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Home ยป Easy Italian Pinwheels

Easy Italian Pinwheels

December 26, 2022 Kristy Richardson Leave a Comment

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Close up of Italian pinwheel snacks on a platter close up and sliced in rows on a cutting board with title text overlay between the two images.

Italian pinwheels are the perfect savory quick and easy appetizer for a party, lunch or even snack. Layered with a creamy, flavorful cream cheese spread, crisp lettuce, buttery provolone cheese and all of the favorite Italian meats- ham, salami and pepperoni!

A full plate of Italian pinwheel rollups stacked on a plate to see the meats, lettuce and cheese inside.

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Why We Love Italian Pinwheels

  • Delicious Appetizer For Parties – Perfect for baby showers, potlucks, game day or other parties, these Italian pinwheels make great finger foods and a great appetizer for a party.
  • Extremely Flexible Recipe– You can easily customize this recipe to you and your family’s own tastes by swapping in and out ingredients. You can also easily adjust only one of the three wraps for one person, while the other two wraps still have all the flavors.
  • Make A Great Lunch – These pinwheels are quick enough to put together that they make a great lunch.

Try these creamy ranch veggie pinwheels, they go great together to make a plate of pinwheel appetizers. These warm ham and cheese sliders or pizza sliders also are a great recipe for a party or quick lunch.

Ingredients For Italian Pinwheels

Ingredients for italian pinwheels in bowls on a counter from overhead with text labels.
  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened, about 1 cup
  • ½ cup roasted red peppers jarred, diced
  • ⅓ cup parmesan cheese grated
  • ¼ cup pepperoncini peppers pickled, diced – these are found already jarred
  • 4 teaspoons Italian seasoning – you can use your favorite Italian seasoning mix for great Italian flavor
  • 3 pieces flour tortillas burrito-sized, 10 inch across, you can also use a flavored tortilla wrap like spinach or sundried tomato.
  • 18 slices ham I used black forest thin sliced, about 6 ounces
  • 18 slices salami thin sliced, about 5 ounces. I like genoa salami a lot, but you can use any hard salami
  • 48 slices pepperoni thin sliced, about 5-6 ounces
  • 9 slices provolone – sliced mozzarella cheese can also be used
  • 3 large romaine lettuce leaves

How To Make Italian Pinwheels

  • In a medium sized bowl add softened cream cheese, roasted red bell peppers, parmesan, pepperoncini peppers, and Italian seasoning. Mix together until combined.
Mixing cream cheese with seasoning in a large bowl from overhead with diced roasted pepper and pepperoncini nearby in bowls on the counter.
  • Spread about one-third of the cream cheese mixture onto each tortilla across the entire surface.
Spreading the cream cheese mixture full of diced peppers on a tortilla from overhead on a cutting board with ham, pepperoni and salami on small plates nearby.
  • Layer six slices of ham and six slices of salami across the tortilla.
Adding ham and salami to the top of a large tortilla from overhead.
  • Place sixteen slices of pepperoni per tortilla evenly across the tortilla.
Adding pepperoni to the italian pinwheel tortilla from above on a cutting board with more Italian meats on plates nearby.
  • Add three slices of provolone per tortilla in the center.
Adding provolone cheese to the center of the Italian pinwheel tortilla.
  • Top each tortilla with a lettuce leaf.
Adding lettuce to the top of a tortilla covered in Italian meats and cheese.
  • Roll up the tortilla tightly and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Keep in mind the provolone and lettuce will be the center of the pinwheel. Refrigerate for about an hour to help the pinwheels to stay rolled tightly.
An Italian pinwheel being rolled tightly in a tortilla on a cutting board.
An Italian pinwheel after rolling tightly on a cutting board with more in the background.
  • Slice each roll into about 1 inch slices, 8 pinwheels each. Then enjoy!
Italian pinwheels sliced in rows on a cutting board on a counter.

Variation Ideas

  • Make It a Sub- Swap out a sub or roll to make amazing Italian subs.
  • Drizzle with Italian Dressing – I like these wraps drizzled with Italian dressing, but it does make them go soggy a little faster. I only use the dressing if we are planning on eatting the pinwheels pretty quickly after I slice them.
  • Swap The Meats – Use your favorite meats on this pinwheel. You can swap in turkey or chicken for one of the meats. If their is a particular meat you dislike, you can also leave it off.
  • Add Black Olives– Sweet black olives give this wrap a sweet and salty bite that is delicious.
  • Slice Fresh Tomatoes– Slices of tomato can be added into the rolls, of if using smaller tomatoes like cherry tomatoes you can mix small diced tomato pieces into the cream cheese. Only use tomatoes if you will be consuming these wraps quickly after assembling them.
  • Try Fresh Bell Pepper– Bell pepper slices can be delicious on this wrap either in place of the roasted pepper, or in addition to the roasted bell pepper.
  • Add Sliced Onion– Red onion is my favorite to add to these rollups, but sweet onion or yellow onion also work well. I would either add thin slices or dice the onion small and add it to the cream cheese mixture.

