THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY
DeLallo, who I’m so excited to partner with & share with you throughout 2022. DeLallo is my favorite one-stop shop for Italian staples, including the best stromboli or pizza night shortcut! All thoughts & opinions are my own.
Homemade Stromboli, Made Easy!
For me, stromboli is super nostalgic – it’s something that both of the moms in my life love to make! My Mom made it for pretty much every Packers game day throughout my childhood & Chris’ Mom often makes it for big family celebrations. It is a pretty Mom-savvy snack – it feeds a crowd with little effort & low cost! – but it’s also something that Chris & I are always happy to enjoy. 😋
That’s exactly why I couldn’t be more excited to finally share a stromboli recipe here on PWWB! There’s really nothing better than a platter of cheesy slices layered with all kinds of different fillings. (Except, maybe the mouthwatering aroma of freshly baked stromboli coming out of the oven – absolutely heavenly!)
It’s designed as an easy base recipe that you can use to make just about any kind of stromboli. We’ve focused on simplifying dough prep as much as possible & cracking the perfect golden ratio of sauce, fillings, & cheese to make a totally flawless stromboli no matter what you decide to stuff it with! You can easily adjust this base recipe by using different combinations of fillings to create an endless number of homemade strombolis. (We’ve even included 15 stromboli recipe ideas to get you started!) The result is always warm & gooey, golden-brown, & totally satisfying – just like Mom’s! 🥰
Stromboli Recipe Highlights
Once you start making homemade stromboli, you’ll make it again & again. It’s…
- SUPER EASY. Skip the fuss of prepping from dough from scratch! Use your favorite store-bought pizza dough for quick & easy strombolis – simply layer the fillings on the dough, roll, bake, & enjoy.
- PERFECT EVERY TIME. We’ve tested this recipe over & over until we cracked the golden ratio of sauce & fillings for a hearty yet balanced stromboli. Absolutely flawless, every single time!
- ENDLESSLY VERSATILE. Stuff them with your favorite sauces, meats, & cheeses for an infinite number of possibilities. We’ve included 15+ ideas to get you started below!
There is nothing better than freshly baked stromboli – Mom knows best! ♡ Read on to learn more about How to Make Stromboli, or jump straight to the recipe & get cooking!
What is Stromboli?
If stromboli is new to you then today is your lucky day! An Italian-American creation that originated in Philadelphia, stromboli is made by rolling sauce, sliced deli meat, cheese, & other fillings in pizza dough. When you slice into it, a beautiful spiral with fillings tucked inside each layer is revealed. It’s totally irresistible & it’s the perfect snack to feed a crowd.
What’s the difference between stromboli and calzone? ⇢ Both a calzone & stromboli are inspired by pizza ingredients but there are a few key differences in their preparation. Calzones are a popular Italian street food made by folding the dough in half & sealing the edges, kind of like a hand pie or pasty. Stromboli originated in the United States & uses a rolling technique to seal the fillings in the dough before baking & slicing. Both are, of course, delicious – but stromboli really holds a special place in my heart!
For Quick & Simple Stromboli, Use Your Favorite Fresh Pizza Dough!
While you can definitely make your own pizza dough for homemade stromboli, using a prepared dough is just as delicious & saves a ton of time. Do whatever works best for you! You can make this recipe using dough that’s homemade, store-bought, or purchased from your favorite neighborhood pizzeria.
Full Recipe Directions, including step-by-step photos, are included in the Recipe Card, below.
My favorite pizza dough comes from the DeLallo Pizza Dough Kit. It’s truly the only pizza dough I use at my house – it trumps my many attempts at making pizza dough from scratch! We use it all the time for grilled pizza night, cast iron skillet pizza, wood-fired pizzas, & of course – strombolis!
Why the DeLallo pizza dough kit is the best, bar none. ⇢ This easy-to-use pizza dough kit consists of a carefully crafted flour mixture made with finely ground Type 00 Italian flour. 00 flour gives pizza dough amazing elasticity that’s both light & chewy all at once. It’s totally restaurant-quality & SO simple to make! All you have to do is add some warm water & salt, knead the dough, & set it aside to rise. Seriously easy, with perfect results every time!
Meal Prep Tip!
If you’re making your own pizza dough, feel free to get things prepped ahead of time. Once risen, you can store stromboli dough in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to use the dough, give it a few minutes to warm up to room temperature & it’s ready to roll!
