I don’t know where I’d be without my freezer and the second freezer that I bought has probably paid for itself twice over in the short time we’ve had it as it’s given me space to not only store reduced food bargains that I find but also to build up a bit of a freezer storecupboard.
The recipe I’m sharing today for Pizza Swirls is made using a lot of my freezer storecupboard ingredients so before I share the recipe, I thought you might like to hear a bit about some of the things I keep in my storecupboard freezer drawer.
First up, I have a stock of ready made pastry. I love ready rolled puff pastry as it’s so neat and easy to use – in case you’ve never used it before, it comes rolled up with baking paper so you just literally unroll it and you’re ready to go. You don’t need to flour the surface as the pastry stays on the paper and it’s just so neat. I usually buy my frozen ready rolled puff pastry from Iceland I know you might think it’s not very frugal to buy ready made but I do with puff pastry because the time it takes to make it myself outweighs the cost to me. Normal pastry I do tend to make although I often see it reduced at the end of the day in our local supermarket so I buy that when I see it and pop it in the freezer.
I have homemade tomato sauce in the freezer too, stored in different batch sizes so I have small tubs for things like a one portion pizza or pasta dish and larger for if it’s going into a family meal. Today’s tomato sauce is actually a mix of tomato puree and ketchup though as I’m all out of the smaller portions.
Ready cooked chicken is another awesome storecupboard and I love the pulled chicken from Iceland because it’s so versatile. It’s quick to defrost and goes great in everything from pasta dishes to pizza and from stir fries to curries with much more in between. I’ve tried cooking my own chicken and freezing it in a similar way but it always tastes dried out when I make it so this is perfect for us.
Cheese is also a great thing to keep in the freezer for when you need to cook with it. You can buy it reduced at the supermarket when you see it and pop it in the freezer. I grate mine and portion it up because it’s easier to use that way. In case you’re wondering, frozen cheese in NOT nice to eat in sandwiches.
I also make sure that I always have a stock frozen chopped onion, ready cooked rice, mixed veg, mint from the garden and ice lollies (that last one isn’t really an essential to a great storecupboard to be honest ;-))
Easy Packed Lunch Pizza Swirls
1 pack ready rolled puff pastry
100g grated cheese (I use less than this usually as my two aren’t big cheese fans but if you like cheesey then go for it)
3-4 tablespoons tomato sauce
Any toppings you fancy – I used chicken and sweetcorn today with a bit of leftover ham.
1 beaten egg
Preheat the oven to 180 c.
Unroll the pastry and spread with the tomato sauce. You only need a very thin layer as you don’t want your swirls to be too soggy.
Sprinkle with cheese and the toppings you’re planning on using. Whatever you use needs to be in small chunks or you won’t get a tight roll when you roll it up.
Roll your pastry up swiss roll style making sure you keep it as tight as possible.
Use a sharp knife and cut into slices about one inch thick, the first and last will look a bit worse for wear but they look fine by the time they’re cooked. None of them look very much like pizza swirls at this stage but they will!
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the pastry is looking golden and the cheese is bubbling.
Enjoy.
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