Are Pepperoncini Peppers and Banana Peppers The Same Thing?

People often mix up pepperoncini peppers and banana peppers, they look really similar in the jar, have similar flavors, and are both sweet peppers.

The pepperoncini peppers do have a slight bite to them that helps cut through the creaminess and goes well with the meats. If you prefer you can easily swap in banana peppers which tend to be slightly more sweet. Check out more info about the difference between pepperoncini pepper sand banana peppers here.

How Do You Keep The Pinwheels Together?

  • By refrigerating the pinwheels before slicing, you’re giving the cream cheese a chance to bind the rolls together to keep them rolled more tightly.
  • Rolling the tortillas tightly in the beginning before refrigerating also helps. You can use the plastic wrap to help you get a nice tight roll.
  • Heating the tortillas for a few seconds in the microwave will make them more flexible and easier to get a tighter roll on the pinwheels.
  • If the stem on the lettuce is really thick it can sometimes keep you from getting a tight rolled pinwheel. You can remove the center stem with a knife to help the lettuce lay flatter and roll tighter.
  • Use a toothpick to secure each pinwheel if your sandwiches are still unrolling.

How Long Does This Italian Pinwheels Recipe Last?

Expect these Italian roll-ups will taste best for about 24 hours. Working to blot away the moisture from the lettuce ham and other ingredients can help them taste fresh and delicious a little longer.

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

More Easy Recipes You’ll Love

Beefy Seven Layer Taco Dip – Classic seven layer dip layered with ground beef, this is always a crowd-pleasing appetizer at a party.

Pepperoni Rolls– Pepperoni rolls are a midwest staple! Similar to pizza rolls, kids and adults will both love these easy snacks.

Close up overhead on a platter of Italian pinwheels in slices.

Italian Pinwheels

Kristy Richardson
Italian pinwheels are layered with a flavorful Italian cream cheese spread, crisp lettuce, buttery provolone cheese and all of the favorite Italian meats- ham, salami and pepperoni. These easy to assemble pinwheels are perfect as a party appetizer, easy lunch, or snack.
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Save to Pinterest
PREP TIME 20 mins
Chill Time 1 hr
Total Time 1 hr 20 mins
Course Appetizer, lunch, Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 24 Pieces
Calories 137 kcal
Prevent your screen from going dark while you cook

Ingredients
  

  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened, about 1 cup
  • ½ cup roasted red peppers jarred, diced
  • ⅓ cup parmesan cheese grated
  • ¼ cup pepperoncini peppers pickled, diced
  • 4 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 3 pieces flour tortillas burrito-sized, 10 inch across
  • 18 slices ham I used black forest thin sliced, about 6 ounces
  • 18 slices salami thin sliced, about 5 ounces
  • 48 slices pepperoni thin sliced, about 5-6 ounces
  • 9 slices provolone
  • 3 large romaine lettuce leaves
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Instructions
 

  • In a medium sized bowl add softened cream cheese, roasted red bell peppers, parmesan, pepperoncini peppers, and Italian seasoning. Mix together until combined.
  • Spread about one-third of the cream cheese mixture onto each tortilla across the entire surface.
  • Layer six slices of ham and six slices of salami across the chees.
  • Place sixteen slices of pepperoni per tortilla evenly across the tortilla.
  • Add three slices of provolone per tortilla in the center and top each with a lettuce leaf.
  • Roll up the tortilla tightly and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Keep in mind the provolone and lettuce will be the center of the pinwheel. Refrigerate for about an hour to help the pinwheels to stay rolled tightly.
  • Slice each roll into about 1 inch slices, 8 pinwheels each. Then enjoy!

Notes

Italian Pinwheel Assembly Tips

  • Microwaving the tortillas for 5-10 seconds before assembling the rolls can help the tortillas to roll more easily. This keeps them from breaking.
  • Blot the ham, lettuce, and other meats if needed with a paper towel if they have extra liquid. Ham and lettuce both can sometimes have a little too much moisture if not dried, which can make the pinwheel soggy.
  • Refrigerating the rolls helps to keep them rolled tightly when you slice the pinwheels.
  • You can make these wraps ahead of time up to the day before. Enjoy within 24 hours.
  • If packing these further in advance, leaving the lettuce off can give you a little more time that these pinwheels will still be delicious.

Nutrition

Calories: 137kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 456mg | Potassium: 103mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 0.5g | Vitamin A: 531IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 0.5mg
Keyword appetizers, pinwheel, sandwich
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    Welcome to On My Kids Plate, I'm Kristy! Here you will find ideas for helping kids have fun with food, recipes both kids and parents love, fresh parenting ideas, great tips and a little bit of humor. I hope you find an idea your family loves. Follow along below to see all the ideas on social media below, or email me hello@onmykidsplate.com

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