Mini Meatball Stromboli

By davidv

“Change up your usual Friday pizza for something a little different…a Mini Meatball Stromboli! You’ll never go back to that greasy pizza!"—David

Tip: This recipe makes enough meatballs for two large stromboli and the marinara recipe makes 3-1/2 quarts of sauce so you can freeze the leftovers for later.

Ingredients

• Mini Meatballs:
• 2 slices white bread, crust removed
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 lb ground beef, pork, and veal mixture (meatloaf mix)
• 1/4 cup Ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup Parmesan, grated
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1 Tbsp parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Stromboli:
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 cup red pepper, diced
• 3/4 cup green pepper, diced
• 3/4 cup onion, diced
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 24 mini meatballs
• 2 cups David’s marinara sauce
• 1 lb store-bought pizza dough
• 1-1/2 cups Mozzarella, shredded
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

Preparation

Step 1

To prepare the mini meatballs, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Process the white bread in a food processor to make crumbs. Place the crumbs in a bowl and add the milk, Ricotta cheese, grated Parmesan, egg, salt, black pepper, parsley, oregano, basil, and garlic. Stir to fully combine the ingredients. Gently fold in the ground meat until the ingredients are evenly distributed, being careful not to overwork the mixture.

To form the mini meatballs, scoop out 1 heaping Tbsp of the mixture, and using your hands, form it into a ball. Repeat with the rest of the meat mixture, placing the balls on a baking sheet as you make them. Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake until cooked through, about 20–25 minutes.

To prepare the stromboli, keep the oven at 350°F.

Heat 2 Tbsp of the olive oil in a medium-size sauté pan over medium heat. Add the red and green peppers, onion, and 1/2 tsp of the salt to pan and sauté until soft, about 10–15 minutes. Place the cooked peppers and onions, 1/4 cup of the marinara sauce, and the meatballs in a bowl and stir to combine.

Roll the pizza dough into an 8” x 16” rectangle on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. With the smaller edge facing you, place 3/4 cup of the Mozzarella vertically down the center of the dough, leaving about a 1” perimeter of dough. Place the meatball filling on top of the Mozzarella, and then top the meatball mixture with the remaining Mozzarella.

To form the stromboli, cut crosswise strips, about 1” apart, down the length of the outer columns of dough where there’s no filling. Make sure you have an equal amount of 1” strips down the right and left sides. Fold in the top and bottom ends over the filling, and then braid the flaps of the dough by lifting the top strip and gently bringing it diagonally across the filling. Tuck slightly and seal the strip into the dough next to the filling. Repeat on the right side. Continue down the entire length, alternating strips as you go, creating a braided pattern.

Brush the surface of the stromboli with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with the Italian seasoning and remaining salt. Place in the freezer for 5 minutes, and then bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Serve with the remaining marinara.