This Stromboli is loaded with Italian meats, cheeses and vegetables, and all wrapped up in a crispy cheesy crust. Like a deluxe pizza, all rolled up like a burrito. Great for a busy weeknight when you use store bought pizza dough!
This is one of my Italian-inspired recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
Have you ever had stromboli? If you haven’t, you’re missing out! It’s like a pizza, but better.
Full of plenty of meats, cheeses and vegetables, and all rolled up in a crispy cheesy crust… what could be better?
I’ve had this stromboli recipe on the website for years, but I figured it was time for a facelift, and some updated information.
It’s one of our favorite meals because it tastes absolutely amazing, yet is surprisingly easy to make! It’s even great for a weeknight meal.
You can put anything in a stromboli that you’d put on a pizza, but for this recipe, I just couldn’t choose… I wanted allllll the toppings.
How to make deluxe stromboli?
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Cook sausage, onion and bell pepper. Drain the sausage and cook the the onion and pepper in the residual drippings left in the skillet.
- Roll dough. I like to aim for a rectangle-ish shape, about 10×15″.
- Spread sauce. A thin, even layer is good here. Too much sauce, and the stromboli could end up soggy.
- Add half the cheese, and all the sliced meats.
- Add cooked sausage, onion and pepper, and mushrooms.
- Top with other half of the cheese.
- Brush border with egg wash. Just an egg beaten with a splash of water.
- Roll up into a log.
- Top with spices and cheese. Then cut slits in the top of the dough to let steam escape.
- Bake.
Helpful Tip!
When you’re rolling the dough out into a rectangle shape, first, don’t be too worried if it’s not a perfect rectangle… mine never are! Secondly, if the dough keeps springing back a lot, and not staying in place as you roll, just let it sit there for 10 minutes or so. This relaxes the dough and it should be more manageable after that.
Variations of this recipe
- Pizza dough – any type of pizza dough will work for this recipe, but we prefer to use the frozen balls of dough (usually in 1 lb sizes) in the freezer section.
- Toppings – the toppings here are completely up to you. Anything you’d like on a pizza, you can put in stromboli! My kids love ham, bacon, and pineapple.
- Sauce – my homemade pizza sauce is great in this recipe, but feel free to use any sauce you’d like. You could even switch it up and use bbq sauce for a bbq chicken stromboli, alfredo sauce, etc. The sky is the limit!
- Cheese-less crust – you can omit the Parmesan on the top of the stromboli if you’d like, there’s plenty of cheese inside. Or be extra decadent and brush the crust with a garlic butter before baking!
FAQ’s
They have very similar components, but a calzone is folded. Sort of like if you made a pizza, then folded one half over the other, making a half moon shape. Stromboli is rolled up like a burrito or cinnamon roll.
You can put anything in a stromboli that you want, but traditionally you have pizza dough, pizza sauce, some variety of Italian meat, and cheese.
Absolutely! I’m currently working on a perfect homemade pizza dough recipe, but if you have one that you love, feel free to use it 🙂
Making stromboli ahead of time
Stromboli can be prepared up to a day ahead of time, then wrapped tightly in foil or plastic wrap.
Let the stromboli sit out at room temperature for 20 minutes or so, then bake as directed.
You can also do a lot of the prep ahead of time as well, which is another way to shorten your cooking time.
- Cook sausage, drain, cool, then keep refrigerated.
- Cook pepper and onion, cool, then keep refrigerated.
- If you’re making homemade pizza sauce, make it and keep it refrigerated.
Storage
Leftover stromboli should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eaten within 4-5 days.
My Favorite Baking Sheets!
