This Summer Stromboli bursts with flavor from fresh summer vegetables, including red bell pepper, zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, spinach, and red onion. Encased in a homemade dough and loaded with melted cheese, this recipe serves as the perfect way to enjoy the summer bounty and support your local farmers’ markets!
Summer Stromboli with Garden Vegetables
This Summer Stromboli bursts with flavor from fresh summer vegetables, including red bell pepper, zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, spinach, and red onion. Encased in a homemade dough and loaded with melted cheese, this recipe serves as the perfect way to enjoy the summer bounty and support your local farmers’ markets!
Ingredients
For the Stromboli Dough:
- 2 ¼ tsp (1 packet) active dry yeast
- 1 tsp white granulated sugar
- ¾ cup warm water, ( at 105-110F)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- Tbsp olive oil
For the Filling:
- 1 red bell pepper, (thinly sliced)
- 1 zucchini, (thinly sliced)
- 1 small eggplant, (thinly sliced)
- 2 Roma tomatoes, (deseeded and sliced)
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 1 red onion, (thinly sliced)
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp dried Italian herbs
- 1 whole egg, (beaten, for egg wash)
Instructions
- To make the dough, combine the active dry yeast, white granulated sugar, and warm water in a bowl.
- *The ideal temperature for your warm water here is roughly 105F. Anything above 120F will kill the yeast.
- Let the mixture sit for roughly 5-7 minutes, or until it becomes frothy and the yeast has had time to activate.
- In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour and Kosher salt.
- Make a well in the center of the flour, and pour in the yeast mixture and olive oil.
- Stir the mixture until a loose dough forms.
- Knead the dough on a lightly-floured surface for about 10 minutes, or until until it's smooth and elastic.
- *You may need to add a bit more flour if the dough feels too sticky at this stage.
- Place the kneaded dough into a greased bowl, and cover with a damp cloth.
- Let the dough rise for 60 minutes, or until it has roughly doubled in size.
- While the dough is rising, preheat your oven to 375F.
- Meanwhile, it is time to partially cook and cool down the vegetables.
- In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the onion, bell pepper, zucchini, and eggplant, and sauté until they begin to soften.
- Add the spinach and tomatoes, season with salt, pepper, and Italian herbs, and cook for another two minutes until the spinach wilts.
- Remove the vegetables from the heat, and let the mixture cool in the fridge.
- Once the dough has risen, punch it down with your hands to remove any air pockets, and turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.
- Roll the dough out into a rectangle a little less than ¼” in thickness.
- Spread 75% of the shredded mozzarella cheese over the surface of the dough.
- Gently add the cooled vegetable mixture evenly over the cheese, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge without the vegetables.
- Sprinkle a little more of the shredded mozzarella over the vegetables.
- Roll the dough up as tightly as you can, starting from the long side, almost like you would roll up a towel or a jelly roll.
- Pinch the ends gently to try to seal, and place the roll seam-side down on a lined baking sheet.
- Brush the top with beaten egg.
- Bake the stromboli in the preheated 375F oven for roughly 30 minutes, or until it's nicely golden brown and the cheese is bubbling out and the dough on the inside is fully cooked.
- Let it cool down for a few minutes before slicing and serving.
- Serve with cups of hot tomato sauce on the side, for dipping.
Notes
This stromboli can be customized with your favorite summer vegetables. It's important to let the sautéed vegetables cool down before placing them on the cheese that is on the dough, to prevent the dough from getting too soggy.
Serve this delicious stromboli as a main entrée, or as a part of a summer picnic spread.
These will still taste great re-heated in the oven the following day.