Big Mac Pinwheels or Beef Roll Ups are crowd-pleasing appetizers that are very easy to make! The tasty rolls are perfect for Super Bowl parties, gatherings and potlucks.
My family love this ground meat pinwheel recipe so much that we make it for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner and event for snacks. They are so flavorful and mouthwatering.
Beef Pinwheels are best fresh, but you can also make them ahead of time and serve for your football party the following day.
Baked roll ups can be dipped in a Thousand island dressing, or served with ketchup, mustard or beef gravy.
For more recipes using ground beef, check out this simple Ground Beef Casserole, creamy Instant Pot Hamburger Helper, time-saving Slow Cooker Nacho Sloppy Joes and this super tasty Slow Cooker Chicken Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes.
For more appetizers and Super Bowl party food ideas try this authentic Hummus recipe and its variation Hummus with Roasted Sweet Potatoes.
Why This Recipe Works
- Easy – this tasty recipe is so easy to make, requiring only 25 minutes of prep time. It’s also a good activity to do with kids, as they tend to eat more of what they prepared themselves!
- Versatile – you can adapt this recipe based on your preferences and your taste buds. Look for more ideas in the tips section below.
- Made ahead of time – you can make this recipe ahead of time and/or freeze for up to 3 months. However, nothing beats the freshly-baked pinwheels!
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this flavorful recipe:
- Lean ground beef – browned and drained. Can be substituted with any other ground meat (more on this in the tips section below).
- Minced dried onion – can be replaced with fresh onion, but I refer using dried onion as this is what’s being used in Big Macs.
- Dill relish – you can use sweet relish if that is what you have on hand but it will change the flavor up a bit. Dill relish tastes most like the original Big Mac.
- Thousand island dressing – use some in the meat mixture and leave a bit for dipping.
- American cheese – While you can use any cheese you like to make this recipe, such as; provolone cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, Colby Jack cheese, parmesan cheese, mozzarella slices or cheddar mozzarella blend. However, American cheese is what’s traditionally used in Big Macs. Feel free to adjust cheese quantity based on how cheesy you like these pinwheels to be.
- Crescent roll sheet dough – while you can use a homemade dough, I opted to use a crescent roll sheet dough to make these flaky and fluffy beef roll ups.
- Sesame seeds – to make them taste like the original Big Mac.
How To Make Pinwheels
- Preheat oven – preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.
- Make meat mix – combine the cooked ground beef, dried minced onion, dill relish and thousand island dressing. Stir to combine.
- Prepare the dough – unroll crescent sheets and roll out into a large rectangle.
- Top the dough – Place cheese on each crescent dough rectangle then spread the meat mixture evenly.
- Roll and slice – roll the crescent dough up. Then, slice into 6 pieces each.
- Bake – sprinkle each pinwheel with sesame seeds and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Tips For Making Big Mac Pinwheels
- Cheese – Feel free to place the cheese on top of the meat mixture if you prefer it this way.
- Add more cheese – for extra cheeseness, you can add more or reduce the amount of cheese used in this recipe. You can also add a pinch of shredded cheese on top of each pinwheel before placing them in the oven.
- For hot pinwheels, add hot sauce, sriracha, chopped jalapenos or chipotle peppers to the ground beef mixture.
- Sauce – you can replace the Thousand island dressing with mustard or any other sauce you like.
- Meat – ground beef can be substituted with ground sausage, ground pork, ground chicken, ground turkey or a mixture of ground meats.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure you can. However, they won’t taste as good as freshly-baked ones. To freeze, allow baked pinwheels to cool completely. Then place in a freezer-safe container or a plastic bag. Freeze for up to three months. Reheat directly from frozen by placing them on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 350°F/180°C.
What To Serve With
We love serving these roll ups on their own, but they are also great with salads and soups, such as this Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup.
These cheeseburger pinwheel sandwiches are a time saver. Serve them at your next party, and they will disappear even before you notice.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest! And check out the Big Mac Pinwheels Web story!
Big Mac Pinwheels
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef browned and drained
- 1 tablespoon minced dried onion
- 1 tablespoon dill relish
- 3 tablespoons thousand island dressing
- 12 slices american cheese
- 2 cans (8 ounce cans) crescent roll sheet dough
- Sesame seeds
- Thousand island dressing for dipping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.
- In a medium mixing bowl combine the cooked ground beef, dried minced onion, dill relish and thousand island dressing. Stir to combine. Taste the flavors of meat mixture and adjust accordingly.
- On a cutting board or piece of parchment paper unroll crescent sheets and roll out into a large rectangle.
- Place 6 slices of cheese on each crescent dough rectangle. You can also place the cheese on top of meat mixture if this is how you prefer it.
- Spread the meat mixture evenly on the 2 dough sheets, leaving a ¾ inch border.
- Starting at the shorter side, roll the crescent dough up.
- Slice the very ends off each roll. Then, slice the rolls into 6 pieces each.
- Place your slices on a parchment lined baking sheet (may need more than one baking sheet or cook in 2 batches).
- Sprinkle each pinwheel with sesame seeds.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Allow to rest 5 minutes. Serve with more Thousand island for dipping.
Notes
- Relish – you can use sweet relish if that is what you have on hand, but it will change the flavor up a bit. Dill relish will taste most like the original Big Mac.
- Dill pickles – feel free to chop up dill pickles if you like.
- Onion – You can use fresh onion and cook it with the ground beef but I like to use the minced dried as it is what McDonalds uses.
- Cheese – feel free to place the cheese on top of the meat mixture if you prefer it this way.
- Add more cheese – for extra cheeseness, you can add more or reduce the amount of cheese used in this recipe. You can also add a pinch of shredded cheese on top of each pinwheel before placing them in the oven.
- For hot pinwheels, add hot sauce, sriracha, chopped jalapenos or chipotle peppers to the ground beef mixture.
- Sauce – you can replace the Thousand island dressing with mustard or any other sauce you like.
- Meat – ground beef can be substituted with ground sausage, ground pork, ground chicken, ground turkey or a mixture of ground meats.
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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