• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Cook Fast, Eat Well
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Contact
  • Cook Fast, Eat Well helps you make great food fast.
  • Recipes
  • Terms and Conditions
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • TikTok
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • Recipes
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • TikTok
  • ×

    Home » Beef

    Easy Ground Beef and Cheese Stromboli

    Mar 14, 2019 · 5 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    This easy stromboli starts with store-bought pizza dough. The crispy loaf is stuffed with ground beef, Cheddar cheese, mushrooms, and olives.

    Ground beef and cheese Stromboli on wire rack.

    Growing up my mom would occasionally make something she’d call “pizza loaf”. I was a weird kid and had only a few favorite meals. This was one of them. On a busy night, she’d buy a ball of pizza dough at the store and fill it with a cooked ground beef filling made with mushrooms, black olives, and tomato sauce. Then she’d add a generous amount of Cheddar cheese. 

    I don’t know about you but that sounds nothing like pizza. It’s amazing, don’t get me wrong but it’s not pizza. 

    For years, I thought it she named the bread. Nope. Turns out, the recipe came from her beloved Pillsbury Bake Off Cookbook. 

    While we still call the recipe “pizza loaf”, it doesn’t seem like the right name when sharing the recipe with you. I almost called it a “Cheeseburger Stromboli” but the recipe contains nary a pickle or drop of ketchup or mustard. So that was out. Then I thought of my Instant Pot Sloppy Joes. Maybe it’s a Sloppy Joe roll? No..because it doesn’t have the characteristic sweetness of a sloppy joe. Then, grasping at straws, I wonder if I should call it a Taco Roll. I mean, we’ve got ground beef, Cheddar, and black olives. But that’s not right because there are no spices in it.  

    I concluded that it’s best to think of this as a simple ground beef and cheese stromboli. Sexy name? Nah. But it sure is delicious, whatever you call it. 

    Ground beef and cheese stromboli on wire rack.

    I hope you love this “pizza loaf”/stromboli as much as I do. This recipe is

    Crunchy on the outside

    Easy to Make

    Perfect for Parties

    Hearty

    Satisfying

    & so yummy!

    Ground beef and cheese stromboli on wire rack.

    How to Make Easy Stromboli

    Start with Store Bough Pizza Dough. Look for this in the bakery or freezer section of the grocery store. (If frozen, the dough needs to thaw and rise before it’s ready to use. So be sure to allow time for that.) After rolling out the pizza dough, cover it with a piece of plastic wrap. If you don’t, the surface of the dough will dry out and it won’t rise.

    Make the Filling. The recipe uses ground beef. You can replace this with ground turkey or a 50/50 mix of ground beef and ground turkey. I wouldn’t recommend using ground chicken in this recipe.

    Cook’s Note: Be sure to allow the filling to cool for at least 10 minutes before spreading it on the pizza dough.

    Fill and Bake. Spoon the filling down the center of the prepared dough. Cut the dough into strips and fold the strips over the dough. Not only does this look nice, but it also allows steam to escape so the loaf gets nice and crisp.

    Easy Stromboli FAQs

    Can I Make Stromboli in Advance?

    Yes! You can prep the filling the day before you plan on making and bake right before serving. If you’d like to bake the loaf, allow it to cool completely. Then, when you’re ready to serve, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Reheat for about 15 minutes. During reheating, the crust should get crisp.

    How Can I Prevent Stromboli Crust from Getting Soggy?

    As the stromboli cools, the crust goes from crisp to soggy. This is normal. There’s really not a way to prevent it. If you have leftover stromboli, reheating it in the oven will crisp the crust.

    What Can I Serve with Stromboli?

    Salad. A big salad and a slice of this stromboli is a quick–and delicious meal.

