Appetizers • Cheese • Italian • Main Dishes • Pork • Recipes

Stromboli Recipe

LifeMadeSimpleTeam
Published on March 26, 2020 / Last updated on April 25, 2022

This pepperoni, ham and ricotta Stromboli is easy and delicious! It’s perfect for a quick dinner or a game day appetizer.

This recipe is so easy, it’s perfect for busy weeknights, lazy weekends or game day parties. Serve it with a bowl of marinara and watch it disappear in seconds! Try these other pizza wins: BEST Homemade Pizza, Hawaiian BBQ Pizza, and 5 Ingredient Pizza Bagel Bites.

What is Stromboli?

My family LOVES pizza! We make it a few times a month and we never get tired of it. Sometimes we get creative and make pizza pinwheels, calzones, bagel bites or Stromboli.

What is Stromboli? Stromboli is a type of turnover that is filled with cheese and Italian cold cuts. It is either made with pizza dough or Italian bread dough.

What is the difference between a Stromboli and a Calzone? Stromboli is made with square pizza dough that have fillings and are then rolled into logs and cut. Calzones are made with circle pieces of dough which have fillings added on top and are then folded in half and sealed shut.

How to Make Stromboli

To start, you’ll need 2 balls of pizza dough (you can use homemade or store-bought). Roll it out into a long, narrow rectangle.

Spread the sauce over the top, leaving an inch or so around the edges without any sauce. Top with part-skim ricotta, parmesan cheese, grated mozzarella, deli ham, and pepperoni (I used HORMEL® Pepperoni – Original, it’s the #1 selling brand of pepperoni in America).

TIP If you’re like me, and you’re picky about the filling and the crust, I’d highly suggest popping the pepperoni onto a paper towel lined plate and microwaving it for 25 seconds on high. This will release a lot of the excess grease. Grab another paper towel and dab it off.

Roll it up like you would cinnamon rolls, then tuck the ends under. Pinch the edge to seal the dough (you may need to grab some warm water to help with that).

Transfer to a lined baking sheet and then brush with egg wash. Using a knife, cut slits into the top to vent steam.

Bake at 475 degrees until golden brown (14-18 minutes).

Continued…

The cheese will start to ooze out of the slits, that’s totally fine!

Immediately brush the top with olive oil. Sprinkle it with lots of Parmesan cheese and a pinch or two of parsley.

Cool for 10 minutes before slicing it up.

Serve it as-is or with a big bowl of marinara

Topping/Filling Variations

Hawaiian pizza- pineapple and ham
BBQ chicken- BBQ chicken and onions
Chicken Alfredo- grilled chicken and white sauce

Storing + What to Serve With It

STORE Stromboli in the fridge because of the cheese.

REHEAT either in the oven on a cookie sheet or in the microwave. You might want to cover the Stromboli in the microwave so that sauce doesn’t splash up and make a mess.

You can FREEZE unbaked Stromboli and then let it thaw overnight before baking. Or you can par-bake it and then bake it straight from the freezer when you’re ready to eat it.

Make ahead of time. You can roll out your dough, fill it, roll up your Stromboli and then leave it in the fridge for the day. Then you’re ready to bake it later that night. So if you have some time in the morning but not in the evening then you can prep everything in the morning and make the evening a little easier.

What goes well with it? This is a classic Italian dish, so you can pair it with our

This pepperoni, ham and ricotta Stromboli has quickly become a family favorite. Everyone is obsessed! It has so much flavor and zest thanks to the pepperoni, a bit of creaminess from the ricotta, and some sweetness form the ham. It was a winning combo! Our family can’t get enough of this Stromboli. I know you guys will love it too!