This post is about the many versions from different Regions in Italy and there are several traditional family recipes all delicious and a little different in fillings.
Italian sausage roll is usually served in most Italian households during a holiday as an appetizer, we love it so much we make this as a meal and add an antipasto salad for a wonderful light dinner.
There are so many styles of stuffed pizza dough so many options to add and adapt the pizza dough, again feel free to adapt the basic recipe to how your family was taught and the ingredients.
If you like hot sausage, sweet or herb-flavored all of them will be fine to substitute mostly everyone in our family likes a mild sausage in our rolls.
There are also other meat suggestions in this recipe you can use however once you start adding things it is more a stromboli stuffed dough and not an authentic sausage roll.
The basic filling again depends on Region in Italy, use loose sausage, grated cheese, and mozzarella cheese all stuffed in pizza dough, Mom's Region, and added egg.
Mom's version with the addition of boiled egg and raw egg to sausage has always been her specialty roll (taught by her mom from Bari Italy).
If you would like an eggless version, there are many suggestions below to adapt the recipe with or without egg and make this plain and simple.
We also always use homemade pizza dough and make many other versions like broccoli rabe and sausage roll a family favorite.
Scroll down to the printable recipe card and to avoid ads hit print for a quicker view.
Basic Sausage Roll Combinations
- sausage rolls with sausage, grated cheese, mozzarella cheese, chopped boiled eggs and raw eggs, pizza dough
- sausage, mozzarella, and raw eggs, pizza dough
- sausage, grated cheese, mozzarella cheese slices, and pizza dough
- sausage, hot peppers, grated cheese, sliced black olives, pepperoni, and pizza dough. Anything can go into these rolls
- Optional: all rolls can be brushed with egg wash before baking, sprinkled with dry herbs and granulated garlic powder on top
The recipe is written with several mix-in additions which is more of Stromboli when adding the extra options just to clarify the differences.
The original recipes will be just the sausage roll and you can adapt and make any additions to the mixture your family likes.
Every Region makes sausage rolls a little differently some have no eggs with the sausage and just cheese and sausage, Mom from the Region of Bari, Italy, always adds boiled egg and 1 raw egg to her mixture.
Tips
- For a sausage and cheese filling, add 1 cup more shredded cheese( preferably provolone mixed with mozzarella)
- Always keep the dough at least 1/2 inch in thickness so the filling won't poke through the dough
- Never use a hot filling the dough will rip all fillings must be cool
- Substitute any meats you like with the suggestions below
- This roll can be made for all vegetarian
- Frozen bread dough is not recommended it has too much moisture in it
- Bake until the outside of the roll is browned
- For a glistening sheen beat an egg and brush before baking
- These can be made ahead of time for parties and frozen for up to 3 months.
- Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
- For a plain sausage roll omit all the eggs, just use 2 cups of mozzarella to 1- 1/2 pound of drained loose sausage and the spices.
Ingredients You Will Need To Make Stuffed Pizza Dough
scroll down to the recipe card for the exact measurements
- fresh homemade pizza dough or use store-bought
- Italian sausage cooked and casing off cooled drained (hot, sweet or herb-flavored).
- eggs
- mozzarella
- grated cheese heaping tablespoons and more for topping the dough before baking
- garlic powder or more to taste
- oregano
- black pepper
- Meats to use and other additions: pepperoni, capicola, peppers, mushrooms, black olives,
- Optional Garnish: grated cheese, granulated garlic powder, olive oil or use one beaten egg for shine, dried Italian seasoning, or freshly chopped herbs
- Dipping sauce- homemade marinara sauce or store-bought
Filling Suggestions
(used in any combinations)
- any kind of peppers
- mushrooms
- chopped tomatoes
- black or green olives
- chopped regular broccoli or broccoli rabe cooked
- spinach or other cooked greens like escarole
- eggplant
- onions
- minced fresh garlic
- cooked sausage
- pepperoni
- capicola
- sauteed shrimp, scallops with mozzarella
- cheese and drained tuna with sharp cheddar
- meatballs in tomato sauce crushed
More Recipes To Try:
Eggplant Parmesan Pizza
Meatball Pizza
Stromboli
Italian Panzerotti
Mom's Stuffed Focaccia Bread
Mom's Homemade Sausage Patties
Pin Mom's Sausage Roll for Later
Sausage Bread, Rolls, and Stuffed Pizza Dough
This Italian sausage roll is just like having a sandwich all in one.
