A deliciously fun appetizer for your game day, holiday or party needs, these Italian Pinwheels are tasty, fast and a fun addition to your meal!
Who doesn’t love pinwheels? I know that I can’t resist them, but I’m a complete appetizer freak! So there is really some reason why I cant resist.
These Italian Pinwheels are a seriously easy and tasty appetizer recipe that you can never go wrong with. One of the recipes that I get asked over and over again to bring to all the gatherings!
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- The flavors and ingredients in this recipe mimic a traditional Italian sub, so they work together very well along with being a little easier to eat.
- They make a bunch, which is the best because when you go to a party or gathering, you don’t want to bring something that won’t feed enough people.
- These can be made ahead of time with no issues, so you won’t be scrambling the day of thinking of what fun appetizer recipe you will make.
I’ve had so many people make these for holiday’s, baby showers, bridal showers, birthday parties et. They are one of those recipe that just go together well.
Do you want to know what the secret is with this Pinwheel recipe? They are a copycat recipe from some pinwheels I had at Walmart from their deli section a while back.
HOW TO MAKE ITALIAN PINWHEELS, STEP BY STEP:
In bowl add your cream cheese, red pepper, banana pepper, italian bread crumbs and parmesan cheese , mix together until blended and everything is combined nicely (Photos 1 & 2).
Spread your mixture on your tortillas until it just about reaches the edges, you can leave a little bit so it doesn’t seep out. Then layer 3 slices of your provolone cheese down the center of your tortilla (Photos 3 & 4).
Next layer on your Genoa salami slices until it covers your tortilla then top with about 10 of your pepperoni slices (Photos 5 & 6).
Lastly add your romaine lettuce down the center and then roll up tightly and refrigerate before you are ready to chill (Photos 7 & 8).
Nothing really beats a good old pinwheel recipe. They are handheld which are perfect for grab and go. They are fresh, crisp and flavorful and absolutely feeds a crowd.
This recipe makes 24-36 pinwheels depending on how large you slices them, we do about an 1″ thickness, so they aren’t too big but not too small either, who wants a chincy pinwheel, amiright?
This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled depending on the amount of people you are serving, we have made both double and tripe batches before with no issues.
Another great thing about this Pinwheel recipe is that they make amazing lunch box additions. We have sent our kids to school many times with these in their bags and they always gobble them up without hesitation.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- We use the large burrito sized tortillas, you can use smaller if you like, but this is what we recommend.
- We use the regular sized pepperoni slices, but also have used the large sized ones when we are able to find them and it works amazing.
- These need time to chill or they won’t hold together well, so at least chill them an hour before slicing and serving.
- Slicing with a serrated knife we have found works the best, it produces cleaner cuts that if you were to use a regular knife.
- To get a smaller chop on your peppers, place them in a food processor, works like a charm.
These are perfect for any age group, the peppers only give it a hint of spice where it won’t be too overwhelming for those who have sensitivity to things spicy.
Also, this recipe is amazing with different cuts of meat as well ham, turkey, etc. It is really a sandwich made in handheld form which everyone seems to enjoy!
So if you’re looking for a fabulously fun appetizer to bring anywhere you go, then you have to whip up a batch or two of these addicting Italian Pinwheels!
If you like this pinwheel recipe you might also like:
If you’ve tried these ITALIAN PINWHEELS or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and what shenanigans I’m getting into!
Italian Pinwheels
Ingredients
- 3 flour tortillas burrito size
- 1 8 oz pkg genoa salami
- 30 small Pepperoni slices
- 9 slices Provolone cheese
- Romaine lettuce
Pepper Spread:
- 1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 2/3 cup roasted or sweet red peppers we used jarred, chopped small
- 2/3 cup banana peppers we used jarred, chopped small
Instructions
- Mix all your pepper spread ingredients in bowl until well comined.
- Spread 1/3 of the mix onto tortilla.
- In center of tortilla place 3 slices of cheese next to one another.
- Next layer enough salami tocover tortilla.
- After that layer pepperoni covering the salami.
- Then lastly add your romaine lettuce on top of that.
- Roll up tightly and refrigerate until cool, about 1 hour.
- Slice into pinwheels and enjoy!
Notes
- We use the large burrito sized tortillas, you can use smaller if you like, but this is what we recommend.
- We use the regular sized pepperoni slices, but also have used the large sized ones when we are able to find them and it works amazing.
- These need time to chill or they won't hold together well, so at least chill them an hour before slicing and serving.
- Slicing with a serrated knife we have found works the best, it produces cleaner cuts that if you were to use a regular knife.
- To get a smaller chop on your peppers, place them in a food processor, works like a charm.
Nutrition
Mary Alice
We just had these, and they were fantastic! I made them for my 3 teenage boys. Once they saw what I was making, they didn’t want to wait for them to chill in the refrigerator. I took the advice from a previous review and put them into the freezer for about 15 minutes, and that was fine. I followed the recipe exactly, and I had enough of the filling for 4 tortillas. I also learned that as you roll them up, the contents slowly slide towards the last edge of the tortilla. I recommend that everyone leave at least an inch of space on that last edge, possibly more.
I’m definitely planning on making these in the future when my boys have friends over. They would also be great for family gatherings and potlucks, or just for lunch.
BB
I agree with you on the leaving space for rolling it up. The meat move with the roll and I had to cut pieces off to make it look pretty (I was serving to friends). Next time I would spread the cream cheese all but the last 1/4 inch of the roll up. And the meat should be at least an inch away from the edge on the long side that is away from you. I hope that helps!
Toni
Made these 2x and my kids love them. Easy to assemble and so tasty.
Thank you!
Kelsey
Does the lettuce get soggy if you make them ahead of time?
Tornadough Alli
I’ve never had this issue, but we have usually only made them a day in advance.
Kim
Can you use something other than Italian breadcrumbs? Like dry Italian dressing mix or Italian seasoning?
Tornadough Alli
The breadcrumbs soak up the liquid in the spread, you could leave it out all together if you would like.
Carol
Can these be made a day ahead?
Tornadough Alli
That shouldn’t be a problem, I would wait to cut until serving 🙂
Judy
Turned out great, but I may use a bit less of the cream cheese pepper mixture next time around. It seemed a little too rich for me…but that’s just me. Also, instead of waiting out the hour chill time, I tossed the wraps in the freezer for about 15 minutes instead. All in all, this recipe is amazing, and I highly recommend it! Thank you!
Jen
My kids love these! I always make a huge platter when they have their friends over. Always a hit!
Toni
These were really good! My husband loved it!
Chelsea
These pinwheels are DELICIOUS and my kids new favorite lunch! Thanks for sharing!
lauren kelly
I have always been intimidated to make pinwheels but these were easy and delicious! The whole family loved them!
Vicky Spangler
Delicious I added pizza seasoning that had the garlic powder red pepper flakes basil oregano &basil already blended & I fixed some green bell pepper & red onion & used that instead of the lettuce it was great & it held up in fridge a few more days with out the lettuce.