These half sheet pan is the perfect size for making this stromboli. I’ve had multiple of these baking sheets for years and they hold up so well!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 1/4 pound Mild Italian sausage (hot can also be used)
- 1/2 green bell pepper sliced into roughly 1 inch long pieces
- 1/2 yellow onion sliced into roughly 1 inch long pieces
- 1 lb. frozen pizza dough thawed
- 1/2 cup pizza sauce
- 1 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 10 large slices pepperoni
- 6 slices Genoa salami
- 6 slices hot capicola ham
- 4 oz very thinly sliced mushrooms uncooked
- 1/4 cup sliced green olives
- pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 egg + splash of water beaten
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp dried Italian seasoning
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
Cook toppings
- In a skillet over MED HIGH heat, add a small drizzle of olive oil and brown Italian sausage, then drain and set aside. In the leftover drippings in the skillet, cook green bell pepper and onion slices. Cook about 3 minutes, then set aside.
Assemble stromboli
- Roll pizza dough out into a large rectangle, roughly 10×15".
- Spread pizza sauce evenly over the dough, leaving a 1.5” border along all the edges.
- Top with half the mozzarella and half the Parmesan, pepperoni slices, salami slices, capicola slices, mushrooms, cooked Italian sausage, cooked onion and green pepper, and green olives.
- Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
Egg wash
- Combine egg and splash of water, beating until combined. Brush a bit of the egg wash over the un-sauced border of the dough.
Roll up stromboli
- Starting with a long edge of the stromboli, roll up into a log shape, pinching in the sides as you roll, so you have a long log, approximately 15 inches long. If the dough is too sticky, dust your hands with flour.
Bake
- Carefully transfer stromboli to prepared baking sheet and brush the entire top of the stromboli with the rest of the beaten egg. Sprinkle the top with 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning, and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
- Using a sharp knife make a couple of roughly 2 inch long diagonal slits in the top of the stromboli, then bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until center of the stromboli is at least 200°F with an instant read thermometer.
- Let rest for 5-10 minutes, then slice and serve with additional pizza or marinara sauce if desired.
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Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
carol J boehm says
I retract my previous comment. An Italian woman told me that the Stromboli uses Ricotta Cheese but she had it opposite. The recipe is spot on. Apologies!
Rufus says
Just amazing!
Patsy says
This is going to be dinner tomorrow. How is the best way to reheat it?
The Chunky Chef says
I would recommend reheating in the oven, so the outside will stay nice and crispy. Go for 350°F until hot and crispy 🙂
Eileen says
I made this tonight, we loved it! Friday night is usually pizza night at our house but we mixed it up tonight! I used a frozen dough and this was fantastic! Thank you!
Janet says
I can’t wait to try mine, I used thin slices of Black Forest ham, thin slices of salami, pepperoni, onions, garlic mushrooms sautéed together, sauce, cheddar and meunster cheese grated rolled it up wa lah,
I can’t wait to try a slice of it.
Thank you for sharing your recipe.
I sent it to my granddaughter would be an easy fix for dinner.💚🌻
Janet says
Oh my goodness it was delicious
Thank you thank you bon appetit💚🥰
Jean says
Could I use frozen bread dough? My grocery store doesn’t have pizza dough
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t used frozen bread dough for this recipe, so I can’t say for certain how well that would work. If you do some experimenting, I’d love to know how it turns out 🙂
Earlene Jones says
This is sooo good and I ised Aldi”s frozen pizza dough!! Thanks for the recipe!!
KALEIGH HAFFKE says
This was delicious, will be making it again!
Mike says
This is now a favorite at my table! Packed with complex flavor. It is so good and delicious! Thank you Chef!
Thomas Kotalik says
I don’t normally eat meat of any kind. But there comes a time I fall off the wagon. When I do it has to be something that is absolutely interesting and delicious. This is my first time making and I fell in love. It has all the flavors of life. Super happy that I came across this recipe totally better than a pizza (mine is veggies only) Stromboli is a total game changer and will be on the regular menu Thanks
Sandra says
It is packed full of amazing flavor! I will definitely make it again!
Krystle says
Heaven on a plate! My pizza shop is going to be missing my weekly stromboli order.
Toni says
This has been a favorite at my house! It is so good and delicious!