Easy Italian Stromboli Recipe

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Classic Flavors: With Italian deli meats, cheeses, and a blend of herbs, this recipe captures the timeless Italian flavors in every bite.
Comfort Food: It brings all the flavors of pizza in a handheld form which is warm, comforting and perfect for any time of year.
Perfect for Sharing: Great for a family dinner, a casual dinner with friends or even as a party food. It’s great hot or at room temperature, so perfect for a buffet.

Italian Stromboli Recipe Ingredients

A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

Pizza Dough: The base of our Stromboli, it provides a sturdy yet soft foundation for all the delicious fillings. You can use store-bought or make it at home.
Garlic: This will be mixed with the melted butter and brushed on the dough to add a rich garlic flavor.
Italian Seasoning: A classic blend of herbs like oregano, basil, thyme, and rosemary, it infuses the dish with a rustic Italian flavor.
Ham, capicola, provolone cheese, salami (Genoa), prosciuttini: These are the fillings used but you could swap any of them for your favorite Italian deli meats and cheeses.
Marinara sauce: This is for dipping and adds a rich, tangy flavor to the stromboli. You could use pizza sauce if you prefer or even a pesto dip would be good.

Substitutions and Variations

Dough: If you don’t have pizza dough, you can use a gluten-free pizza dough or even a premade gluten-free flatbread as a substitute.
Meats and Cheeses: Feel free to mix and match the deli meats and cheeses to your preference. You can add in other Italian favorites like pepperoni or Italian sausage.
Spices: Try adding different spices to change up the flavor, such as chili flakes or oregano.
Garlic: If you don’t have garlic purée, you can use minced garlic or garlic powder.
Garnish and Sides: Consider experimenting with different herbs and sauces for garnishing and dipping. For example, you can use dried oregano instead of fresh basil, or try a spicy marinara sauce.

Serving Suggestions

Main Dish: Stromboli can be a meal in itself, but if you’re serving it as part of a larger Italian feast, consider adding some other crowd-pleasers such as a chopped Italian sandwich or Italian penne rosa pasta.
Appetizer: If you’re serving homemade stromboli with pizza dough as an appetizer for a game day party, consider adding some other finger foods to your spread, like cheddar bacon scones or homemade mini pizza bagel bites.
Italian Desserts: To finish off your Italian meal on a sweet note, consider serving some traditional Italian desserts such as sweet Italian ricotta pie, tiramisu cheesecake mini trifles, or Nutellotti.

How to Store Homemade Pizza Stromboli

Store: Leftovers will keep for about 3 days, although the stromboli will lose its crispiness the next day, due to the moisture from the filling. You can reheat it in the oven to re-crisp the crust though.
Freeze: Freeze the stromboli in an airtight container and consume it within 2 months.
Thaw: To thaw, leave the frozen stromboli in the refrigerator overnight.

Top Tips 

Choose Your Favorite Fillings: One of the great things about this easy homemade stromboli recipe is that you can customize it to your liking. Feel free to add in any of your favorite gluten-free pizza toppings to enhance the traditional Italian flavors.
Don’t Overfill: Be careful not to add too much meat and cheese. An over-stuffed stromboli not only makes it difficult to roll, but it can also lead to a soggy result and potential splitting during baking.
Proper Spacing: When laying out your deli meats and cheeses on the dough, make sure to leave a small border around the edges. This will make it easier to seal and will prevent any spilling during baking.