Spaghetti Rolls

Mind boggling isn't it?! This was my stroke of genius idea for leftover spaghetti. I must acknowledge my friends in high school for this idea because we used to stuff dinner rolls with spaghetti hot dish in the cafeteria; I took the idea a step further and stuffed the rolls before I baked them. No need to mop up sauce with bread because it is filled with it...It's the perfect surprise dinner package! It takes a while because you are making your own bread, but well worth the wait, I promise.

Tips:

Small noodles - If you are using leftover spaghetti, be sure to cut up the noodles into 1" pieces so it is easy to stuff.

Early riser - If you use quick rise or rapid rise yeast, you won't have to wait as long :)

Oven Temperature: 375 degrees

Prep Time:  15-20 minutes +

Dry active: 2 hours

Quick Rise: 55-75 minutes

Bake Time: 20-25 minutes

 Servings: 1 dozen rolls

1 package dry active or quick rise yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water (110-115 degrees)
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 Tablespoon salt
3 - 3 1/2 cups bread or all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups left over pasta and sauce
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded  
1 Tablespoon butter, melted


Directions:

1) In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup of water. 

2) Add the remaining water, dry milk, oil, sugar, salt and 1 1/2 cups of flour. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes or by hand until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

3) Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (about 6-8 minutes). 

4) Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour (30-40 minutes quick rise). 

5) Grease an 11x13 inch cake pan and set aside.

6) Punch the dough to deflate it, and divide into 15 pieces. 

7) Roll each piece of dough into a 6 inch circle. Top each circle with a pinch of cheese and a spoonful of leftover spaghetti.

8) Pull the sides of the dough up around the spaghetti. Pinch the dough together at the base to seal in the filling. 

9) Place each roll, with the sealed side on the bottom, into the greased cake pan (I placed the rolls in alternating rows of 2 and 3). Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour (25-35 minutes quick rise).

10) Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until lightly golden. 

11) Remove from pan from the oven and brush the rolls with the melted butter. Return the pan to the oven and bake another 5-7 minutes until golden brown.