Stromboli are an American version of calzones that have the addition of some sauce inside. They are typically made with pizza dough and filled with meats, cheeses, and other ingredients. "Hot Pockets" are overpriced little freezer foods found at your favorite grocery store. Yes-they are easy and always sound good but I'm hungry as soon as I finish the thing! Making them at home is a winner way to save money and a delicious way to eat! Made at home, they are inexpensive, are made with a super easy homemade dough with fillings of your choice, and are just as easy to reheat as the store bought version!
Here's how we make homemade Stromboli / Homemade Hot Pockets AT HOME MY WAY!
Homemade Stromboli (Hot Pockets)
(uses Freshly Milled Wheat OR Store Bought Flour)
Dough:
- No Knead Bread Recipe found HERE (using freshly milled wheat) OR make the same EXACT recipe using regular store bought flour.
Fillings / Additional Ingredients for Pizza Hot Pockets
- Pizza or Spaghetti sauce (marinara)
- grated cheese or slices
- Pizza toppings like pepperoni, mushrooms, peppers, cooked sausage crumbles
Other ideas:
- Hot Pocket "Subs" - Lunchmeats of your choice (slices of turkey, ham, salami, chicken, bacon, cheeses of your choice, etc.)
- Leftovers Hot Pockets- Pulled pork, sloppy joe or taco meat, cooked chicken, turkey/cranberry sauce, roast beef & cheddar, bacon chicken ranch, buffalo chicken, etc. all make great hot pockets.
- Breakfast Hot Pockets can be made with cooked (scrambled) eggs, meats (sausage links or crumbles, pieces of ham or bacon), vegetables (cooked onions, peppers, mushrooms) and cheeses! I have even added jams or fruit/cream cheese to make easy breakfast roll type hot pockets.
- Dessert Hot Pockets/Strombolis - Add small amounts of pie fillings, fruit, chocolate, or Nutella to make dessert hand pies!
- Remember to include your favorite sauce like BBQ sauce, hot wing sauce, salsa.
- Cheeses, either grated or sliced.
- Options are endless here! You could even use smaller circles and make them for appetizers.
INSTRUCTIONS:
To make the Stromboli (hot pockets):
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Remove dough from the fridge and sprinkle with a little flour. Pull the dough out of the bowl and form it into a nice ball on a lightly floured surface.
- For my no knead dough recipe linked here, cut the dough into 8 sections for dough balls. (I make an "even number" by cutting the dough in half, cutting each in half and each in half until I get eight. You need a dough ball a little smaller than a baseball.)
- On a floured surface, roll each ball into an 8 inch circle (the size of a small flour tortilla). (You can use a rolling pin or if you don't have one, can use a plastic or glass cup!)
- On half of each dough circle, add a few tablespoons of sauce.
- Top with a meat of your choice and any cheese you like (if any). Not too full because they have to close and seal.
- Fold the dough over making a half circle. Pinch the sides around really well / crimp like a pie crust all the way around. I kind of fold the bottom edge over the top edge and then crimp.
- Place the pockets on a sprayed or parchment paper lined cookie sheet with a little space between each one.
- Bake at 400 degrees until toasty brown - about 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool before freezing.
- If eating, be careful! Remember that filling will be HOT!
- To freeze, bag them up cold and freeze them for up to three months.
- Reheat by placing in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes.
The Chit Chat
Our favorite way to eat homemade hot pockets/strombolis are with pizza toppings but I also use these delicious hand pies for filling with leftovers like pulled pork, sloppy joe or taco meat, even meatballs. We also use them to make sub type sandwiches using lunch meats and cheeses. They are even great for breakfasts using scrambled eggs, sausage, cheese or even as sweet hand pies (think chocolate chips, jam, pie fillings).
Homemade Hot Pockets freeze great and are a wonderful last minute supper or Saturday lunch. They are great for meal prep and make packing lunch a breeze (if you have use of a microwave).
Lately, I've been keeping a weekly batch of no-knead dough in my fridge using freshly milled wheat. This delicious and nutrient dense dough offers a great launch pad for easy meals like pizzas, bagels, bread, and now Homemade Hot Pockets.
Last night while making supper, I decided to use up the little ball of the dough I had in the fridge from last week's bagels to make these homemade hot pockets. I hadn't made them in years! I filled them with jarred spaghetti sauce, a few pepperoni, and the last of a bag of grated cheese. Even though they weren't what we were having for supper that night, Doug was SO EXCITED to see them baking in the oven! Plus the little bit of sauce, pepperoni and cheese likely would have been thrown away had I not used them since they were all on their last leg.
Doug suggested some of the leftover pulled pork in the fridge would also make good hot pockets. Sooooo - I quickly mixed up another batch of no-knead dough just for using up the pulled pork. I baked them over the weekend and they were delicious!
Groceries are expensive and one of the best ways to cut grocery bills is to use up every single thing. Don't throw away your hard earned money! I don't know about you, but the hours of my life that I trade for money are not taken lightly. Making homemade hot pockets makes great meals on the run and the money they save is a game changer!
What do you have languishing in your fridge that needs using up? Mix up some no knead dough and make yourself some homemade hot pockets! Let me know how you like them. I'm betting they will be a game changer for you too!
(My pics below are from when I used up the BBQ pork but at least show you the method.)
Enjoy!
Gina
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