Deli Stromboli

This deli stromboli has all of your favorite deli meat and cheese rolled up in pizza dough and baked until hot and melty. A stromboli is basically like a rolled up pizza and this one has mozzarella cheese, provolone cheese, capicola ham (capocollo), honey baked ham, and genoa salami. You bake it for 25 minutes and it comes absolutely perfect. Dip it in pizza sauce and you have yourself a delicious meal or appetizer. And if you love cheesy baked sandwiches, check out my stromboli sandwich recipe.

What Is Stromboli?

I thought stromboli originated in New York City, but as it turns out it was invented in the Philadelphia area. A stromboli is typically pizza dough, layered with cheese and cold cuts, and then rolled up into a tube like shape. Then you put it in the oven until the dough is fully cooked. Once baked you dip it into pizza sauce or marinara sauce and enjoy. You can put any type of meat in a stromboli, but they are most often made with deli meat.

Living in both the New York area and then in the Philadelphia area, I do want to mention that some Philly locals consider a stromboli to be in the shape of a half moon. They consider a stromboli to be more like the shape of a calzone, but without the ricotta cheese. But New York area people, and many Philadelphia locals agree, that a stromboli is rolled up into a tube, and does not look like a calzone.

Growing up in New Jersey, which is right in the middle of Philadelphia and New York City, I have eaten a lot of great strombolis and pizza. I have seen a lot of different varieties like cheesesteak strombolis and chicken parmesan strombolis, but my favorite is the original with cheese and cold cuts.

There used to be a place in the food court of several NJ and NY area malls called “Roli Boli”. They were my absolutely favorite place to eat at when I would go to the mall. They were generous and would always have a plate of samples that you can try out everything. I liked two different bolis best, but my favorite was the “Deli Boli”. This deli stromboli is completely inspired by the deli boli and I used all the same ingredients.

Ingredients For Deli Stromboli

Mozzarella Cheese – I prefer to use low moisture – part skim mozzarella cheese. Fresh Mozzarella has too much moisture and will make this sandwich too soggy. Also, either use slices or cut it yourself. Stay away from pre-shredded as there are preservatives in it which make it take longer to melt.

Provolone Cheese – On its own provolone can be kind of sharp, but combined with the mozzarella cheese and it creates such a great flavor to this stromboli sandwich.

Capicola Ham – This ham is similar to salami and has a slight kick. It is hard to find everywhere, but I was able to find this at the deli counter of my local grocery store. They sliced it fresh for me.

Genoa Salami – This salami is easy to find. It is best to get it freshly sliced at the deli counter to ensure that it is thin. You want all the ingredients in this sandwich to be an even level of thickness.

Honey Baked Ham – This offers a little bit of sweetness to balance out the capicola ham.

Pizza Dough – If you like to make your own pizza dough, that would be great for this recipe. I like to use the Pillsbury Pizza Dough sheet just to keep it simple. It is already in a rectangle shape, so I just load up the filling and roll it up.

Garlic Butter – This gets added to the top of the stromboli as it bakes.

Pizza Sauce/Marinara Sauce – A must for dipping! Heat it slightly.

How do you make a Deli stromboli?

Ingredients  

• 1 Pizza Dough Sheet store bought like pillsbury, or any pizza dough shaped into a rectangle
• 1/4 lb Capicola Ham It is slightly spicy but gives this sandwich great flavor
• 1/4 lb Genoa Salami sliced thin from the deli counter
• 1/4 lb Honey Baked Ham
• 6 oz Mozzarella Cheese Slices sliced thin
• 6 oz Provolone Cheese Slices sliced thin
• Pizza Sauce for dipping
• 2 tbsp Butter
• 1 clove Garlic finely minced
• parsley optional garnish

Instructions 

• Preheat your oven to 500F. If your oven has difficulty getting up that high, 450F is ok.
• Cut all of your meat and cheese slices into quarters. This recipe makes 2 strombolis out of one Pillsbury Pizza Dough. Split your meat and cheese slices into two equal piles.
• Roll out your pizza dough into one large rectangle. Cut the large rectangle in half to make two smaller rectangles.
• Layer your meat and cheese along the middle of each pizza dough rectangle. Once your meat and cheese is layered, roll each rectangle into a long tube. Seal the ends by pinching them tight. Lay the stromboli seam side down. Add the strombolis to a parchment lined baking sheet.
• Bake the strombolis for around 12 minutes. If you are using 450F, you may need to cook this closer to 15 minutes. The outside should get golden brown, but not burnt.
• While the stromboli is baking, finely mince 1 clove of garlic and add it to a bowl with butter. Melt it in the microwave for 30 seconds until it is liquidy.
• Once the stromboli comes out of the oven, leave it on the baking sheet and then use a pastry brush to gently brush the top of each stromboli with your garlic butter. Let the stromboli cool slightly and then cut them into pieces.
• Serve your deli stromwith Marinara sauce