Cheeseburger Rollups
Start with your favorite burger toppings, roll ’em up in pizza dough, and you end up with these tasty (and fun!) Cheeseburger Rollups!
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Earlier this summer, I had the chance to visit Debbie’s cattle ranch in eastern Kansas as part of Certified Angus Beef ® brand‘s “Brand the Barn” tour. Debbie lives way out in the Kansas prairie, and that means there aren’t many restaurants or hotels around. On the 2nd night of the trip, we stayed in a small inn in Council Grove, Kansas. (Population of Council Grove: 2,060. It’s a small town.) Featuring a wrap-around porch and large seating areas with antique furnishings, staying in the Cottage House was like taking a step back in time. It seriously reminded me of staying at my Grandma’s house! I’m pretty sure that the portrait on the wall in the lobby was looking at me, though.
In all seriousness, the Cottage House was a charming place to spend the night. If I find myself at Debbie’s ranch in the future, I’d stay there again. One of the coolest things about the Cottage House? They gave us a couple packs of playing cards. Like old-school decks of cards. In today’s age of video games, iPhones and e-readers, I found the playing cards a really nice touch. As I was flipping through the cards, I got curious about where playing cards originated. What can I say? I like history.
It turns out that playing cards originated in China around 1,100 years ago. But these early playing cards weren’t anything like the 52-card decks that we play with today. The 4 suits with the royal cards comes from Europe in the late-Middle Ages. Over the years, decks of cards have been used for hundreds of different games, but one of the coolest stories I stumbled across? During World War II, the United States Playing Card Company (the world’s largest manufacturer of playing cards) worked with American and British intelligence to create decks of cards that contained maps of escape routes from German POW camps. When soaked in water, the cards could be peeled apart to reveal maps. How cool is that!?
While I don’t think the cards I got from the Cottage House in Council Grove, Kansas contain any hidden maps, they have been used to play cards here at home. Laura and I invited friends over recently for a game night, and we ended up playing cards. I hadn’t pulled out a deck of cards in ages, and I must admit that it was a lot of fun!
Cheeseburger Rollups
For that game night, I made a batch of these Cheeseburger Rollups for dinner. It’s no secret that I love a good cheeseburger. Laura used to tease me about it as I would order a cheeseburger nearly every time we went out to eat. Now she just understands puts up with me and my cheeseburger addiction. These Cheeseburger Rollups are a fun twist on the classic burger. Instead of buns, these Cheeseburger Rollups use pizza dough. Add in your favorite burger toppings, *roll*roll*roll, *bake*bake*bake* and you’ve got this really fun dinner!
The cool thing about these Cheeseburger Rollups is that you can get as creative as you like with the toppings. Love bacon? Add some crumbed, cooked bacon. Prefer pickles on your burgers? Add some chopped dill pickle slices. One tip, though, is to make sure to drain the hamburger filling well. (Similarly, make sure to pat any wet ingredients like tomatoes and pickles dry.) The extra liquid can make the pizza dough a bit soggy. No matter what toppings you add, these Cheeseburger Rollups are a fun dinner to serve next time you host a game night. Cheers, friends! Oh, and if you try this recipe for Cheeseburger Rollups, make sure to come back and let me know what you think!
Love hamburgers as much as me? Check out these links for more recipe inspiration:
Pull Apart Cheeseburger Sliders
Southern Burgers with Fried Pickles
Cheeseburger Rollups
Ingredients
For the Hamburger Filling
- 1 pound lean ground beef I used Certified Angus Beef’s 90/10 blend
- ½ cup red onion diced
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- 1 10-oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
For the Roll-Ups
- 1 batch pizza dough homemade or storebought
- 1½ cups cheddar cheese shredded
- ½ Tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp Italian seasonings
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
Instructions
For the Hamburger Filling
- Using a large skillet, add beef, onions and garlic. Cook over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until beef is fully cooked.
- Add diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, salt and black pepper; stir until well combined. Continue cooking until all of the liquid has evaporated. (Note: If necessary, drain any excess liquid at this stage.)
- Remove pan from heat and set aside.
For the Roll-Ups
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper; set aside.
- Working on a well-floured surface, roll dough into a 16”x8” rectangle.
- Spread hamburger filling evenly over dough, leaving ½” border on edges. Sprinkle cheese evenly on top.
- Starting with a long side, roll dough into a tight log. Place log seam side down on prepared baking pan.
- Brush top of roll with olive oil and then sprinkle Italian seasonings and sesame seeds on top.
