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

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.