Description
Think classic Italian sub flavors… but rolled up and snackable. These Italian pinwheels are layered with a super delicious Italian-inspired cream cheese spread, crisp shredded lettuce, provolone, salami, pepperoni and ham. They’re SO good! Perfect for pretty much any occasion too – parties, lunches, picnics or game day snacking.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Italian cream cheese spread:
- 1 brick full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature (8 oz/250g)
- ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅓ cup finely diced green bell pepper
- ⅓ cup finely chopped roasted red peppers
- ⅓ cup finely chopped pepperoncini
- ¼ cup finely chopped red onion
- salt and pepper to taste (I used about 1 teaspoon sea salt and a few grinds of black pepper)
For the pinwheels:
- 3 large burrito-size flour tortillas (or lavash wraps)
- 3 cups finely shredded romaine lettuce
- 9 slices provolone cheese
- 15 slices of genoa or parmesan salami, thinly sliced
- 15 slices of deli or sandwich-style pepperoni, thinly sliced
- 9 slices of deli ham, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Make the cream cheese spread: Place all the ingredients listed for the spread into a bowl and mix together until well combined. You can do this by hand or use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to make it extra easy.
- Assemble the pinwheels: Lay the tortillas out on a clean surface. Divide the cream cheese mixture evenly between them, spreading it out while leaving a small border around the edges. Sprinkle the finely shredded lettuce over top (about 1 cup per tortilla). Then layer the cheese and meats in an even row across, slightly below center closer to the bottom edge. For each tortilla, add 3 slices of provolone, followed by 5 slices salami, 5 slices deli-style pepperoni and 3 slices of ham.
- Roll them up: Starting from the bottom, tightly roll each tortilla up into a log. The filling might start sliding up a bit as you roll (totally normal), which is why arranging them slightly below center helps.
- Chill: Wrap each roll tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This helps the pinwheels firm up and hold their shape when you slice them.
- Slice and serve: Remove the plastic wrap, trim off the ends and cut the rolls into 1-inch thick slices with a serrated knife. Arrange the pinwheels on a platter and enjoy! You’ll usually get about 7-8 pinwheels per tortilla.
Notes
- Don’t skip the chill time: Try to give these at least an hour in the fridge before slicing. It allows the cream cheese to firm up so the pinwheels hold together and slice nicely. However, if you’re in a hurry and want to slice them right away, secure with toothpicks first to keep them together.
- Use a serrated knife: A sharp serrated knife works best for slicing these. It will give you clean slices without squishing the pinwheels.
- Use brick cream cheese: I recommend full-fat for the best flavor and texture. Make sure it’s softened so everything mixes together easily. So why not just use a tub of spreadable cream cheese? I totally get why this would sound reasonable but it’s not the best choice here. Spreadable cream cheese doesn’t firm up the same way as the brick-style does once chilled so the pinwheels won’t hold their shape as nicely or slice as easily.
- Make Ahead: You can prep these up to 24 hours in advance. That said, I personally think they’re at their best within about 6-8 hours, before the crunchier ingredients start to soften. To make them ahead, just fully assemble and roll them up, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store them in the fridge. Slice right before serving.
