Rainbow Veggie Pinwheels: a weeknight method

Veggie pinwheels on a board filled with bell peppers, carrots, cabbage and spinach.

These veggie pinwheels are a rainbow of colorful fresh veggies with ranch flavored cream cheese, all rolled up inside a spinach tortilla wrap. The reliable back to school lunch!

Rainbow veggie pinwheels are straightforward finger foods for families on the go and are reliable for home, school, or work lunches. Sometimes when I want a lunch that is straightforward to eat anywhere I make these veggie pinwheels with some kitchen-made chex mix or some chips and a little container of this dill dip.

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Veggie pinwheels on a board filled with bell peppers, carrots, cabbage and spinach.

Where has the summer gone? It feels like June was just yesterday and now today is our first day back at school! Along with the new school year comes the need for healthy and straightforward back-to-school lunch options. Turkey sandwiches can get kind of boring, which is why I have been working on some more creative ideas like these rainbow veggie pinwheels!

How Do You Make Rainbow Veggie Pinwheels?

Let’s talk about how to make rainbow veggie pinwheels. I took a large tortilla, added a layer of ranch spread and then layered on a rainbow of thinly sliced veggies. I used red bell peppers, carrots, yellow bell peppers, spinach and shredded purple cabbage, but you could swap out for other colorful veggies if you prefer. Other great options would be broccoli, green beans, orange bell pepper, thinly sliced zucchini or yellow squash, or cucumber.

A spinach tortilla with layers of rainbow colored veggies.

Pretty right? You want to keep the veggie layers thin so that the pinwheels will hold together. The tortilla gets rolled up tightly and then sliced into pinwheels. My girls were thrilled with these, one of them said they reminded her of a veggie sushi! I used my kitchen-made ranch dip powder for the spread but store bought ranch powder will work fine too. It works finest to cut the vegetables into long strips; if you cut them small they’ll be more likely to fall out of the pinwheels. You can add a little shredded chicken or sliced deli turkey for extra protein if you prefer, but that’s totally optional and honestly I think these veggie pinwheels are pretty reliable as is.

I’ve included a video that shows you just how unfussy it is to make the rainbow veggie pinwheels. Enjoy!

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Veggie Pinwheels Video

Add as Google preferred source Authorthe Makdob kitchen Veggie pinwheels on a board filled with bell peppers, carrots, cabbage and spinach.

A rainbow of veggies and chicken are combined with ranch spread on a rolled tortilla to make healthy and tasty pinwheel sandwiches. Time Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time25 minutes

Course Appetizer, Lunch
Cuisine American
Serves 4 servings

Ingredients

4 large tortillas
2/3 cup whipped cream cheese (can use light)
1 tablespoon dry ranch powder (you can also use store bought)
1/2 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper strips
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrot strips
1/2 cup thinly sliced yellow bell pepper strips
1/2 cup baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup shredded purple cabbage
1 cup cooked shredded chicken (optional)

Instructions

Mix together the cream cheese and ranch powder until thoroughly combined.
Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the 4 tortillas.
Leaving a 1 inch border on all sides, lay out 2 tablespoons of each vegetable in rows across the tortillas; top with shredded chicken.
Roll up each tortilla tightly; if the ends don't stay shut you can add a bit more cream cheese to seal. Cut crosswise into pinwheels and serve.

Notes

Make Ahead: The pinwheels can be made the day before you plan to serve them.
Little Helpers: The kids can actually make these themselves with your supervision, just give them a spoon or spatula to spread the cream cheese instead of a knife.