Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes (15 ounces)
Salt and pepper
1 tube ready-made pizza dough, such as Pillsbury brand
24 slices pepperoni
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Unflavored cooking spray
Directions
Pre-heat oven to 375°F.
For the dipping sauce, heat a small saucepot over medium-high heat with one turn of the pan of EVOO, about one tablespoon. Add the onions, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes and cook, stirring every now and then until soft, about four minutes. Add the fire-roasted tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Bring up to a bubble and simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes.
Once you have the sauce going, unroll the pizza dough onto a lightly floured surface and stretch to make an even rectangle. Place the pepperoni in an even layer on half of the rectangle, leaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle with about 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese.
Fold over the other half of the dough and press down gently on the edges to close the halves together. With a rolling pin or your hands, gently roll over or pat down the folded dough. Use a knife or a pizza cutter to cut 8-10 thin strips, about 1-inch thick. Holding each end of one strip, twist it a few times and transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining strips. Spray the entire tray, including the twist-a-ronis, with cooking spray and pop in the oven until golden brown in color, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve with the dipping sauce alongside.