Years ago, my husband and I used to go to a restaurant in North Carolina that served these pizza rolls that were essentially savory cinnamon rolls filled with delicious meats and cheeses. We both loved them and when we moved from the area, I knew I had to recreate them…
These sausage and onion rolls are what I came up with and dare I say they are even better than the originals.
Fluffy rolls filled to the brim with crispy Italian sausage, caramelized onions, garlic, herbs, marinara and cheese. They are the ultimate appetizer or shareable for any game day, game night or pot luck situation and once you start making them, you will be making them again soon. Pinky swear.
Let’s get started…
In addition to the fact that these rolls are so delicious, something else I love about them is how simple they are to bring together.
Start by browning up 16 ounces of Italian sausage until it is crispy and broken down into little pieces. Transfer it onto a plate to cool and sauté a diced yellow onion and 3 cloves of finely minced garlic in the sausage fat until they are caramelized.
Now that the filling is cooked, roll 16 ounces of pizza dough out into a rectangle that is about 10″ wide and 14″ long. My local grocery store sells fresh pizza dough by the pound and this is what I am using here, but feel free to use any store bought pizza dough here. You can make the dough yourself, just don’t use a thin crust or super bubbly crust for these rolls. We just need a basic pizza dough here.
Spread a cup of marinara over the dough…
…spread the crispy sausage and the onions and garlic over the marinara…
Top with a cup of shredded parmesan and some dried Italian herbs.
Roll everything up starting on the long side and divide the roll into 6 even portions.
The easiest way to do this is by laying a ruler next to roll and use a sharp knife to make little marks every 2 inches or so. My roll ends up being right around 12 inches long.
When it comes to actually slicing the roll into portions, you can use a sharp knife, but this will crush the roll a bit. This is not going to hurt anything, but they won’t look as pretty as possible (and pretty food is important ya know), so I like to use unscented dental floss to portion these rolls and any other cinnamon roll type situation that I bake.
Simply slide the floss under the roll, cross the sides over the line you want to cut at and pull the floss until it cleanly cuts the rolls. It works like a charm!
These rolls should be baked in an oven safe dish that is about 10″ wide. I love using a cast iron skillet to cook the filling and then I place the rolls right in the same skillet. The grease from the sausage is plenty to prevent the rolls from sticking as they bake.
Bake the rolls in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes.
Carefully brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter and give them a generous sprinkle of garlic salt and continue baking for another 5-7 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown and nicely puffed up.
You are going to want to serve these rolls with some warm marinara and maybe a topping of a little extra parmesan and be ready for them to disappear much faster than you thought they would.
From the buttery dough to the crispy sausage and the sweet garlic and caramelized onions, these rolls are downright perfect. If you are searching for a great appetizer to wow your friends then you should definitely give these sausage and onion rolls a try!
If you are planning an entire app spread, you may want to consider my queso fudido, this street corn dip or my bacon turkey ranch sliders!
Sausage & Onion Rolls
Ingredients
- 16 ounces of Italian sausage
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon of dried Italian herbs
- 1 cup of marinara
- 1 cup of parmesan, finely shredded
- 16 ounces of pizza dough
- 2 tablespoons of butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon of garlic salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425°
- Place a large skillet over medium heat and cook 16 ounces of sausage until browned and broken into small pieces
- Transfer the sausage onto a plate and set aside
- Add the thinly sliced onion and finely minced garlic cloves into the skillet and cook until softened and fragrant and then transfer off of the heat
- On a lightly floured surface, roll your pizza dough out into a large rectangle (about 10”x14”)
- Spread 1 cup of marinara over the dough
- Spread the sausage and onion mixture over the marinara and top with dried Italian herbs and parmesan
- Roll the dough up tightly starting at the short end and use a sharp knife or unscented dental floss to divide into 6 equal portions
- Generously grease a cast iron skillet and arrange the rolls in the skillet
- Bake in a 425° oven for 15 minutes
- Brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle with garlic salt
- Bake for another 5-7 minutes or until golden brown
- Serve with warm marinara
