Holy Stromboli!

I have many, many fond memories from college.  Most of them, the ones that make me laugh out loud, involve my friend Noelle, aka “Nomo”.  She is one of the funniest people I know, has the most entertaining stories (her latest one had her staring down a mountain lion) and makes me laugh every time I talk to her. 
Back in the day, I remember going to an Italian restaurant during one of our college volleyball trips where she ordered Cannoli off of the menu for dessert.  After finishing her dessert I remember hearing her say “Holy Cannoli”, followed by her hilarious laugh about a million times. 



When I found this recipe for Stromboli, I couldn’t help but think about that night and I kept hearing her voice in my head saying “Holy Stromboli” in her own Nomo way.  She is in North Carolina now, but I know if she were closer she would not only want another cannoli, but also love my Stromboli. Miss you Nomo!

Stromboli                                                                                                 Ingredients: 1 tube pizza crust pizza sauce fillings:  turkey pepperoni, green peppers, onions, mushrooms, black olives, tomatoes, ground beef, sausage, bacon, etc.) Olive Oil and Garlic Salt (optional) Directions: Roll pizza dough into a rectangle the length of your baking sheet. It can be wider than the sheet because you will be folding the sides in. Place the dough on the baking sheet. Put sauce on the center half of the dough.

Print this recipe!
 
 
Just like pizza, add your toppings.  Stromboli can be a good way to use up leftovers. Any small amounts of meat, cheese and vegetables can be put into the Stromboli.
Then add cheese.
 

 

 
Now comes the fun part. Cut the dough on the sides at about 1 inch intervals. Don't cut all the way to the filling.  I use kitchen shears for this.
 

 
Then wrap it up.  Start at the bottom and alternating sides, overlap the strips of dough onto the filling in a lattice pattern. You can stretch the pieces to fit all the way over the filling.
 

 

 
Bake your Stromboli at 375° F for about 25-30 minutes.  During the last 5 minutes of baking, I take the Stromboli out and brush on a little bit of olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt for added flavor.
 


Serve alone or with a side salad.  Extra pizza sauce for dipping is also a great idea.

TIPS:

• This recipe is great to take to a party as an appetizer.  Just cut into thin slices and then halve.

• Want something sweet?  Turn this Stromboli into dessert by adding fillings different sweet fillings.  Some suggestions would be apple pie or other fruit pie fillings or Nutella w/ peanut butter and chocolate chips.  Walnuts for crunch would be awesome as well.

• Add scrambled eggs, sausage, cheese, and green onion and any other omelet filling (green peppers, broccoli, onions, mushrooms, ham, etc.) for a breakfast version of this quick and easy Stromboli.