Scoop a rounded tablespoon of the mixture, press it firm in your palm, and roll it into a short cylinder. Repeat to make about 32 tots.
  • Set the tots on the sheet pan with half an inch of space between them.
  • Bake for 15 minutes. Turn each tot and bake 8 to 10 minutes more, until both sides are brown.
  • Let the tots sit on the pan for 5 minutes before serving. They firm up as they cool.

Notes

One serving is about 8 tots, roughly 175 grams.
Less saturated fat. Use 3/4 cup cheddar and 1/4 cup Parmesan, and add 2 tablespoons more oat flour to replace the bulk. The tots still hold together and each serving drops about a third of its saturated fat.
No food processor. Grate the raw florets on the large holes of a box grater, then steam the gratings for 4 minutes instead of 7.
Oat flour swap. Almond flour works at a third of a cup for a third of a cup. Anyone with celiac disease should buy oat flour labeled gluten free, since oats are often milled on equipment shared with wheat.
Frozen cauliflower. A 24-ounce bag of frozen florets replaces the fresh head. Thaw it fully, drain, and squeeze. No steaming needed.
Freeze them raw. Shape the batch, freeze the tots on the sheet pan for an hour, then move them to a freezer bag. They keep about three months. Bake from frozen at 425 degrees for 28 to 32 minutes, turning once.
Reheat. A hot oven or an air fryer crisps baked tots again. A microwave leaves them soft.
Dip. Plain Greek yogurt stirred with lemon juice, garlic powder, and black pepper. Ketchup for the child’s plate.
Leftovers become a side for eggs at breakfast, or a lunchbox item eaten at room temperature.

Nutrition

Calories: 295kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 405mg | Potassium: 773mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Calcium: 362mg | Iron: 2mg | Magnesium: 62mg | Phosphorus: 358mg | Choline: 142mg

Gluten Free

Nothing in these tots contains wheat. Oat flour is the line to check, because oats are often milled on equipment shared with wheat, so anyone with celiac disease should buy oat flour labeled gluten free. If you avoid gluten by preference, ordinary oat flour is fine. Almond flour swaps in at a third of a cup for a third of a cup.

Go deeper

Fiber Math: Getting to 30 Grams a Day Without Trying (food.nutriscape.net)

Fiber (supplement-sciences.nutriscape.net)

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.

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Whole-Wheat Turkey Pizza Pockets for the Lunchbox

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.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Rise45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 50 minutes
Course: lunch
Cuisine: American
Keyword: freezer meals, ground turkey, lunchbox, make ahead, pizza pockets, whole wheat
Servings: 12 pockets
Calories: 263kcal

Equipment

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

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

Instructions

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

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.

Nutrition

Calories: 263kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 485mg | Potassium: 411mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Calcium: 192mg | Iron: 2mg | Magnesium: 72mg | Phosphorus: 330mg | Choline: 47mg

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)