    Other Quick Ground Beef Recipes You’ll Love

    Instant Pot Sloppy Joes

    Instant Taco Bowls

    Overhead shot of a baked stromboli topped with poppy seeds. Filling, which includes ground beef and cheese, is exposed between the strips of dough.
    5 from 4 votes
    Print

    Easy Ground Beef and Cheese Stromboli

    This easy stromboli starts with store-bought pizza dough. The crispy loaf is stuffed with ground beef, Cheddar cheese, mushrooms, and olives. 

    Prep Time 20 minutes
    Cook Time 15 minutes
    Rising Time 45 minutes
    Total Time 35 minutes
    Servings 6

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound pizza dough (thawed if frozen)
    • 2 teaspoons olive oil
    • 1 pound lean ground beef
    • 1 small onion, finely diced
    • 2 tablespoons flour
    • 1 1/4 cups thick tomato sauce such as Classico
    • 1 (4 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
    • 1 (2.25 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
    • 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes optional
    • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

    For the Topping

    • milk, for brushing
    • poppy seeds, about one teaspoon

    Instructions

    1. Generously oil a large rimmed baking sheet. Stretch the pizza dough out into a 12x14-inch rectangle on the baking sheet. Cover the pizza dough with plastic wrap and let rise for 45 minutes.
    2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
    3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Cook ground beef, breaking it up as you cook, until no pink spots remain. Drain any excess fat into a small heatproof bowl. (Don’t put grease down the drain.) Add onions. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are tender, about two minutes.
    4. Add flour. Stir to combine. Add tomato sauce, mushrooms, black olives, pepper flakes, and black pepper. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes.
    5. Remove filling from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
    6. Sprinkle half the cheese down the center of the dough, creating a strip of cheese that’s about 3 1/2 inches wide and 12 inches long.
    7. Spoon filling over the cheese. Top with remaining cheese.
    8. Use a clean pair of scissors or a sharp knife to cut 2-inch-wide strips on either side of the filling. Fold the ends onto the filling. Then fold the dough, alternating sides, over the filling, crossing in the center.

    9. Brush the dough with milk and sprinkle poppy seeds over the top.

    10. Bake until golden brown, about 18 minutes. Allow stromboli to cool for five to 10 minutes before serving. 

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Ashley says

      October 28, 2019 at 4:00 pm

      5 stars
      This is my favorite! It’s always a hit and I love the way the olives taste in the filling of this Stromboli recipe. Even my picky husband loves it (and he hates olives).

      Reply
    2. Jill Bergman-Hayes says

      April 22, 2020 at 1:38 pm

      5 stars
      My family loved this!! I left out the mushrooms and black olives only because I didn’t have any. I mixed the cheese in the ground beef mixture and used Pillsbury pizza crust that didn’t require prebaking or rising. It came out delicious! I will definitely be making again!

      Reply
    3. rp says

      February 07, 2021 at 8:13 pm

      5 stars
      I thought this was pretty good too. I used a prepared pizza dough and used a meat substitute and it turned out pretty great 🙂

      Reply
    4. Lydia Bendaa says

      January 20, 2022 at 9:23 am

      5 stars
      This is similar to the recipe my mom made in the 70’s. However she served it with a sauce made from tomato sauce and shredded cheddar – I think… ( heated until the cheese melted) Does anyone else remember this? Could you confirm?
      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Elizabeth says

        January 21, 2022 at 2:25 pm

        Yes! I asked my mom to check her cookbook. The original recipe includes a sauce made from canned tomato soup and shredded Cheddar.

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Get Recipes Delivered to Your Inbox! (Free Weekly Newsletter!)

    Elizabeth Barbone

    Elizabeth Barbone is the founder and recipe developer behind Cook Fast, Eat Well. A food writer for over 15 years, she's built a reputation for creating easy recipes that work.

    Learn More →

    New and Popular

    • Lucky Charms™️ Crispy Treats
    • Glazed Carrots
    • Garlic Puff Pastry Swirls
    • Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    TERMS

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Accessibility Statement

    FOLLOW US

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    ABOUT

    • Contact
    • About

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 Cook Fast, Eat Well.