Refer to the Recipe Notes, below, for more make-ahead dough guidance.
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Buy Now → How to Make Stromboli, Plus Some Rolling Tips!
Once the stromboli dough is prepared, all you have to do is assemble – pretty easy! To build, simply gather your favorite sauces, shredded cheeses, thinly sliced deli meats, & any other thinly sliced add-ins you like, such as onions or leafy greens. (We’ve included plenty of inspiration below to get you started!)
PWWB’s Stromboli Filling Golden Ratio.
To create an endlessly versatile base homemade stromboli recipe, we tweaked & tested until we nailed a golden ratio that creates a perfect balance of stromboli fillings, no matter what types you decide to use.
For perfectly cheesy strombolis that are hearty but not over-filled, aim to use 3 tablespoons of sauce, 2 cups shredded cheese, 8 ounces thinly sliced deli meat, & up to 4 ounces of thinly sliced add-ins.
Full Recipe Directions, including step-by-step photos, are included in the Recipe Card, below.
Stromboli Assembly.
Prepare the stromboli dough. Press the risen dough flat & roll it into a large rectangle, roughly 10×14 inches. Tip! ⇢ If it gets a little stubborn & hard to work with as you roll, the glutens in the dough just need a second to relax! Cover with a kitchen towel & let it hang out for a few minutes – it’ll be much easier to work with after a quick 5-minute rest.
Sauce. Brush your choice sauce over the surface of the dough. Tip! ⇢ Be sure to leave a 1-inch border on 3 sides of the dough (both of the short sides & one of the long sides). The other long side should have a slightly wider, about 3 inches, which helps seal the stromboli once you fold it.
Fillings. Here’s where the fun of building stromboli layers begins! Sprinkle half of the cheese across the surface of the dough, then arrange the thinly sliced deli meats on top, & finish with a last sprinkling of the remaining cheese. If you’d like, you can also arrange one last layer of add-ins, like thinly sliced veggies or greens, over top.
How to fold a stromboli. Brush a simple egg wash over the exposed edges of the dough to help ensure the stromboli seals well & doesn’t burst open as it bakes. To fold, tuck the short sides towards the center, then fold the long side with the thinner border towards the side with the wider border. Tip! ⇢ Aim to fold the stromboli twice, creating 3 layers.
Bake. Once assembled, carefully transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the tops with egg wash for a golden finish, then pop in the oven. Tip! ⇢ Be sure to rest the baked strombolis a few minutes before slicing & serving!
Epic Stromboli Filling Ideas
What I love about this recipe for stromboli is it’s incredibly versatile by design. You can make a million different varieties by simply changing up the sauce, cheese, meats, & fillings. Feel free to use whatever creative combinations of ingredients you love most & have fun with it! Remember…
Less is more! It’s tempting to load on tons of toppings, but try to avoid going overboard here. Excess sauce, cheese, & toppings weigh down the dough, which causes all sorts of problems like sogginess, uncooked fillings, or burst stromboli.
Don’t forget the PWWB Golden Ratio! ⇢ Remember, you just need 3 tablespoons of sauce, 2 cups cheese, 8 ounces deli meat, 4 ounces of thinly sliced add-ins for perfect results every time!
Some of our favorite homemade stromboli fillings to get you started…
- Traditional pizza stromboli – Pizza sauce + mozzarella + parmesan + pepperoni + sausage crumbles + Italian seasoning
- Pizza stromboli 2.0 – Garlic butter + mozzarella & provolone cheese + pepperoni & salami + chopped olives + Italian seasoning
- Classic Italian meat stromboli – Assorted Italian meats + provolone + mozzarella + pizza sauce + fresh basil & parsley
- Philly cheesesteak stromboli – Sliced roast beef + provolone cheese + thinly sliced onion & bell pepper
- Spinach stromboli – Fresh spinach + pesto + chopped olives + mozzarella + Italian seasoning
- Ham & cheese stromboli – Thinly sliced deli ham + swiss cheese with a side of honey mustard for dipping
- Chicken bacon ranch stromboli – Sliced chicken breast + chopped bacon + ranch dressing + shredded cheddar
- Spicy Arrabbiata – Arrabbiata sauce + spinach + sausage crumbles + mozzarella cheese
- The Hawaiian – Sweet chili sauce + swiss & gruyère cheese + deli ham + drained pineapple + flaky salt
- Chicken alla Vodka – Sliced chicken breast + vodka sauce + mozzarella cheese + fresh basil leaves
- BBQ pork stromboli – BBQ sauce + cheddar cheese + leftover BBQ pork + thinly sliced red onion
- The Big Beef – Dijon mustard + mozzarella & asiago cheese + sliced roast beef + thinly sliced onions & green pepper + black pepper
- Salty Sweet – Fig spread + goat cheese + caramelized onions + arugula
- Buffalo chicken stromboli – Buffalo sauce + blue cheese + sliced chicken breast + thinly sliced red onion
- Turkey Florentine stromboli – Pesto + smoked Gouda & mozzarella + sliced turkey + fresh spinach + fresh parsley
Stromboli Recipe FAQs
Where did stromboli originate?
