Homemade Pizza Rolls
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These homemade pizza rolls are like Sloppy Joes with a pizza twist! In our soft sub rolls, we add ground beef cooked in pizza sauce and lots of melted mozzarella cheese.
Ever have a homemade pizza roll? Well, if you have had one then you know what I am talking about. But if you haven’t, here’s what you have been missing. These incredibly satisfying homemade pizza rolls are like Sloppy Joes without the mess. We add ground beef coated in pizza sauce and a generous serving of cheese to a hearty sub roll. Make a batch ahead of time and have a quick grab-and-go meal whenever the need arises. And the best part is… no pizza dough is needed!
I’ve been enjoying a pizza roll for lunch, dinner, and okay, maybe even breakfast most of my life. I’ve found them to be real family pleasers, especially during those times when everyone is going in different directions and schedules have a hard time matching up.
My mom used to make these when she and my dad went out of town. With a batch of these in the fridge and a little extra money for any unforeseen needs, she could go off for a weekend confident that we wouldn’t starve to death. I love to make these from time to time, especially on Fridays or when the Super Bowl is around the corner because it means I can take the weekend off from cooking!
One of the best parts of this homemade pizza roll recipe is that you only need 4 ingredients: ground beef, pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, and sub rolls. Cook the beef in the sauce, pop it into the sub rolls with the cheese, and store in the fridge until you’re ravenous. That’s all there is to my quick and easy homemade pizza rolls. Doesn’t get better than that! I’ve also included suggestions below but seeing as there’s “pizza” in the title, feel free to go wild and add your favorite pizza toppings. If you love pizza as much as I do make sure to check out some of my other pizza recipes like Stuffed Pizza Sticks, Cowboy BBQ Chicken Pizza, Deep Dish Pizza Casserole, Air Fryer Pizza Rolls Made From Scratch, and Taco Pizza Recipe.
Recipe Ingredients
- or marinara sauce (I have a recipe for too, click here).
- Ground beef
Helpful Kitchen Tools
We’re going to make a dozen of these . If you’d like to make only six, just halve the ingredients.
How to Make Homemade Pizza Rolls
Brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
You could add pepperoni here, or Italian sausage, or whatever cranks your tractor.
This is also where you could have this skillet full of sauteed onions and bell peppers as well. Another great option for this dish.
After your beef is brown, stir in both jars of pizza sauce.
Stir well and cook on medium until bubbly.
Slice each of your rolls as you would a hot dog bun, careful not to go all the way through.
I like to get the buns that aren’t sliced so that I can have them like this, it makes the sub so much easier if it isn’t sliced all the way through to the other side.
Fill with beef mixture.
Top with mozzarella cheese.
You can mix it with parmesan cheese too if you like.
Wrap in plastic wrap.
Tuck the ends onto the side and you’ve got a pizza roll!
Now that we know what to do here, let’s set up an assembly line for the rest.
All done!
I like to save my original sub-roll bags to put the wrapped rolls back in for an extra layer of protection in my fridge.
Plop these homemade pizza rolls in the fridge and whenever you want one, just get it out and microwave it for one minute!
For a crispier bun, open the sandwich and broil it in the oven or in the air fryer.
Enjoy!
Storage
- The wrapped leftover pizza rolls will last in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave, oven, or air fryer.
- Alternatively, store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the frozen pizza rolls overnight in the fridge before reheating them as above.
Recipe Variations
- Add pepperoni slices, salami, chorizo, or crispy cooked bacon bits.
- Add additional Italian seasoning to the cooked beef.
- Spread garlic butter on the sub rolls.
- Use a different type of cheese, like a combination of mozzarella and parmesan, shredded cheddar cheese, or provolone.
- Add veggies of your choice: onion, bell pepper, olives, etc.
- Sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes for heat.
Recipe FAQs
What goes well with pizza rolls?
Honestly, this main dish works well with just about anything! You can enjoy them with a dipping sauce like marinara sauce or ranch dressing. You can serve them with french fries or coleslaw, like burger slaw or vinegar slaw. Alternatively, you can even have them with a salad on the side.
Do these freeze well for lunches?
These freeze well to have any time, whether it’s lunch or dinner. And after they are thawed in the oven or microwave you can add some olive oil or garlic butter as well to take it over the top. You can slice the rolls up into bite-size pieces as well and have them in a lunch. You can also make them and refrigerate them instead of freezing them to add to lunch boxes for the week.
What other types of rolls can I use?
You could use crescent rolls. Bake them up and slice them if you want a smaller version. I like the thicker rolls better as the sauce doesn’t seep through as easily when I refrigerate them. But if you eat them right away and typically like thinner pizza crust from a thinner pizza dough then the crescent rolls may be perfect for you.
Do you use any other meats besides ground beef?
