A healthier take on a childhood favorite. These freezer-friendly, hand held pockets are simple to make and even easier to take on the go.
Christmas has come and gone. I’m a little sad that it is all over… I love the music, decoration, and food. Oh, the food… I’ve noticed there are a lot of different Christmas dinner traditions out there. Chinese food, lasagna, ham, prime rib, just to name a few. I think we have finally decided (well, mainly the Hubs) that prime rib is ours. We have made it for the past several years for Christmas dinner and it is always a hit. So this year it was no question what our main dish would be. We were in the grocery store picking up our rib roast and my daughter spotted a natural bone in spiral ham. She knows that the hams that are wrapped in the green foil are the ones that don’t have the additives and will always point them out.
This is her absolute favorite meat. She reminds me every time she sees one. It happened to be on sale (yay!), so I decided we could use the ham after Christmas. In the past, I would cook and cut the ham and freeze them in individual bags. Some will be sliced for sandwiches and lunches and some will be diced/cubed to use in eggs and fried rice. I save the bone with some meat still attached to use as a base for soup.
As I opened our fridge with this ham staring back at me, I knew I wanted to make something different. Something I grew up eating… a healthier version of Hot Pockets. You know, the ones you find in the freezer section of the grocery store. You microwave them in the little cardboard pouch and then burn your tongue with the first bite. I remember loving them, but they are full of preservatives and other unwanted ingredients.
These are made using pizza dough (I use this whole wheat pizza dough recipe), ham, and cheese. Yep, that’s it. Just real food! It doesn’t get better than this! I added fresh garlic and parmesan to the dough before it rises just to add extra flavor. I used my cubed ham, but sliced ham would work too! Oh, and the cheese! Feel free to use your favorite! I used shredded cheddar for a traditional taste, shredded Pepper Jack for my daughter who loves the spicy kick, and sliced Colby Jack for my son. They all came out great! Lots of ham and ooey gooey cheese, you can’t go wrong!
There are so many different variations that you can do. Like using tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni for a pizza pocket or using leftover taco meat and salsa for a Mexican version. The next time I make these I’m going to add eggs to my ham and cheese to have a breakfast pocket! They freeze beautifully and can be reheated in the oven or microwave. Making these perfect for those busy days!
Ham and Cheese Pockets
Ingredients
- pizza dough (use hyperlink below for my pizza dough recipe)
- 2 cups ham diced or cubed
- 1 cup shredded cheese
- egg wash- one egg beaten with 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Prepare pizza dough according to the recipe. Once the dough has risen, preheat oven to 400F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats.
- Divide pizza dough in half and then slice each half into quarters. Using your hands or a rolling pin, flatten each quarter into a rectangle that is about ¼ inch thick. Transfer the rectangle dough to the prepared baking sheets.
- Sprinkle cheese on one half of the rectangle, leaving the edges slightly bare to help with sealing the dough once filled. Top the cheese with ¼ cup of ham or 2 slices of deli sliced ham. Sprinkle additional cheese over the ham and then fold the other side of the dough over the filling. Fold and tuck the edges, pinching the edges to seal it completely. You can use a fork to crimp the edges, if desired. Brush the tops of each pocket with the egg wash and gently slice 3 slits on the top dough to help let steam out during baking.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Let it rest on the baking sheet until it is cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes.