Mexican Stromboli Christmas Wreath Appetizer

This Mexican Stromboli Christmas Wreath Appetizer is a delicious way to start your holiday meals! Golden crust wreath filled with cheese and enchilada beans stuffing is a fantastic addition to your holiday menu.

This appetizer is so festive and fun for your holiday parties this Christmas season! Complete your Christmas appetizer spread with this easy fusion Stromboli Wreath!

It may look impressive, but this wreath is so easy to make. Your guests are sure to love this appetizer!

Jump to:

• So what is Stromboli?
• Ingredients, substitutions, and pro-tips
• How to make Mexican Stromboli Christmas Wreath Appetizer? Step by step process
• Mexican Stromboli Christmas Wreath Appetizer

How are all of your holiday preparations coming along? Do you have your appetizer list ready to go?

The holiday season is already here and that means we need to have several quick and easy appetizer recipes available like these

• Antipasto Cheese Ball Christmas Tree
• Enchilada sliders
• Pizza sliders
• Pasta in phyllo cups.

I have one more for you to add to your list! This Mexican Italian inspired fusion Christmas Wreath Appetizer is so delicious we (myself, hubby, and son) almost ate the whole thing all by ourselves when I was testing the recipe.

So what is Stromboli?

Stromboli is a type of Swiss roll filled with various Italian cheeses (typically mozzarella) and usually Italian cold cuts meats or vegetables. The dough used is either Italian bread dough or pizza dough. Stromboli was invented by Italian-Americans in the United States in Philadelphia.

You can pretty much put anything you want in your Stromboli. The basics are starting with either pizza dough or bread dough and you stuff it with cheese, pizza sauce, and veggies or meat.

We like to make it with different veggies and mozzarella.

But this time I thought of giving Stromboli a fusion twist and came up with this recipe.

Ingredients, substitutions, and pro-tips

So there are 3 parts to this recipe.

1 Stromboli dough

For the dough, you will need basic ingredients like

• All-purpose flour – You can use bread flour, whole wheat flour, or 50% whole wheat and 50% all-purpose flour.

But different types of flour will indeed yield different results. Whichever you choose, it's important to bear in mind that I can't tell you exactly how much flour to use.

On a humid day, you may need less flour. On a dry day, you may need more. If you live at a high elevation, that can impact it too.

So in other words, you have to use your judgment, not rely solely on the range that's given in the recipe card. You will need soft and smooth dough.

• Olive oil – this gives flavor, provide a more tender, fine-grained texture, and gives moisture.

You can leave it out. Your crust will still be edible.

If you don't have olive oil you can substitute it with any other kind of oil that has a flavor you like and that is liquid at room temperature. You can use melted butter too.

• Salt – Salt is added for seasoning and to provide flavor. Salt is also magical in that it carries and enhances other flavors as well. I have used regular table salt.

• Yeast – I have used Instant yeast.

If you are planning to use active dry yeast, first add the yeast in warm water with sugar and let them activate for about 10 minutes or until the water looks frothy. And then add yeast water to the flour and start kneading the dough. The rest of the process will be the same.

Be sure to check the expiration date on your yeast before you begin.

• Sugar – If you don't want to use sugar you could replace it with honey.

It is possible to leave the sugar out entirely, but I like to include it. It not only helps the yeast inactivation but also gives flavor and helps in browning the Stromboli. Sugar will caramelize as it cooks, giving you a lovely brown color and toasty flavor.

The result is not sweet (because it's such a small amount of sugar) but it just tastes balanced and flavorful.

• Warm water – The purpose of the water is for moisture (obviously). Your water must be warm but not hot.

You want the water to be just barely warm to the touch. If you have a thermometer, shoot for 100 to 110 degrees F. To check the temperature simply insert your clean finger in the water and count 1 to 30. You should be able to leave your finger in the water.

Be careful the water's not too hot or it can kill the yeast, and then your dough won't rise.

2. Enchilada beans and veggie stuffing

For the stuffing, you will need

• Black beans – I have used canned black beans. You can use kidney beans, pinto beans, or any variety of your choice. If you are not a fan of store-bought canned beans, make them from scratch using an instant pot or any pressure cooker.

• Enchilada sauce – I have used store-bought red enchilada sauce. You can use homemade or green enchilada sauce.

• Vegetables – For vegetables, I have used corn, bell peppers, and onion. Feel free to use any veggies of your choice.

• Spices – To spice the stuffing, I have used Taco seasoning.

• Jalapenos – You can use serrano peppers or simply skip it if you don't like spicy.

• Cheese – I have used cheddar cheese. Feel free to use any shredded cheese of your choice.

3. Butter topping

Brushing the Stromboli with butter and other ingredients is a must. It enhances the flavors.

For this, you will need

• Melted butter – You can use olive oil too instead of butter.

• Taco seasoning

• Cilantro – Use freshly chopped cilantro. You can use parsley or basil too.

• Parmesan cheese – Don't use powdered variety. Use real cheese.

