Many folks mix stromboli up with calzones which are totally different.
Stromboli is an Italian-American pizza roll that originated in Philadelphia we only use our own pizza dough recipe but you can use store-bought.
Calzones originated in Naples and are 100% Italian.
Calzones use ricotta cheese and cheeses, and stromboli does not have ricotta cheese in it and has meats and other cheeses in it.
There are two reasons they are not the same, the way they're stuffed and what they are stuffed with!
Stromboli is rolled pizza dough and stuffed, the calzone is a pizza dough with a crimped edge but they are both a pizza stuffed and cousins!
This is a stromboli roll that is absolutely delicious and a complete meal sealed into a homemade or store-bought pizza dough.
You can really put whatever you like in your fillings, below you will find many options and make it exactly with what you love!
Adapt away, there really isn't a wrong way to make these, just get creative and enjoy your stuffed pizza dough and also try a favorite Panzerotti which is stuffed fried pizza dough!
By the way, both are great dipped in homemade marinara sauce for dipping and any kind of dipping sauce you prefer even Alfredo!
Scroll down and a glimpse of what your next stromboli can be stuffed within the printable recipe card below.
What's Your Favorite?
Stromboli is tailor-made to what you love.
Any meats, and vegetables, cheese, or seafood goes into a stromboli.
Get creative and make yours exactly with what you love all in bread dough.
Stromboli versus Calzones
Both calzones and stromboli are pizza cousins and I am asked all the time the differences, that's why the long history on this subject!
Both are considered portable pizzas.
There’s pizza dough, cheeses, and many options for fillings.
Stromboli's are conducive to America, Calzones are found in many regions of Italy and in American homes and Italian restaurants who make it.
One major difference between a calzone and a stromboli is how they are sealed and look.
Calzones look more like a hand pie stuffed with ricotta and have no sauce in it at all, and a stromboli is like a rolled burrito usually with meats and cheeses and sometimes tomato sauce.
Like I said before the calzone is sealed and crimped on the edges and stromboli is a pizza rolled up and baked with the seam down to keep in the filling from escaping.
Pictured
Pictured above is a mushroom, loose sausage cooked in Traditional Sunday Sauce on it, sliced peppers, and mushrooms all in homemade pizza dough.
The second one is a combination of around 2 cups of assorted hot peppers, capicola, broccoli rabe, pepperoni, and cheese.
Come enjoy one of these stuffed loaves of pure delicious comfort food.
We grew up on these for a whole meal at dinner and a family favorite.
Not only do they taste good the smell while cooking makes your mouth water.
Filling Creations
- Meats chopped or shredded
- Sliced Capicola
- Pepperoni
- Prosciutto
- Sausage
- Salami
- Bacon
- Ham
- Steak
- Chicken
- Pork
- Meatballs
- Seafood of choice anchovies, shrimp etc.
- Vegetables
- chopped Spinach or Escarole cooked
- Eggplant
- Mushrooms
- Broccoli Rabe
- Broccoli
- Peppers
- Black olives sliced
- Onions
- Garlic
- Tomatoes
- Zucchini
- fruits of choice pineapple, raisins, etc.
- Cheeses
- grated Romano or Parmesan
- Asiago
- Fontina
- Provolone
- Mozzarella
- Cheddar
- Swiss
- Pepper Jack
- Ricotta
Our Favorite Combinations:
Everyone here has a favorite filling.
These stromboli-stuffed pizza rolls go so fast I have to make at least two to three for the two of us!
The rolls are usually stuffed with a variety.
One is all provolone and pepperoni, another is all loose cooked sausage and 5 kinds of cheese.
Then we have a dirty roll that has everything in it, sliced tomatoes, sliced olives, mushrooms, loose sausage, and peppers.
I usually heat up a little marinara sauce to dip these in. These can be a whole meal or a Sunday afternoon appetizer before the big pasta meal!
Ok, now that we have explained everything let's make some stromboli!
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Italian Stromboli
Yield: 1
prep time: 25 Mcook time: 45 Mtotal time: 70 M
This is a stuffed rolled pizza called Stromboli found in many Italian American restaurants and originated in Philadelphia. The stromboli often has several kinds of meats and cheese in it and sometimes tomato sauce all in one pizza dough rolled and sealed.
ingredients:
- 1 pound will make 1 stromboli using
- Homemade or Store-Bought Pizza Dough
- Garnish: 1 beaten egg with 1 teaspoon each of granulated garlic powder and dried parsley flakes
- Optional fillings of choice:
- Assorted meats(around 2 cups you can use a combination): Capicola, Pepperoni, Prosciutto, Sausage, Salami, Ham, Steak, Chicken, Pork, Meatballs
- Assorted seafood: shrimp, anchovies, or whatever you like
- Assorted cheeses grated Romano or Parmesan, Asiago, Fontina, Provolone Mozzarella, Cheddar, Swiss, Pepper, Jack, Ricotta,
- Assorted vegetables: chopped Spinach or Escarole cooked, Eggplant, Mushrooms, Broccoli Rabe, Broccoli, Peppers, Black olives sliced, Onions, Garlic, Tomatoes, Zucchini,
- Assorted: fruits of choice pineapple, raisins, etc.
- Optional: Marinara Sauce for Dipping
- Homemade Other Dipping Sauces
instructions:
How to cook Italian Stromboli
- Stromboli Instructions:
- Roll the dough out on the floured board approximately 10 x 16 rectangle
- If using any tomato sauce spread around 3 tablespoons of sauce on the dough.
- Leave around 2 inches of room around the edges for rolling.
- Add cheeses of choice, meats, and vegetables you are using also add more cheese on top when completed with filling suggestions.
- Now Roll this up tightly and add seam dough to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper for easy cleanup!
- Brush with egg mixture (this is optional) and sprinkle with grated cheese and parsley.
- Bake at 400 degrees for around 40 minutes or more until the top is nicely browned and crispy.
- Let cook 10 minutes before serving it's very hot inside.
- Dip in assorted sauce recipes mentioned above.
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Try My Other Family Favorite Recipes
Garlic Knots
Pizza Dough
Pizza Fritta
Central NY Tomato Pie