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Bet you didn’t know you can cook a stromboli on the BBQ!?
While I’ve had my eye on a pizza oven for ages, we just don’t have the space. And grilling pizzas never quite hits… the bottom cooks too fast, the cheese doesn’t melt right… it’s just not the same.
Still, nothing beats a casual pizza night with friends. Especially in the summer.
But cranking the oven to 500°F? Absolutely not, especially when I’m hosting. So I found my workaround: make a stromboli and cook it right on the grill.
It’s kind of perfect. You prep it ahead, stash it in the fridge, and then when your friends show up, you throw it on the BBQ and forget about it. While you're pouring welcome cocktails, dinner is basically cooking itself.
About 40 minutes later, it’s golden and crispy and ready to slice. Add this super simple, perfectly paired salad on the side, and you’ve got a 10/10 summer dinner with 3/10 effort.
summer stromboli on the grill
⏱️ TOTAL: 45 minutes
🍽️ SERVES: 4-6
Browse all my recommended tools in one place: Complete Kitchen Collection.
Small frying pan (for the sauce)
For the stromboli:
2 balls pizza dough, room temperature
150g fennel salami (or whatever salami you like)
1 small head fennel, divided (half for stromboli, half for salad)
1 roasted red pepper, thinly sliced
~150g mozzarella, grated (don’t overdo it, too much and it’ll leak)
½ cup Classico Four Cheese pasta sauce
pecorino romano, for finishing
¼ cup melted butter
freshly cracked black pepper
Note: You’ll use about 1 jar total of Classico Four Cheese sauce between the stromboli, dipping sauce, and salad dressing.
For the dipping sauce:
½ jar Classico Four Cheese pasta sauce
1 tbsp Classico red pesto
a few sprigs fresh basil
For the salad:
2 tbsp Classico Four Cheese sauce
1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp olive oil
salt + pepper, to taste
arugula
reserved fennel, thinly sliced (use the fronds too, if you have them!)
pecorino romano, shaved or grated
Assemble the stromboli
lightly flour your counter or cutting board. Roll out your pizza dough to roughly 18x14 inches (make sure it’s not too thin or it will break). If it’s too stiff, let it rest for 5–10 minutes until more pliable.
thinly slice the fennel and roasted red pepper. Grate your mozzarella and pecorino.
layer your toppings: start with salami, then fennel, roasted red pepper, and mozzarella. Leave the top ¼ of the dough empty, but go all the way to the side edges, since you're shaping it into a circle, you don't need to worry about leaks from the sides.
grate a fine layer of Pecorino over the top, and drizzle a light layer of Classico Four Cheese sauce.
gently roll up the stromboli, pinching the seam to seal.
place it seam-side down in a well-seasoned cast iron pan, forming a ring around the edges. Pinch the two ends together to close the circle.
brush the top with 1/4 cup melted butter mixed with black pepper.
If prepping ahead, cover and refrigerate. Let sit at room temp for 30 minutes before grilling.
2. grill It
heat one side of your grill to high, the other to low. Preheat for at least 10 minutes, you want it hot.
place the cast iron pan on the hot side for about 5 minutes to give the bottom a head start. Then move the pan to the cooler side of the grill, close the lid, and cook for 30–40 minutes, until golden brown on top.
3. make the dipping sauce
add ½ jar Classico Four Cheese sauce, 1 tbsp Classico Red Pesto, and a few basil sprigs to a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, then keep warm until serving.
4. finish & serve
once golden and crisp, remove stromboli from the grill. Brush with more melted butter + black pepper and finish with a generous grating of Pecorino Romano.
slice and serve with your warm dipping sauce.
5. assemble the salad
in a small bowl, whisk together: 2 tbsp Classico Four Cheese sauce, 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp Dijon, 2 tbsp olive oil and salt + pepper
assemble your salad: start with arugula, then add thinly sliced fennel (plus fronds if you have them) and as much Pecorino as your heart desires.
drizzle with dressing right before serving.
⚠️ Important Note: if a substitute isn't listed below, I don't recommend omitting or replacing that ingredient, as it will significantly alter the final dish.
For the stromboli:
fennel salami: use a lower fat meat or this becomes quite greasy but feel free to sub whatever you like! -
red pepper/fennel: same goes here - use dry veggies but feel free to sub in what you like!
mozzarella: do NOT use fresh mozzarella as you don’t want the extra water content. Use the classic comes in a block kind and this will be the only time I say GO EASY otherwise the texture is just a gooey mess.
pecorino romano: parm works great too
freshly cracked black pepper: can skip or sub for sesame seeds!
For the salad:
white balsamic vinegar: white wine vinegar will also work, regular balsamic will work but won’t be as pretty
olive oil: avocado works great
arugula: any green you like!
fennel: can skip or sub whatever cool veggie you have in the fridge - thinly sliced peas or radishes would be awesome.
pecorino romano: parm will work great
Questions? Drop a comment below if you have any questions, and don’t forget to let me know if you make it!