How American of me to take something not American, like Egg Rolls, and make a pizza version of it. 🤣 Really I’m obsessed with pizza. But this recipe is a fun kid-friendly snack or meal that vibes comfort food with its super crispy shell and gooey pizza center.
Pizza Egg Rolls
Equipment
- Nasoya Vegan Egg Roll Wraps 1 lb – Walmart.com
- Rao’s Homemade Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce, 24 oz – Walmart.com
- Sugardale Campioni Sliced Pepperoni, 5 oz. – Walmart.com
- Great Value Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, Low-Moisture Part-Skim, 16 oz – Walmart.com
- Frigo Shaved Parmesan Cheese, 5 oz – Walmart.com
Ingredients
- 1 package of egg roll wraps
- 1 package of pepperoni
- 1 package of shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 jar of pizza or marinara sauce
- Vegetable Oil or preferred deep frying grease method
- Parmesan Cheese optional
Instructions
- Fill a skillet 1/4 to 1/2 way with grease. Heat on high.
- Create a system for making egg rolls: I usually lay out a paper plate, the egg roll wraps, the sauce, the pepperoni and the cheese all opened circling half circle around the paper plate. Also I put my sink on a small drip, or put a small 1/2 cup of water near me.
- Take one egg roll wrap, put it on the paper plate like a diamond in front of you. Plop a teaspoonful of sauce. Add 7 pieces of pepperoni. Add a small fistful of cheese. Fold the bottom corner up the center 3/4 the way to the top corner. Fold in the left and right corners like a burrito almost. Then roll it to the top corner.
- Then place another egg roll wrap on the paper plate like before, and wrap that egg roll in the same manner. Dab some water on your finger and wet down the top corner to help it stick in place (stay closed).
- So basically, you have ONE egg roll comprised of TWO egg roll wraps. Why do I do this? A. It keeps less juices from entering my grease. B. It’s crispier this way.
- Then make a second egg roll.
- Place two egg rolls in the skillet. Start making 2 more, but after 2 -3 minutes, flip the egg rolls and fry for 2 to 3 more minutes. When golden, remove from grease onto a plate lined with a paper towel.
- If you are on point with your game, you can time it to be exact where you remove 2 from grease and add 2 more. But it’s ok to be a little off. Just make sure they aren’t burning in the grease. Keep in mind, as you go, the grease gets hotter and the food cooks a little faster than your first two go’s at it.
- Continue until you run out of egg roll shells (or other ingredients).
Notes
Where did I get this recipe for Pizza Egg Rolls?
I would love to say I made it up, but it’s one of those I think everyone has made up somewhere along the way. But my personal experience was I like to make Chicken Empanadas, or what my ex calls Chicken Empanadillas. Well. Nobody sells Goya Empanada Discs here. I have to travel 2.5 hours out of town to get to them, or purchase $80 at a time.
They would be perfect if people would because they are basically pie crust. Bleached Wheat Flour. And you can fill them with anything, like Puerto Rican Chicken or Pizza stuff, and wrap them in parchment paper individually, freeze them, and deep fry when you want a snack in less time it takes to microwave an individual frozen lasagna. Like the ease of that for people who leave a deep fryer out ready to go with some Crisco in it is just awesome.
But sadly, despite our poor diet choices and love of deep fried bar foods, my area does not carry such gems. So in order to make Chicken Empanadillas, I had to find some kind of alternative.
I did attempt making my own Empanada Shells. It’s a huge mess. It’s easy. But huge mess. They were also too flaky.
I did attempt using refrigerated pie crust cut into circles – it too was too messy and too flaky and just wasn’t right.
But Egg Rolls did wonderful with the chicken filling. So I often make pizza versions. The kids love both, but I have noticed the Pizza Version is a bigger hit among their friends.
I will also say that when they were younger, they preferred the pizza egg rolls. They didn’t really develop the taste buds for Puerto Rican food until they hit 5th grade. They’d still eat it, but they didn’t start requesting it until Middle School.
Kitchen Tools
- Skillet
- Tongs
The tongs really make it easier to flip these suckers, but it can be done (not as gracefully) with any device like a spatula, fork, wooden spoon… But the tongs really make it easier and reduces splashing of the grease.
Ingredients for Pizza Egg Rolls
- Egg Roll Wraps
- Pepperoni
- Mozzarella Cheese
- Pizza Sauce (or any marinara sauce)
- Vegetable Oil
You can add parmesan cheese – optional.
Process to make Pizza Egg Rolls
There are two ways to make this…
- The method I use is I lay out my egg roll wraps, and then I spoon on some sauce, add 7 pepperonis and a giant pinch of shredded mozzarella cheese.
- The method I’ve seen most people use is they cut up the pepperonis into 4th’s, and they mix that with the cheese and sauce in a large bowl, and then spoon that onto each egg roll wrap, but see, to me, I don’t want to have to clean that bowl or the cutting board.
So my method?
I get my grease hot. — Basically I turn on the stove and fill a skillet with some vegetable oil.
Then I use a paper plate to make my pizza egg rolls on. I grab an egg roll wrap, I drop a teaspoon of sauce, add 7 pepperonis (and 7 because that’s the day of God’s Rest), a giant pinch (or small fist full) of shredded cheese, and I roll it up.
Roll with me here.
But you get your egg roll wrap facing you like a diamond. Then you plop your glop dead center. You fold the bottom corner 3/4s the way to the top corner. Then you fold in your side corners toward the center, somewhat tight. Try to keep the sauce at bay in the center. Then you roll it. Wet the tip. Seal it to the body.
🤣🤣 I love that I just said wet the tip. 🤣🤣
I’ve seen other people plop their glop just barely above the bottom corner. Fold it up over the glop. Then roll it until it’s slightly above center. Then fold in the sides. And then wet the tip and complete rollage. This recipe shows a video of how a person named Diane does theirs.
It’s probably a personal preference here.
But then what I do that many others don’t is I repeat. I like to DOUBLE WRAP the pizza egg rolls.
- I do this to keep the juices in. I hate it when my grease gets juicy.
- It also makes it extra crispy – which is the biggest appeal to me
I try to make 2 at a time for rhythm.
So I make 2, put it in the grease, make one, flip them, make the other, remove them from grease and put in my two new ones. Repeat.
Substitutes
Like you can fill these babies with virtually anything. When I get ideas, and implement them, I’ll try to remember to link here.
But for pizza, you might add some peppers, but I’d chop them up real fine. You can also add seasoning like Italian Seasoning, Garlic Salt, Oregano… You can also add some grated parmesan.
You might also fill it non-pizza like apple pie filling, peach pie filling… Ground beef, mashed potatoes and gravy. Cream Cheese and Jalapeno Peppers. Whatever floats your boat.
Sides Ideas
Pizza Egg Rolls are served well with anything Italian-esque or American Deep Fried …
This is served well with extra pizza sauce to dip into.
If you do that, you could easily serve it with some garlic toast.
But the American in me is inclined to go French Fries.
If I am going to be extra about it, Cheese Fries… I’d top French Fries with Mozzarella Cheese, Italian Seasoning, Garlic Salt, maybe diced tomatoes and small shreds of pepperoni, and bake them and then dip them in the Marinara Sauce.
Usually, I serve it with a little Caprese Salad or French Fries.
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