Cheeseburger Stromboli

Cheeseburger Stromboli: A super flavorful, cheesy beef filling studded with dill pickles, sweet onions and zippy mustard. Wrap it up in a store-bought pizza crust, bake and serve! SO good. 

I’m kind of in to transforming the cheeseburger, so be sure to check out these Cheeseburger sliders (perfect for parties!) these Hatch Pepper Burgers (so spicy and juicy), and this Instant Pot Hamburger Soup (perfect for cool fall nights!)

Cheeseburger Stromboli 

Cheeseburger Stromboli: Because you NEED a break from stuffing, green bean casserole and all things turkey. I mean, I love Thanksgiving fare, but since I’ve been whipping up Thanksgiving recipes since, um, September, I’m ready for a little change. Plus, I still have to eat all of the mashed potatoes, rolls and pies next week, so on to something else!

I didn’t grow up eating Stromboli. I don’t know why, it just wasn’t something my Mom ever made, and it never really appealed to me when I saw it on a pizza menu, because, I wanted pizza. Duh.

I was introduced to it by my self-proclaimed non-cook mother-in-law (who is actually a very good cook), and completely fell in love. She makes quite often, and I always look forward to it whenever we go visit Kevin’s parents out east. She makes two versions, one with ham and cheese, and one with spicy pepperoni and cheese. They’re simple, oh-so delicious and I can never choose between the two.

This version takes all of your favorite components of cheeseburger and stuffs them into Stromboli form. And I kid you not, the filling tastes EXACTLY like a cheeseburger. The filling is ground beef studded with chopped dill pickles, plenty of mustard, a few key spices, and of course, lots of shredded cheese. It’s all baked together, and then topped with your condiments – I did chopped lettuce and tomatoes, but the possibilities are endless. 

Ingredients in Cheeseburger Stromboli. 

• Ground beef, obviously. I like to use 85/15 fat ratio. You could definitely use ground sirloin or something else as well.
• Plenty of onion. This is for flavor, but I also love the texture of onion in ground beef. Occasionally if I want a really flavorful burger, I’ll even grate some onion into the beef for grilling.
• Worcestershire sauce. Essential! I ALWAYS use this when making burgers. I’ll even buy store-made patties, sprinkle them with tons of salt and then drown them in Worcestershire. It adds SO much flavor.
• Ketchup and mustard. Because what’s a burger without ketchup and mustard??
• Chopped pickle. Also an essential part of the ensemble for me. Don’t skip it!
• Shredded cheese. You can use whatever your go-to is, but I’m partial to a sharp cheddar.

What do should I use??

While I’m alll about a homemade dough most of the time, here I decided to go with a store-bought pizza crust. It makes things so much easier, and I have no regrets. A one-pound package of Trader Joe’s traditional pizza crust is the perfect amount of dough to encase the cheeseburger filling, but you can also use regular bread dough. 

I also tried to be all fancy and braid the dough, which sort of worked. I looked at this “tutorial,” although it wasn’t really a tutorial at all, hence why mine doesn’t look like it. You can try your hand at your own braid, or you can just roll it up jelly-roll style like anyone else. The choice is yours. The taste will be the same.

Variations on cheeseburger Stromboli

• Swap out the cheese cheese and pickles for mushrooms and Swiss cheese 
• Add in chopped bacon for a bacon cheeseburger
• Toss in chopped jalapeños for a spicy kick 
• Fry up a couple of eggs to lay on top

Can you make this ahead of time? 

I wouldn’t recommend actually baking this ahead of time. I would, however, recommend assembling it ahead of time on your sheet pan, covering with plastic wrap and storing in the fridge until you’re ready to bake. 

Substitutions and tips and tricks for recipe success

• Instead of rolling it out on my kitchen counters or a cutting board, I actually stretched/rolled the dough out right on the silpat on top of the baking sheet. Again, making things easier on myself. There’s no way this whole thing would have transferred from a flat surface to the baking sheet without completely falling apart.
• Once the Stromboli is assembled, it’s brushed with egg wash, dusted with oregano and popped into the oven until it’s golden brown and beautiful. And isn’t she beautiful?? Even my failed braid looked gorgeous after baking. There’s hope for us all!
• Serve with chopped lettuce, tomatoes and your favorite burger toppings! Slice and serve.