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Hot Italian Stromboli – made at home! This is so much better than your local pizzeria. Pizza dough rolled up with basil pesto, marinara sauce, Italian chilies, roasted red peppers, lots of melty Italian cheese, and spicy pepperoni. As soon as the stromboli comes out of the oven serve it while all that cheese is hot and bubbly. Trust me, this is a deliciously fun change from the everyday pizza night. We sure love this easy dinner!
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Ohh, I hope you all love this as much as we do, I’m so excited about this recipe! It’s no secret that we love pizza. If I wasn’t cooking for the site every day, we’d definitely be having pizza at least once a week. And back when my dad did the cooking, we definitely did!
Of course, dad used a store-bought, pre-baked pizza crust, but even with the so, so crust, we’ve always enjoyed pizza at home! It was very, very rare we ever ordered it out.
But when we went out to dinner on vacation, often someone would order a stromboli for the table. To no one’s surprise, the stromboli was 9 times out of 10 the crowd favorite. It’s a fun change from pizza.
I’ve only made stromboli at home a handful of times. But I was feeling the need to switch up pizza night, so here we are with the most delicious recipe!
I used my dad’s pizza as inspiration for the flavors. He always cooks with a lot of basil, chilies, cheese, and to be honest, he’d top a ton of dishes, Italian or not, with thinly sliced pepperoni. He didn’t have any food “do’s or dont’s”.
My stromboli is layered with pesto, marinara sauce, Italian chilies, Italian seasoning, and plenty of cheese (provolone is my fav here). Then I add in a combination of thinly sliced pepperoni with thinly sliced Spanish deli chorizo too.
Details On This Hot Italian Stromboli
Start with the dough. I like to use my homemade pizza dough recipe. I usually make my recipe from the HBH Every Day Cookbook. If you can think a few hours ahead of time, I’d recommend making your own dough. If not, store-bought pizza dough works great too. Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s both have great options that I love!
The rest is assembly and baking. We’re using 1 pound of dough, so I divide it in half to make 2 strombolis. Roll each dough round out into a rectangle. I make mine a little larger than say a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Now, transfer the rolled out dough to a piece of parchment. Don’t skip this. The stromboli will be too hard to move once it’s all assembled and ready to bake.
Layer the dough with basil pesto, then marinara sauce, and sprinkle on some chili flakes. Or try using the Calabrian chili paste I’ve been loving. Then add lots of roasted red peppers, and now cheese!
I love a mix of mozzarella and provolone. They melt perfectly and are delicious when paired with these flavors.
For the meats, I LOVE pepperoni. For me, it’s a must. I also like to use deli-style Spanish chorizo, it adds a lot of flavor and spice. We find it to be unique and delicious!
Tuck in the dough and wrap and roll, just as if you were making cinnamon rolls.
Now that the stromboli is formed, brush each with a beaten egg and then sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake. You’ll have a very cheesy stromboli that will smell incredible. Like your favorite pizzeria, but at home!
Looking for more Italian recipes? Here are a few to try:
Calabrian Chili Roasted Red Pepper Pizza
Pull Apart Italian Sub Sliders
Creamy Roasted Tomato Ricotta Pasta with Crispy Prosciutto
One Pot Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Whipped Ricotta
Lastly, if you make this Hot Italian Stromboli, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Hot Italian Stromboli
Ingredients
- 1 pound pizza dough
- 1/2 cup basil pesto
- 2/3 cup marinara sauce
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1-3 tablespoons crushed Calabrian chili paste, or chili flakes, to taste
- 1 jar (16 ounce) roasted red peppers, drained and sliced
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup shredded provolone cheese
- 6 ounces thinly sliced pepperoni
- 2-4 ounces thinly sliced deli chorizo
- 1 cup baby arugula
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 egg, beaten
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.2. Divide the pizza dough into 2 balls. On a floured surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle, around 9×13 inches. Transfer to the baking sheet. 3. Spread each piece of dough with pesto, marinara, and then sprinkle on the chilies and Italian seasoning. Arrange the peppers over the sauce. Top with equal amounts of mozzarella and provolone. Pepperoni, then chorizo. Finish with arugula, if desired. 4. Tuck in two sides of the dough, then roll up into a log (like a cinnamon roll), pinch to seal. Place seam side down.5. Brush the tops of the stromboli with the beaten egg, then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Take a sharp knife and cut 2 small slits on the top of the dough.6. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
I loved this recipe…used some of my poolish pizza dough, added some banana peppers and put some coarse ground corn meal underneath the dough before rolling. Yums….and it made the kitchen smell amazing.