Stromboli originated in an Italian neighborhood of Philadelphia. In the 1950s, a local restaurant owner started selling rolled-up pizza dough filled with sauce, ham, cheese, & peppers. The first stromboli recipe was born!
Is stromboli just rolled up pizza?
I think that’s definitely an over-simplification, but kinda!? Stromboli uses similar ingredients as pizza like sauce, cheese, & dough. You can play with the fillings the same way you can create all different kinds of pizza. But stromboli is also SO much more – it’s a shareable superstar, great for dipping, & it’s always so comforting & satisfying.
Stromboli vs. calzone – what’s the difference?
The biggest difference between stromboli and calzone is appearance. A calzone is folded in half & crimped on the edges while a stromboli is rolled. A calzone is also almost always made with ricotta cheese, while stromboli uses more low-moisture cheeses like mozzarella. Calzones also rarely have tomato sauce inside the dough & are instead dipped in sauce.
How do you fold a stromboli?
Kind of like a burrito! Tuck the short edges of the dough & then roll from one long edge to the opposite edge, keeping everything as tight as possible as you roll. Check the Recipe Card, below, for step-by-step photos.
What’s typically in a stromboli?
A traditional recipe for stromboli often uses sauce, cheese & thinly sliced deli meat. You can also add in other thinly sliced ingredients like veggies if you’d like. See above for tons of stromboli filling ideas!
I can’t wait for you to try this Stromboli recipe! It’s a longtime favorite at my house, & it’s always a hit – I know you’ll love it just as much as we do!
If you do give it a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. I LOVE hearing about & seeing your PWWB creations! ♡ Happy cooking!
More Recipes Like This:
Italian-American Classics
Stromboli
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Dough Rising: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 2 large stromboli, feeds 8-10 1x
- Category: Pizza Recipes, Main Dishes
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian, American
Description
At my house, stromboli is the most nostalgic snack – my Mom always served homemade stromboli for game days & family gatherings! Not only is it deliciously cheesy, it’s also low effort, low cost, & super sharable – things I especially appreciate when I’m feeding a crowd. Needless to say, if stromboli is new to you, you’re in for quite the treat!
You’ll notice this recipe is very loose by design – it’s meant to be a base recipe that you can customize to create strombolis that suit your cravings & preferences. Just follow the PWWB Golden Ratio of fillings in the Recipe Notes, below, but feel free to get creative & have fun with it. (If you need some inspiration to get started, check out the blog post, above – I’ve detailed 15 stromboli filling combinations that are always a hit at our house.)
Regardless of what fillings you choose to stuff inside your stromboli, I highly recommend using the DeLallo Pizza Dough Kit for your dough. It’s truly the only pizza dough I use – it even trumps my many attempts at homemade pizza dough! – because it’s made with a special blend of Type 00 Italian flour, which yields dough that’s both light & chewy all at once. All you have to do is add some warm water & salt, knead the dough, & set it aside to rise – so easy! Check the Recipe Notes, below, for more prep notes & make-ahead tips.
Ingredients
- 1 (one) 17.6-ounce DeLallo Pizza Dough Kit (yields 2 large stromboli)
- kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cups warm water
- stromboli filling (below)
- egg wash: 1 large egg, whisked with 1 tablespoon water
- optional topping: choice of Italian seasoning, ground black pepper, garlic salt, chopped fresh parsley, &/or grated parmesan, etc.
