Pesto Chicken and Spinach Stromboli

I have a fun, yummy recipe for you today.  It includes one of my all time favorite ingredients--Pesto!  If you haven't tried pesto yet, you really need to.  Its usually a mixture of basil, pine nuts and olive oil and its fabulous!  I put it on grilled cheese sandwiches, or any sandwich for that matter.  Its also great added in to pasta sauce or Alfredo sauce.


Pesto Chicken and Spinach Stromboli
14" dutch oven


1 refrigerated pizza crust (or use your own recipe)
~2 Tbs. basil pesto 
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
2 cups cooked, cubed chicken
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced (I used Roma)
1 Tbs. olive oil
Canned Parmesan cheese


On an oiled surface, roll out the pizza dough into about a 10 x 12 inch rectangle.  Don't get it too big or it won't fit into your DO very well.  Spread a thin layer of pesto on the dough.  Be careful to keep it about an inch from the edges of the dough.  Then, evenly spread the spinach, tomatoes, chicken and cheese over the dough.

Starting with the long edge of the dough, carefully roll it up like you would cinnamon rolls.  Pinch the seams shut and tuck the ends under.  Place seam side down in an oiled dutch oven.  Brush with the olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake at the temperature required for your dough for 20-25 minutes. (Mine was 425° so I used 2 rings plus a couple of coals on top and 1 ring on the bottom.)  Check it toward the end of cooking and if its brown enough for you, cover it with a sheet of foil to prevent over browning.    Its important that it cook for at least 20 minutes (Mine took 25) in order to cook the center of the Stromboli.  Let it stand for 10-15 minutes before slicing.  Serve with Alfredo or marinara sauce for dipping.  Serves 8.

The Finished Product

The Review

This was a huge hit with my kids!  They naturally love anything that they get to dip into something.  But they didn't even complain (too loudly) about the spinach.  The pesto adds great flavor, and if you haven't tried it yet, this is the recipe to use!  I've made this a couple of times, and I've had problems getting the bread in the center to cook completely.  Next time I think I'll make several calzones instead of a Stromboli so I won't have that problem again.  But no matter which way you make it, its great!

Source:  Adapted from Our Best Bites:  Mormon Moms in the Kitchen Cookbook