Baked to perfection and delicious it can be served hot or cold.
Perfect for packing in school lunches or work and always welcome when you need a quick snack.
These rolls freeze well, are thawed in the refrigerator overnight, and warmed up for around 15 minutes in the oven so you can even make them ahead of time.
Hope you like Mom's recipe, let me know what you think in the comments.
Mom's Sausage Roll
Yield: 1
Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 1 H & 5 M
Mom always made her own sausage and then mixed it with eggs and spices for a filling to make this delicious sausage roll. It's a pizza dough filled and baked and like having a stuffed bread. This Italian stuffed pizza roll is great hot of cold.
Ingredients
- 1 lb of fresh homemade pizza dough or use store-bought
- 1 1/2 lbs of Italian sausage cooked and casing off cooled drained (hot, sweet or herb-flavored)
- 2 eggs beaten
- 2 eggs hard-boiled (if you don't like hard-boiled eggs just omit these)
- 2 cups of whole milk mozzarella shredded
- 4 tablespoons of grated cheese heaping tablespoons and more for topping the dough before baking
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Optional Meats to substitute for sausage or in addition to: pepperoni, capicola, peppers, mushrooms, black olives,
- Optional Seasonings: grated cheese, granulated garlic powder, chopped fresh garlic, basil, parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes
- Dipping sauce- homemade marinara sauce or store-bought
- Garnish 1 beaten egg with 1 tablespoon of water for a shine on the top before baking brush the loaf
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- In a medium-sized bowl add the cooled cooked sausage that's been drained, with eggs, spices, and cheeses (any additions you prefer mixing together).
- Roll out the pizza dough about 1/4 inch thickness into approx 12x12 rectangular.
- Spread mixture over the dough, roll up tucking the sides of the dough in all the way around to seal.
- The roll should look like a jelly roll when completed.
- Place the sausage roll seam side down on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, place in a warm area, to rise for around 30 minutes.
- Before going into the oven brush either the beaten egg sprinkled with grated cheese, garlic, and black pepper and dried or freshly chopped herbs
- Bake at 375 for around 35 to 45 minutes and check to see if it's nicely browned.
- The sausage roll is done when crispy and brown
- Serve with pizza dipping sauce or marinara.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
- These can be made ahead of time and freeze well up to 3 months.
Notes
- For a sausage and cheese filling, add 1 cup more shredded cheese( preferably provolone mixed with mozzarella)
- Always keep the dough at least 1/2 inch in thickness so the filling won't poke through the dough
- Never use a hot filling the dough will rip all fillings must be cool
- Substitute any meats you like with the suggestions below
- This roll can be made for all vegetarian
- Frozen bread dough is not recommended it has too much moisture in it
- Bake until the outside of the roll is browned
- For a glistening sheen beat an egg and brush before baking
- These can be made ahead of time for parties and frozen for up to 3 months.
- Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
- For a plain sausage roll omit all the eggs, just use 2 cups of mozzarella to 1- 1/2 pounds of drained loose sausage and the spices.
Filling Suggestions
(used in any combinations)
- any kind of peppers
- mushrooms
- chopped tomatoes
- black or green olives
- chopped regular broccoli or broccoli rabe cooked
- spinach or other cooked greens like escarole
- eggplant
- onions
- minced fresh garlic
- cooked sausage
- pepperoni
- capicola
- sauteed shrimp, scallops with mozzarella
- cheese and drained tuna with sharp cheddar
- meatballs in tomato sauce crushed
Pin Mom's Sausage Roll for Later
More Recipes To Try :
Tomato Pie,Italian Greens Italian Lemon Ice,Pizza Fritta,Chicken Riggies,Manny's Cheesecake,Oscugnizzo Pizza,Pustiesand Rosato Chocolate Cookies.Disclosure: This recipe was originally shared in 2009. It was edited and re-published in 2023.