This has comfort food written all over it. Pizza dough, cheese, ground beef and tomato sauce…. I mean HELLO!  I always have a bag of store bought pizza dough in my fridge and this is a fun way to use it.  This stromboli is a hearty meal that feeds a group of hungry humans and does it with gusto!

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp canola oil

680g lean ground beef

1 cooking onion, diced

1 green pepper diced

300g frozen spinach OR 8 cups fresh baby spinach

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tsp chili flakes (optional)

1/2 tsp salt

½ tsp ground pepper

2 ½ cups passata (strained tomatoes) divided

750g pre-made pizza dough

1 tbsp flour

1 ½ cups grated mozzarella cheese

1 tbsp sesame seeds

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

1. Remove the pizza dough from the fridge.

2. Heat a large pan over medium heat and add canola oil, ground beef, onion, green pepper and cook, stirring occasionally for 8min or until beef is almost cooked through.

3. Add the frozen (or fresh) spinach and cook until the spinach has heated through (or wilted if using fresh).

4. Add the cooked beef mixture to a colander to drain all the excess liquid, use a spoon to press the mixture to expel as much liquid as possible. Add the drained mixture to a large bowl and mix in the oregano, chili flakes, salt, pepper and 1 ½ cups of the passata.

5. Preheat oven to 400F

6. Spray a large rimmed baking sheet with non-stick spray and place your pizza dough in the centre.  Dust the top of the dough with 1 tbsp flour and begin to press and pull the dough out to the edges of the pan (do NOT turn the dough over).  The dough should be at least as large as the sheet pan.

7. Scatter the cheese over the stretched-out dough and then top with the beef mixture, leaving about 1/4” all around the edge of the dough.

8. Begin rolling the dough from a long edge in a large pinwheel fashion (folding only twice), sealing all the beef inside. Move the Stromboli into the centre of the baking sheet.  Tuck each short end underneath itself so it is sealed at both ends.

9. Cut six small slits in the top of the dough and garnish with sesame seeds. Bake for 35min in the middle rack of the oven.

10. Remove and allow the Stromboli to cool for 10min.

11. Slice portions with a serrated knife and serve with remaining cup of passata warmed.

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