If you like pepperoni pizza you can use pepperoni slices and I have used Italian sausage too. You can also use another type of ground meat, like ground turkey or ground pork. Basically, any other type of meat you would like on a pizza would normally go well on this sandwich.
Check out these other sensational subs, rolls, and sandwiches:
Air Fryer Pizza Rolls Made From Scratch
French Dip Sandwiches Recipe (With a Twist)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 dozen sub rolls
- 2 15-oz jars pizza sauce
Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown beef over medium-high heat while breaking it up into small pieces, until it's no longer pink. Drain off any grease.2 lbs ground beef
- Add both jars of pizza sauce to the cooked beef in the skillet. Stir and cook on medium until bubbly.2 15-oz jars pizza sauce
- Slice each bun almost through and spoon the beef mixture into the bun. Add cheese on top and seal with plastic wrap.2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 dozen sub rolls
- I like to save the bag the rolls came in and place the sealed ones back in there for an extra layer of protection. Place in refrigerator.
- When ready to eat, heat individual rolls in the microwave for about one minute.
- Can be stored in the fridge for several days.
Hi! I found your website about a week ago….LOVE it?….just wondering, do you heat these in the saran wrap?….When I warmed mine up, the roll got kind of “rubbery”…am I doing something wrong?
Sheesh, I can’t believe how rude Anonymous was! These rolls are healthier than a lot of things you can eat- with them in the fridge or freezer, you can forgo swinging by a fast food place. And Christy, you are a brave woman for keeping up unkind comments people write. I don’t think people would fault you for deleting the negative ones, but you leave them up :o)
Back on track, I made these tonight because the end of the semester is looming (I’m going to school to be an elementary teacher) and it’s going to be a very busy week. I used ground turkey because I’m a big weirdo who hates ground beef (I had serious food texture issues as a child and while 99% of them have gone away and I’m not a picky eater, ground beef does me in). I added chopped pepperoni, sauteed mushrooms and sliced black olives, and ended up adding some oregano and garlic powder. I hope you don’t mind me messing with your recipes. I always figure people should change recipes around as they see fit. Also, your method of wrapping them individually and then sticking them back in the bag is ingenious. Anyway, my fiance and I love the pizza rolls! So good and so easy! I will definitely be making these again. They remind us of Sloppy Joes so we changed their name to Sloppy Luigis because Pizza Rolls make us think of those little frozen pizza things from the grocery store.
love your add ins. I was thinking of doing something along those lines my self. I’ll be making this very soon. yummy in my tummy. easy for the kiddos to make. they always want something right after school…
Hello!
Love your website, and i cant wait to try some of your recipes.
A quick suggestion about onions and peppers…..I have a lot of these so-called picky eaters in my family as well. What i have discovered is that they don’t dislike the taste of onions and peppers so much as the sensation of biting into a vegetable….When cooking for these picky palates, i grate my onion and pepper into the food and then cook it. The vegetables literally disappear into the food but the taste is greatly enhanced. I also find that grating can be a lot faster than chopping vegetables, i just hold it right over the pan on the stove. Of course i can never let them see me doing this or they surely won’t eat it!
But, what you don’t know cant hurt you, right?
I have read a few of the receipes you have on here and I really want to try some. My Daughter is so picky and likes only the chicken or Pizza stuff that I make, and she refuses to eat my ground meat receipes. Do you have anything for picky eaters, around the ages of 15? She is actually worried about gaining weight and wants to eat healthy but I feel limited by her “standards”!
I am also writing to tell you that you have made such a great impression on me, the receipes and the way you tell them are really
interesting. I lost my mom 8 years ago and you have set a comforting impression on me. I love to just read how you write and seem to be enjoying what your doing. I was right along with you was the way you made me feel. WOW!! You are doing a great thing and for all single moms out there that have a desire to cook good delicious meals out there for there family, friends and loved ones this is really AWESOME! Thanks for blessing me with your sweet personality I enjoyed reading these and look forward to more of what your doing there. GOD BLESS YOU!!
Love this recipe and think it’s super, can’t wait to try it!
I love your blog!
Hi , Thanks for the wonderful receipt “Christy’s crockpot Chili”.
we just love it,its quick and freezes well. I purchased your cook books for my daughter and daughter in law and they love them.
I just love your blog, it makes my day… Have a great weekend and hope your moving goes well…
Hey gang! I think anonymous was a little uppity on the “hurting the environment” but I think you can always go healthy if you want to by changing things just slightly as they suggested. Christy’s recipes are great because you can use the recipe and just change the ingredients a little if you feel bad about something- like white bread, for instance. I don’t eat white bread, I would switch out to sourdough rolls, however, the recipe still works. And the suggestion of wrapping in foil and putting in the oven- that is what I would do because I NEVER put plastic in the microwave! There is supposed to be microwave safe wrap now, though- for ya’ll who are dead set on “I want to microwave food with wrap!” I would suggest that.
Just my two cents 🙂 Be well!