Our stromboli lineup spans from four different meats in one roll to zero meat at all, with the Italian version landing somewhere in between. That’s a much wider spread than most of our other comparisons, and it’s worth knowing before you pick one.
Here’s exactly what’s in our Meat Lovers, Italian, and Vegetables Strombolis, and how to tell which direction actually matches what you’re craving.
Stromboli itself is a rolled, log-shaped cousin of the calzone — same dough, same basic idea of folding a filling inside, but rolled lengthwise and sliced into portions rather than folded in half. That format detail matters here too, since a roll distributes fillings more evenly along its length than a folded pocket does, which is part of why the ingredient count changes the eating experience more noticeably in a stromboli than it might in other formats.
Most stromboli content online explains the format in the abstract — rolled dough, sliced portions, Italian-American origin. This is about three specific, real options and the genuine gap in ingredient count between them.
It’s also a bigger spread than the equivalent calzone comparison. Where our Italian, Steak, and Vegetables Calzones range from three ingredients to five, these three strombolis range from zero meat to four — a wider gap that makes the decision more consequential than it might look at first glance.
Meat Lovers vs. Italian vs. Vegetables Stromboli at a Glance
| Meat Lovers | Italian | Vegetables | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meat | Pepperoni, sausage, bacon, beef sausage | Ham, salami, pepperoni | None |
| Vegetables | None | None | Mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, onions, olives |
| Meat count | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Vegetable count | 0 | 0 | 5 |
Meat Lovers Stromboli: The Most Loaded Option
The Meat Lovers Stromboli is built from four meats: pepperoni, sausage, bacon, and beef sausage. That’s one more meat than even the Italian Stromboli, and no vegetables at all — the most protein-dense option on the entire calzone and stromboli menu.
Four distinct meats means four different textures rolled into one stromboli — pepperoni’s thin crisp edges, sausage’s coarser bite, bacon’s smokiness, and beef sausage adding yet another layer on top. If you want the single most meat-forward item we make, this is it.
It’s worth comparing directly to our Meat Lovers Pizza, which uses the same core idea — multiple meats, no vegetables — but with a different fourth ingredient. The pizza version uses ham as its fourth meat; the stromboli uses beef sausage instead, which changes the flavor profile even though both are built around the same “as much meat as possible” philosophy.
Italian Stromboli: The Classic Cold-Cut Build
The Italian Stromboli is ham, salami, and pepperoni — three cured meats, no vegetables, closer to a rolled Italian Hoagie than to the heartier Meat Lovers version.
The difference from Meat Lovers isn’t just one fewer meat — it’s a different category of meat entirely. Ham and salami are cold cuts, cured and sliced rather than cooked to order the way sausage and bacon are. That gives the Italian Stromboli a milder, saltier profile compared to Meat Lovers’ smokier, heavier one.
It’s also the version to reach for if the format matters more to you than the total meat quantity. Ham, salami, and pepperoni are all thin-sliced and layer flat, which distributes them evenly through the roll — a more consistent bite throughout than a stromboli built around thicker-cut sausage and bacon.
Vegetables Stromboli: The Only Meatless Option
The Vegetables Stromboli is mushrooms, tomatoes, green peppers, onions, and black olives — five distinct vegetables and the only stromboli on our menu with no meat at all.
According to The Stay at Home Chef’s guide to stromboli fillings, vegetable strombolis commonly build around mushrooms, peppers, and onions specifically because they hold their texture well when rolled and baked — exactly the combination ours uses, plus tomatoes and olives for extra brightness and brine.
Five vegetables also puts this ahead of both meat versions in ingredient variety, even without any protein. If you want real vegetable content rather than a lighter version of a meat stromboli, this is a genuinely different dish, not a compromise.
Mushrooms and olives in particular carry a lot of the flavor weight here. Both bring an umami depth that stands in for what meat would normally contribute, which is part of why this doesn’t read as a “lesser” stromboli missing an ingredient — it’s built to be satisfying on its own terms.
Pros and Cons of Each
| Stromboli | Best For | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Meat Lovers | Maximum meat, four proteins | No vegetables, richest option |
| Italian | Classic cold-cut flavor | No vegetables |
| Vegetables | Meatless, most ingredient variety | No protein |
Which One Should You Order?
If you want maximum meat and don’t mind skipping vegetables entirely, order Meat Lovers. If you want a classic cold-cut flavor closer to a rolled hoagie, order Italian. If you want a genuinely meatless option built around real vegetable variety, order Vegetables.
Ordering for a group with different appetites is a reasonable use case for all three at once. Meat Lovers covers the heaviest eaters, Italian covers anyone who wants classic flavor without going quite as heavy, and Vegetables covers anyone avoiding meat entirely — three genuinely different answers to three genuinely different preferences, not three versions of the same thing.
See the rest of our calzones and strombolis, including the Buffalo Chicken and Chicken versions, in the complete calzones & stromboli guide, or read Italian vs. Steak vs. Vegetables Calzone if you’re deciding between the calzone versions of this same spread.
If you’ve already tried the calzone versions and are wondering whether the stromboli builds match, they mostly do — Italian Calzone and Italian Stromboli share the same three meats, and Vegetables Calzone and Vegetables Stromboli share the same five vegetables. The Meat Lovers pairing is the exception, since there’s no Meat Lovers Calzone on the menu at all — that build only exists in stromboli and pizza form.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What’s the difference between Meat Lovers and Italian Stromboli?
- Meat Lovers has four meats (pepperoni, sausage, bacon, beef sausage). Italian has three cold cuts (ham, salami, pepperoni). Neither includes vegetables.
- Is the Vegetables Stromboli the only meatless option?
- Yes — it’s the only stromboli on our menu with no meat, built from mushrooms, tomatoes, green peppers, onions, and black olives.
- Which stromboli has the most ingredients?
- The Vegetables Stromboli has five ingredients. Meat Lovers has four. Italian has three.
- What’s the difference between a calzone and a stromboli?
- A calzone is dough folded in half over the filling. A stromboli is the same dough and filling rolled into a log and sliced. See our complete calzones & stromboli guide for the full breakdown.
- How much do these strombolis cost?
- Pricing depends on size. Call (215) 904-7353 to hear current pricing and order.
Four meats, three meats, or none at all.