This stromboli is easy, delicious and the perfect party appetizer or meal! We showcase our stromboli stuffed with sausage, broccoli and cheese, however, the possibilities are endless. Think about your favorite combination of pizza toppings and try putting them in a stromboli. It’s sure to be a huge crowd-pleaser!
Many who are not from the northeast may ask, what is a Stromboli?
The Stromboli is a variation of pizza. In our home we always called it a pizza roll. If you took a pizza and rolled it up to look like a loaf of Italian bread, you have a pizza roll, stuffed pizza or a Stromboli. Just like the toppings on a pizza, the filling for a pizza roll are virtually endless. They can be stuffed with all different types of meats. Think salami, ham and pepperoni. You like chicken, fill it with chicken parm, marsala, buffalo, barbecue or chicken and broccoli. Our family favorite was pizza roll filled with sausage and broccoli or spinach. Sausage and peppers and broccoli rabe with sausage were also favorites.
What is the difference between a Calzone and Stromboli?
The pizza roll is often confused with the calzone. The difference is calzone is filled with ricotta cheese and is not rolled. The calzone is stuffed and sealed whereas the pizza roll is rolled like a log. The calzone is sort of like a stuffed pocket. The Stromboli is like a loaf of stuffed bread filled with delishishness.
What are the origins of the Stromboli?
As the dish shares the name of a small island off the coast of Sicily, many would consider this an Italian creation. That assumption is incorrect. It’s origins appear to trace back to a pizzeria in Philadelphia in the 1950’s operated by Italian-Americans.
Unbeknown to her, my mom made a pizza roll that was one of our favorite Friday night meals. Her specialty was a pizza roll stuffed with cauliflower, breadcrumb, loads of garlic and anchovy. Our kids also grew up loving the pizza roll. Every birthday we would let our kids pick the menu for their family party. Pizza roll stuffed with broccoli and sausage was always on the menu. There were never leftovers.
How to make a Stromboli
The most important ingredient of the pizza roll is the dough. If it doesn’t spread well it will be very difficult to fill and roll. We suggest our pizza dough recipe for good results. You can have your dough complete in 90 minutes with our recipe. If you have a good pizzeria you can buy the dough from them. We do not recommend using frozen or store bought dough.
You will get a terrific result with our 90 minute dough recipe. Recently, we learned a trick to improve our pizza dough to an extra level. However, this will require additional time. The bread machine is terrific in getting a really good product ready in 90 minutes but there is no substitute for time when it comes to yeast.
The trick we learned is that the most important factor in getting a good texture to your dough is allowing the yeast to ferment longer and rise properly. This means allowing the dough to rise in a moist environment slightly above room temperature. To keep a moist environment cover the dough with a cover. A towel will not suffice. Allow to rise for a few hours and at least double in size.
We recommend making the dough the day before, refrigerate overnight and let rise the next day at around 75 degrees. We do not have enough space in this blog to do this topic justice so we will provide this link for those interested in additional detail. You will get a product that is much easier to work with and a final product with improved texture and flavor. If you don’t have the time or did not make the dough the day before stick with our 90 minute dough and enjoy a great product. We only recently began using the overnight version and often times use the 90 minute version when time is a factor.
Optional filling when making a Stromboli
You can vary filling from our recipe below. Create any combination for a filling, limited only by your imagination. Broccoli, spinach, broccoli rabe and cauliflower are some vegetables that can work for a filling. Sausage, chicken and Italian smoked meats such as salami, pepperoni, ham capicola are fantastic meat fillings. The filling must be made ahead of time so it has time to cool before you attempt to stuff and roll the dough. Using a hot or warm filling will result in failure.
The cheese you select is once again only limited by your imagination. The Pecorino Romano and mozzarella used in our recipe are traditional. Provolone, manchego and pepper jack are examples of other cheeses that work well. Smoked Gouda with a barbecue or buffalo chicken is amazing. The variations are endless and are prime candidates for future content.
The pizza roll or Stromboli is a treat that everyone will love. Over the years it has become a staple for birthdays, football Sundays, family parties, barbecues or pot luck nights with friends. It’s relatively easy to make, delicious and feeds a lot of people. We are confidant stromboli will find its way into our readers special meals. Please rate the recipe after you try it, let us know what you stuffed your Stromboli with and what are your favorite fillings. Enjoy!
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Stromboli
6
servings25
minutes45
minutesStromboli is a pizza roll up into a loaf with your favorite toppings as the filling.
Ingredients
1 Small Onion chopped
5 Cloves Garlic minced
1 Lb Pizza dough
5 Cups Broccoli florets
2 Links turkey sausage sliced (see notes)
1 Tbs Basil
1 Tbs Oregano
1 tsp Salt and pepper
2 Tbs Pecorino Romano
1 16 oz Pkg mozzarella cheese. You can slice or buy shredded mozzarella cheese
1 Egg Beaten
Sesame seeds for topping (optional)
Marinara sauce for dipping (optional) see notes
Directions
- Place pizza dough in a bowl. Let the dough rise and come to room temperature before handling.
- While dough is rising, bring about 1 inch of water to a boil in a large skillet. Add broccoli florets and steam for 4 minutes. Drain water and remove broccoli. Set aside.
- In the same skillet, drizzle some olive oil on medium high and brown the sliced sausage. Remove and set aside.
- Drizzle olive oil to skillet, add onions and garlic and sauté until garlic is fragrant and onion is translucent.
- Add the sausage and broccoli back to the skillet and combine. Season with basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Let cool before adding to dough as the dough will get too soft and tear easily.
- Preheat oven to 425. Grease a pizza or sheet pan with oil.
- Lightly flour your surface and spread dough out into a rectangular shape approximately 15 x 11 inches.
- Arrange the the sausage and broccoli on top leaving about an inch around all edges. Sprinkle with 2 Tbs Pecorino Romano. Layer mozzarella cheese next. Sprinkle with some oregano.
- Carefully begin to roll starting with the longest side closest to you. Roll and tuck. Keep seam side down at the end of rolling and pinch ends closed.
- Place roll, seam side down onto sprayed pizza or sheet pan. Make a few small slices on top. Brush top with beaten egg and top with sesame seeds if using.
- Place in oven and bake for 45 minutes. If you want a little more browning and crunch, place under the broiler for a minute or two. Watch closely, as you don’t want it to burn. Remove and let cool slightly before slicing. Enjoy with a side of marinara sauce for dipping.
Notes
- You can use turkey, chicken or Italian sausage in this recipe.
- you can substitute your favorite cheese into this recipe.
- To make a basic marinara, simmer small onion, 1 clove garlic, 1 tsp basil, 15 oz can tomato sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer 15-30 minutes.
- This recipe does not include prep time for dough as this depends on whether it is store-bought or homemade.
- As Amazon associates we may earn for qualifying purchases.
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