- Bake for 28-30 minutes, or until top is golden brown.
That’s like James Bond spy stuff right there with the cards revealing maps! How cool, is right! Burgers, especially cheeseburgers, are one of my favourite things to eat. I honestly think I could eat one every day and never tire of them. Love this twist on a cheeseburger with roll ups…super fun for parties and get togethers!! Happy Monday, David 🙂
You’re right! Those cards are totally top-secret, James Bond-level stuff. But how cool, right? Can you imagine finding a card like that now? It would be an awesome collector’s item! (And I imagine they’re probably worth a lot, too.)
You and I are in the same boat when it comes to burgers, Dawn! And I’ve gotta say that this roll-up version is a fun twist…and really tasty, too. Thanks so much, my friend! 🙂
So cool! I’ve read a lot about WWII but I’ve never heard of using playing cards for maps. History is the best! With basketball season gearing up (and my Ducks’ football season not so hot) I’m looking ahead to March Madness; these rollups would be perfect to serve at bball-watching get-togethers!
History really is the best! I love hearing about these fun stories that don’t make it into the high school history books. I’m thinking we should go peel all of our cards apart to see what’s inside! Oh, and you’re totally right about these roll-ups for basketball season. Bring on the hoops!! 🙂
I love a good card game. Every Christmas we have a games night in our family, where normally sane people become immensely competitive. I think these would be a brilliant snack while we play!
Hah! I can totally identify with your comment about sane people going nuts over games. I might be one of those people myself. (Although me being sane to begin with is up for debate. Hah!) And, yes, these roll-ups are excellent for game nights. Thanks so much, Matt!
I love this idea, David! A great new way to make a cheeseburger – my family, like you, can’t get enough cheeseburgers, so this one has my name all over it. I imagine I’ll be making it in the coming days! And, since my family drove to Kansas every.single.summer while I was growing up, I know what you mean by “small town”. Great places with great people!
I’m all about the yummy burgers, Laura! But we’re also all about the pizza, too. (In fact, a cheeseburger pizza is one of my favorites.) So this roll-up is just a twist on those flavors…and it’s SO tasty! Thanks so much, my friend. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!
Cheeseburger roll-ups, what a brilliant idea. Every Thursday I have “movie night” with my wife’s nephew and I’m always looking for fun new things for us guys to try out. I know what it’ll be Thursday night. David, is it OK if I dip my cheeseburger roll-ups in buffalo sauce?
Hmmm…buffalo sauce as a dipper? I think that would be quite alright! These roll-ups are really fun for game nights (or movie nights), so I hope you enjoy them as much as we did! What movie is on the agenda this week??
Hi David! What a great way to make burgers for a group! If anyone wants additional toppings they can just add it to their slice! Set out a bowl of chips and grab a cold beer…what more could you ask for. You talking about staying out there in that small town and playing cards reminds me of my childhood when life was so much simpler; no electronic devices, just board games, puzzles and cards. PS You made me laugh with your comment “I can’t catch a break”. 🙂
You make an excellent point here about additional toppings, Dorothy! Sure, you can make burgers for the group…but this is a fun twist on the classic. And folks tend to like when you mix it up a bit! Cold beers are a requirement with these roll-ups, too! 🙂
You make a good point about electronics. Technology is a pretty cool thing (ahem, hello food blog), but sometimes I just like the peace and quiet of a good board game. Thanks so much, my friend! I hope you’re feeling better!
I’m not familiar with history of playing cards, but I’m not surprised they (as many other things) originated from China. That would be cool to have some cards with a secret, though. If you ever stumble accross the hidden map indicating treasures, can I please expect you’d take me for this gold hunting? And these cheeseburger rolls-up? Well, while I can easily live without any burgers/cheeseburgers, I must admit these look super delicious!
Hah! You pretty much described my childhood goal. I always wanted to find a hidden treasure map…I mean what kid wouldn’t love that!? If I find a map hidden in playing cards, then I promise I’ll bring you along to help! And you can live without burgers!? We need to work on that a bit. Haha! Thanks, Ben! 🙂
David, so fascinating reading about the maps hidden in the cards and actually getting to see one! Your posts are always such a pleasure to read 🙂
Cheeseburgers are probably my favorite food so these Cheeseburger Rollups would be a huge hit at my house! The kids love it when I keep something like this ready for snacking!
