Mozzarella Pillows

I recently saw Giada make these on Everyday Italian and thought they would be fun to serve when we had people over last weekend. I also had some store-bought pie crusts in the freezer (that were about to move beyond their freshness date) so I was happy to use them. The process to make these is a bit tedious with rolling out the dough, measuring it and cutting the rectangles, but once you get the hang of it, it goes fairly quickly. Once the rectangles are prepped, it's as simple as filling them and sealing them up. I was really excited to use my pastry wheel to cut the edges of the dough into a pretty, fluted shape!

I served these warm but I think Giada served them at room temperature so that'd probably be fine as well. I really liked the filling on the tarts, but, surprisingly, I wasn't crazy about the dough here. For the record, I love store-bought pie crusts so the dough wasn't the problem so much as its use in this application. I think the ratio of dough to filling was too high for me. I'd probably make these again but maybe with a lighter dough....I'll have to think about it!

Mozzarella Pillows
from FoodNetwork.com, Giada De Laurentiis

1 (26 oz) jar marinara sauce (about 3 cups)
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
2 slices prosciutto, finely chopped
4 store-bought 9-inch pie crusts
2 eggs, beaten, for egg wash
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place the marinara sauce in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook until reduced to a thick, jam-like consistency, about 30 minutes. There should be 1 1/2 to 2 cups of reduced sauce. Let the sauce cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Stir in the mozzarella cheese and prosciutto.

Meanwhile, place 1 piece of dough on a work surface. Roll the dough out gently until you can cut an 8 1/2 by 9 1/2-inch rectangle. Press the scraps into a small rectangle and roll it out to the same thickness as the other rectangle. Cut 3 rectangles from the large rectangle and 1 rectangle from the small rectangle. Each should measure 8 1/2 by 3 inches. Continue rolling and cutting the remaining pie dough.

To form the tarts, place the rectangles on a work surface. Brush each rectangle with egg wash. Place a large spoonful of the marinara mixture in the middle of the bottom half of the rectangle. Fold the dough in half over the marinara mixture to make a 3 by 4-inch rectangle. Press the edges to seal. Using a scalloped ravioli cutter, trim the rectangles to make a decorative edge. Place the tarts on the baking sheets. Brush with egg wash and generously sprinkle with cheese. Bake until golden, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Makes 16 tarts.