- for serving, as desired: warmed sauce of choice for dipping, grated parmesan, chopped fresh parsley, etc.
stromboli filling (per stromboli, double for 2 stromboli):
- 3 tablespoons sauce of choice
- 2 cups shredded cheese of choice, divided
- 8 ounces thin sliced deli meats of choice
- up to 4 ounces thinly sliced add-ins of choice, divided (see Recipe Notes)
Instructions
- Prepare the pizza dough kit: At least 1 hour before you’d like to start assembling stromboli, prepare the DeLallo Pizza Dough Kit according to package directions: combine the kit contents in a large bowl, seasoning with a pinch of salt. Add in the warm water, stirring until the dough begins to come together. The mixture will be very shaggy & wet. Turn it out on to a lightly floured surface. Knead until the dough comes together in a soft & smooth ball, 2-3 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased mixing bowl. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel & set it in a warm place in your kitchen to rise until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven: When the dough is risen & you are ready to begin baking the stromboli, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, ensuring a rack is positioned in the bottom third of the oven.
- Prepare the stromboli dough: Using a knife or a bench scraper, divide the dough into 2 equal pieces (each approx. 12-15 ounces). Place one half of the dough on a lightly floured surface, sprinkling a little flour over the dough to prevent sticking. Use your fingers to press the dough flat & spread it out slightly, then use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 10×14-inch rectangle. Repeat with second portion to create 2 strombolis. See Recipe Notes, below, for tips for rolling out stromboli dough & make-ahead/storage guidance.
- Assemble the stromboli: Brush 3 tablespoons of your sauce of choice over one of the prepared stromboli doughs, leaving a 1-inch border along the other long side & both short sides & a slightly wider border along one long side (aim for 2-3 inches, doing so helps with rolling the stromboli). Sprinkle 1 cup shredded cheese over top the sauce. Layer 8 ounces meat of choice on top of the cheese & sprinkle 1 cup shredded cheese over the meats. If desired, add on one last layer of up to 4 ounces add-ons of choice.
- Fold the stromboli: Brush exposed edges around the toppings with egg wash. Fold the two short sides towards the center of the stromboli. Beginning with the long side with the 1-inch border, carefully fold the stromboli towards the opposite side with the wider 2-3 inch border. Aim to fold the stromboli twice, the short sides should stay tucked in as you go. Carefully transfer the stromboli to parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Brush a light coating of egg wash over the entire surface of the stromboli. Use a paring knife to cut 4 small slits along the top of the stromboli to allow steam to escape as it bakes. Sprinkle optional toppings over top. Repeat Steps 4-5 with the second stromboli.
- Bake the stromboli: Transfer the stromboli to the oven & bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
- Slice & serve: Allow stromboli to rest 5 minutes before slicing into 1 1/2-inch cross sections. Serve warm with additional sauce for dipping as desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- PWWB’s Stromboli Golden Ratio: For a 12-inch stromboli, aim to fill it with 3 tablespoons sauce of choice, 2 cups shredded cheese, 8 ounces thinly sliced deli meats, & up to 4 ounces thinly sliced add-ins of choice (e.g. bell peppers, onions, leafy greens, etc.). You may want to use briney or salty add-ins (e.g. olives, pickled peppers) a little more sparingly to prevent the stromboli from getting too salty. Refer to the blog post, above, for some suggested stromboli filling combinations!
- Stromboli dough tips & tricks for success:
- Stubborn dough: If at any point the stromboli dough gets stubborn, shrinking back or resisting rolling, cover it with a kitchen towel & let it rest for a few minutes – doing so lets the glutens in the dough relax & makes the dough much easier to work with!
- Make-ahead stromboli dough: You can prep fresh stromboli dough up to 3 days in advance. Divide the dough into individual dough balls according to Step 3 of Recipe Directions, above. Rather than proofing & rolling out the dough immediately, transfer to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To use, let the dough balls come up to room temperature & proof for about 30 minutes before rolling out the dough.
- Storage & Reheating: Leftover stromboli will keep, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days. Enjoy leftovers cold or reheat in the microwave until warmed through.
Recipe by Jess Larson, Plays Well With Butter | Photography by KJ & Company, Kate Poskochil
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I knew your recipes would be great by the name of your website!
Haha, thanks Melinda! Welcome to PWWB!