Italian Stromboli with Soppressata, Rapini, and Provolone

This is a creative and elevated recipe for Italian stromboli featuring salty soppressata, bitter rapini (broccoli rabe), and gooey provolone cheese. Accented with a garlic and oregano infused simple tomato sauce for dipping, this stromboli pizza roll is perfect for parties.

(This recipe was originally published in July 2016, but was updated with new photos and content in 2022).

Pizza dough is incredibly versatile. It can be used for so much more than just standard pizza. While pizza in and of itself is great for a gathering, I also love using pizza dough to make other creations such as calzones or stromboli.

Calzones are typically half-moon shaped and have one large pocket stuffed with fillings. Meanwhile, a stromboli is more like a pizza roll and shares its name with a very active volcano off the coast of Italy. It's actually an Italian-American invention hailing from Philadelphia.

I've often heard the term "pizza roll" used for stromboli, because in many instances it's filled with pepperoni and mozzarella cheese. Even with different fillings, it's still essentially an Italian-American pizza roll. This recipe elevates the standard fillings by swapping the pepperoni for soppressata and the mozzarella for provolone. Lastly, this stromboli pizza is finished off with roasted rapini, also known as broccoli rabe.

I love the saltiness of the soppressata with the slight bitterness of the rapini, all wrapped up with provolone in chewy and crusty pizza dough. It's more refined than your pepperoni and mozzarella variation, and even adds some veggies into the mix.

One thing in particular that I especially love about Italian stromboli is that although it is great hot out of the oven, it's often served at room temperature, which makes it perfect for a party!

Ingredient notes

• Soppressata: Soppressata is a type of Italian dry salami. It's made with pork and spices, such as garlic and peppercorns. The flavorings, dryness, cuts of pork used, and even shape can vary quite a bit by region. You can often find it in the deli section of supermarkets, which makes for an easy source to purchase it thinly sliced for this Italian stromboli recipe.
• Provolone: Provolone is an Italian cow's milk cheese that can range from mild (dolce) to sharp (piccante). Typically, what you'll find in American delis is more of an American style mild provolone. This works well for this recipe. I would avoid anything too sharp as it would really battle with the robust soppressata.
• Rapini (Broccoli Rabe): Rapini or broccoli rabe is a cruciferous vegetable with edible leaves, buds and stems. The buds resemble broccoli, hence the name broccoli rabe. It has a somewhat bitter flavor, and is used often in Mediterranean cuisines.
• Pizza Dough: You'll need 1 pound of pizza dough for this stromboli recipe. You can either use homemade pizza dough or store-bought. If your pizza dough is refrigerated, leave it out at room temperature for a couple hours before using.
• Tomatoes: I prefer using canned ground peeled tomatoes (Pastene is my go-to brand), but you could used canned crushed tomatoes, or even canned whole peeled tomatoes crushed by hand.

How to make it

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Toss the rapini pieces with olive oil and salt, and spread them out on two large rimmed baking sheets.

Roast for about 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the pans in the oven halfway through.

Combine canned ground peeled tomatoes tomatoes with minced garlic, oregano, olive oil, and salt. Set aside.

Line a clean, large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out/stretch 1 pound of pizza dough on a lightly floured work surface into a 16-by-12-inch rectangle with the long edges parallel to the edge of the countertop.

Spread ½ cup of the sauce over the surface of the dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle it with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano.

Arrange thinly sliced soppressata in an even layer over the sauce.

Then layer sliced provolone over the soppressata.

Sprinkle the roasted rapini over that.

Brush the bare edges of the dough lightly with some beaten egg. Beginning at the long edge closest to you, carefully roll up the dough snugly into a cylinder (like a jelly roll). Press the seam together and tuck in the ends to completely encase the filling.

Place the stromboli, seam-side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the top and sides lightly with beaten egg. Cut five diagonal slits about 2-inches apart in the top of the dough for steam vents.

Bake until the crust is a deep golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Let the Italian stromboli cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

Meanwhile, bring the remaining sauce to a simmer over medium heat. Transfer the stromboli to a cutting board and cut it crosswise into slices. You'll likely yield about 16 one-inch slices.

Serve directly from the cutting board or on a long platter, with the remaining sauce on the side for dipping.

Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.

Expert tips

All in all, this stromboli is easy to make, and puts a more sophisticated spin on a party favorite. It can easily be enjoyed at room temperature, or gently reheated before slicing if you'd like to make it ahead of time.

You may end up with a bit more roasted rapini than you need for your filling. If you don't use it all (if it seems like too much), you can save the rest to eat as a side dish for another meal. Or add it to an omelet, frittata, quiche, soup, or pasta.

This combination of flavors and ingredients is really fantastic! However, if you don't like any particular ingredients (or can't find them) you can change and customize the fillings as you wish. Swap the soppressata for salami, pepperoni, or even ham. The provolone could be replaced with nearly any other melting cheese you like. Use wilted spinach or kale in place of the roasted broccoli rabe to add some color. Just keep in mind that some flavor combinations will work better than others.

Other recipes you may like

• Radicchio Pizza
• Corn and Tomato Pizza
• Pizza Marinara
• Meatball Calzones
• Spaghetti with Cod, Rapini, and Garlic
• Italian Grilled Cheese
• Zapiekanka (Polish Pizza)
• Liptauer (Austrian/Slovakian Cheese Spread)

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