Hey Jim,
Wonderful! I am so glad to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Happy Easter! xT
Ive made this recipe several times. A favorite around our house. My question is- how do you feel about preparing these ahead of time, like early am, refrigerating, then baking that evening just before family arrives?
Hey Lindsey,
That sounds like a great idea! Love to hear that your family enjoys this recipe! Happy Thanksgiving! xT
I omitted the arugula and added sautéed mushrooms. Everyone loved it! This will be on rotation in our family dinner planning. Delicious!!!
Thank you so much for trying out this recipe! Have a lovely day! xT
Added some jalapenos and wow! Thanks
Hey Stephanie,
Happy Monday!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! xx
My absolute favorite! It is a bit heavy but is phenomenal for a big family dinner. I do not like red peppers- so we did one with and one without. Surprisingly, the one with was the overall favorite (mine too)!
Hi Claire,
Happy Wednesday!! 🌞 Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! xT
Excited to try this out! Do you have a specific pizza dough recipe do you use with this? I click on the link and it takes me to Pillsbury Dough from Target but I’d love to make it from scratch!
Hi Sydney,
I do! My fave recipe is in both the HBH Super Simple and Everyday cookbooks. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Made this tonight. The addition of a quality pesto really kicks this up a notch. Fantastic!
Hey Regina,
Happy Wednesday! ⛅️🌈 I’m so glad to hear that this recipe worked well for you and I appreciate you giving it a try! xx
We made this stromboli recipe last night and it was delicious! I subbed out some the chorizo with browned Italian sausage and added some sliced pepperoncini.
I have made stromboli before, but this recipe with the pesto is so much better 😋. We followed it up with some HBH Mom’s One Bowl Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies…… the ultimate meal!
Hey Sandy,
Happy Monday!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for trying it out! xx
This was SOOO good! It took me probably 8 minutes to make it so super easy and was a big hit with everyone. I was nervous when I saw how big it turned out from the store bought pizza dough but I’ll honestly make double next time because everyone wanted seconds.
Hi Margaret,
Happy Friday!! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it and sharing your comment! xx
I made this tonight and it was DELICIOUS. my mom always made Stromboli as an easy meal growing up and this felt like an elevated version of that.
I did have one question-it looks like your Instagram video has you making everything as one big Stromboli vs the 2 here? Is there a reason for the difference? I felt like I wanted a bit more dough to filling ratio and I’m wondering if making it as one instead of 2 would help.
Thanks so much as always!!
Hey Jon,
Fantastic!!🌻 I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for trying it out! You could easily just make 1, I didn’t feel the need to show both of the Stromboli being made:) xT
So yummy…love the pesto in there! Good work!
Hi Stephanie,
Amazing!! Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! xx
Made this, this past weekend and it was a hit with the family (even my 6 year old)! I omitted the sliced chorizo due to the spice factor but kept the rest. It was my first try at Stromboli and my father-in-law opted to keep those leftovers opposed to the pizza he ordered! Definitely will make again
Hi Kristin,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! So glad to hear this was enjoyed:) xT
These Stromboli’s were SO good. We didn’t have sesame seeds so we used a “pizza seasoning” we had. We couldn’t get enough. Super easy to make but taste like they’re from a restaurant. (Or even better) my husband and I finished one Stromboli just the two of us. 10/10 guys!!!
Hi Cassidy,
Happy Wednesday!🌈 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your comment, so glad to hear it was a winner!
WOW this was SO tasty! My Fiancé loved it and wants it in our pizza rotation. Thanks for another great recipe!
Notes: I didn’t have chorizo deli meat so just used all pepperoni’s. Used the Calabrian chili’s in one and chili flakes in another, Calabrian one was our fav. Used TJ’s herb pizza dough and Toscano shredded cheese.
Hi Kimberly,
Happy Wednesday! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your comment, so glad to hear it was a winner!
This looks amazing. How many people do you think each stromboli would serve?
Hi Carissa,
I think it depends on the eaters, but I would say 2-4 people:) Let me know if you have any other questions! xx
This has been on rotation for a while now. Restaurant quality! Added sliced mushrooms and used trader joes summer sausage sliced up thin instead of chorizo. Huge hit with my 6 yr old and teens as well! Thanks!
Hey Melani,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and your comment, love to hear that it turned out well for you! Have a great Monday! xT