Why thank you so much, Kelly! I enjoy including fun facts in these posts. If for no other reason, it makes them more fun to write on my end! I appreciate your comment. 🙂
These roll-ups are a fun snack (or dinner) idea indeed! You should totally plan a movie night in your house soon. It is the holidays after all, and there are some great holiday movies out there that need watching…again and again and again. Haha!
Okay, that is cool stuff! I wonder how many people knew the origins of playing cards? This cheeseburger rollup looks amazing – almost as amazing as the history of the cards! I’m sure it taste way more delicious than a plain old card though!
I tell ya what, Kathy – I had no idea where playing cards came from. I mean there were just always around. I’m not surprised that they originated from China, although that version was so different than the set we know today with the 4 suits. Grab a pack of cards and plan a game night in your house soon! And, yes, I can absolutely promise that these cheeseburger roll-ups will taste better than a card. Hah! 🙂
Wow! Loved the story about the decks of cards containing escape routes from German POW camps. You always have such interesting stories David, never mind excellent recipes! I’m glad Lynne and I were given a pack of cards by some people who had already climbed Kilimanjaro on our recent trip. It was nice to get back to playing a simple card game rather than sitting on our phones! Nice touch with including 2 of my favourite condiments in the hamburger filling by the way, the Worcestershire sauce and the dijon mustard! Yum!
Thanks so much, Neil! I love finding fun little tidbits and stories and then sharing those in my posts. It makes ’em a whole lot more fun if you ask me! 🙂 I wonder if those playing cards you got had a secret map hidden in them? You should check! In the meantime, though, these cheeseburger rollups make for a great dinner while playing cards. Thanks so much!
My parents used to play cards all the time. It was one of their favorite things to do when company came over. I don’t think I’d be able to, though if these cheeseburger rollups were around. I’d constantly have one in each hand!
Well, you know that’s how the sandwich was invented, right? The Earl of Sandwich didn’t want to stop playing cards to eat, so he requested his chefs to make him a meal he could eat while playing. Now we just have to figure out how to play cards when both hands are full!
Why am I looking at this right at lunchtime? Now this is all I want. It looks and sounds so hearty and delicious and I know would hit the spot. Great idea! And those playing cards are so incredibly cool!
Haha! I have that same problem, too, Valentina. I often spend the morning at the computer, and by lunchtime I am starving!! 🙂 I say put these cheeseburger roll-ups on the menu and end that craving!
It’s funny, we always travel with an old school pack of cards. Such a relaxing pastime…one that I can’t imagine ever giving up. And I can always count on you for cool history tidbits – I had no idea of how playing cards came to be!
Loving these cheeseburger roll-ups. I’m thinking perfect holiday party fare! These would disappear in a flash!
That’s such a good idea to always pack a deck of cards! I’m going to start doing that…probably the set I got from the inn in Kansas. 🙂 Also, these cheeseburger roll-ups are really, really tasty…perfect for a game night! Thanks so much, Marissa!
I love when we can take a moment and play cards. My son lives in China and people were always playing games. The parks were crowded and everyone was busy doing something fun. Perfect place to socialize. Now if we could just introduce them to these cheeseburger roll ups!
Interesting! I had no idea that cards/games are still so popular in China. Here it’s all about the video games, but I’ve gotta say that it’s fun to go back to the old school playing cards! Thanks so much, my friend!
I consider Cheeseburgers the #1 American Food. That’s only my opinion, but there you have it.
I love the story of the maps hidden in the cards!
Hey, I’m not going to disagree with you about cheeseburgers, SueAnn! I love ’em! And the story about the cards and maps is fascinating. I had no idea about that until I started following the rabbit hole of how playing cards were first invented! Hope you had a great weekend, my friend!
Ooh those playing card/maps are just too cool! Wonder what one of those sets are worth these days?! Your stay at the hotel with the playing cards reminded me of Neil and Lynne’s sojourn up Kilimanjaro where a family passed them a deck of cards that came in invaluable!
Onto these cheeseburger rollups – they sound like a lot of fun – to make AND eat! Love how versatile they are too – so gotta try this over the holidays!
Hah! I think those playing cards/maps are quite rare, so I bet they would be worth a pretty penny these days. I love historical stuff like that! As far as these cheeseburger rollups, so fun! Pull out a deck of cards, make a batch of these rollups and just have a good old-fashioned family night! 🙂
I do this with a pre-packaged crescent rolls! Quick easy and delicious for when my Grandlittles visit!
Oooo – that’s a great idea to make these Cheeseburger Rollups with crescent roll dough. Thanks so much for sharing, and I’m really glad you like this recipe! 🙂