• Grated garlic – Use freshly grated garlic.

How to make Mexican Stromboli Christmas Wreath Appetizer? Step by step process

This is a really easy recipe and makes a pretty presentation. It's especially easy if you prep the beans and veggie mixture and dough ahead of time. You'll be able to assemble this quickly and enjoy your time with friends and family. Let me show you how to prepare it!

Step – 1 Make the dough

Take the flour, instant yeast, salt, sugar, and olive oil in a big bowl/kitchen aid mixing bowl. Mix them very well.

Attach the dough hook to the mixer and start at a low speed.

Now slowly add water and knead the dough. Start at a low speed. Gradually increase the speed to medium until the ball forms. This should take about 30 seconds.

The dough should be soft and smooth. If the dough does not release from the sides of the bowl and feels very sticky and pasty, add a pinch of flour. If the dough is very dry and floury, add a small amount of warm water.

Once the dough forms into a ball, allow the mixer to knead for 8 to 10 minutes at medium-high. You can knead the dough with your hands too. If you are kneading the dough with your hands, knead it for 12 – 15 minutes.

Once the dough is kneaded well, transfer it to the oiled bowl for proofing.

There are 2 methods of proofing the dough

• Regular method

Place the dough in the oiled bowl. Make sure the bowl is big and has enough room for the dough to get doubled.

Cover it with cling wrap. Place the bowl in a warm place for 2 hours.

• Instant pot method

The instant pot comes to the rescue when it comes to proofing the dough. Especially during wintertime. Instant pot gives a consistent result and saves half your time.

Here is how you proof the dough in an Instant pot

Oil the inner pot of your instant pot, place the dough seemed side down, cover the instant pot with a glass lid or a plate, press the yogurt button and set it on 1 hour time.

Pro-tip – Don't use an instant pot locking lid when you are proofing the dough. Because If you let it rise too much it can push the pin up to lock the id and you may not be able to get it open. So Instead of using an IP locking lid use either a glass lid or plate. It’s a much better choice. If you don't have the Instant Pot glass lid, dig around in your cabinet, I bet you have another lid that you can use. I did the same thing!

Step – 2 Making stuffing

For the stuffing, simply add everything – beans, bell peppers, corn, onion, beans, enchilada sauce, and Mexican seasoning – in a bowl and mix them well. Cover it and keep it aside.

Step – 3 Making butter topping

Take butter/oil, parmesan cheese, Mexican seasoning, grated garlic, and Mexican seasoning in a bowl. Mix everything well and keep it aside.

Step – 4 Shaping and stuffing

Preheat your oven to @400 degrees F.

Line your round baking tray with parchment paper and keep it aside.

The dough should be doubled in size once the proofing time is done. A well-risen dough will have all these stretchy webby strands on the side of the bowl when you pull the dough away from the edge.

Once the dough is doubled in size, punch the dough and take it onto the floured surface.

Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a large rectangle, about 1.8ftx1.5ft in size.

I roll my dough into a rectangle, but you don't have to stress about exact measurements or it being perfectly rectangle because making stromboli should be fun!

Now leaving a 2-inch plain dough border along the edges, sprinkle 1 cup cheese all along the edge closest to you, top it evenly with the prepared stuffing and again top it with the remaining 1 cup cheese. Make sure to layer everything evenly.

Tightly roll away from you, like a swiss roll, making sure to pinch the sides to closed. Cut down the extra from the sides. Keep the sides aside. You will need it to make a bow for the wreath.

Once the roll is formed, carefully bend the roll into a circular wreath shape. (refer video for a better idea).

Place the wreath seam side down on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the ovenproof small dipping bowl in the middle of the wreath. This will help to stay Stromboli in round shape.

From the remaining dough(which we kept aside after cutting the sides), make a bow. It’s hard to explain the process of making the bow. Please watch the video given in the recipe card. Stick that bow on bread as shown in the video. You can skip this step if you wish to.

Step – 5 Baking

Apply butter and cheese toppings on top of the wreath.

Using a sharp knife make a few cuts along the top for the steam to escape.

Bake it for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. The cheese will come out from the cuts while baking. Don't worry. Take all of those cheese from the sides and put it back into the cuts once it is baked. (refer to video).

Let it cool for 5 minutes.

Cut into desired pieces and serve with Marinara Sauce. Enjoy!!

I have decorated the wreath with rosemary and chopped red bell peppers.

Shortcuts

1. If you don't want to make the pizza dough from scratch, you can use store-bought pizza dough or bread dough and make this in no time.

2. Or you can use a store-bought puff pastry sheet and make this recipe.

3. Or use this method of making pizza dough with rapid rise yeast and cut down the time.

All the method works very well and saves lots of time.

Make-ahead method

If you are planning to make this appetizer in advance, follow these steps

Dough – Make the dough, proof it, and freeze it. To freeze pizza dough, place the pizza dough balls into resealable plastic bags.

Thaw frozen dough at room temp. Once they are no longer cold, they can be punched down, stuffed, shaped, and baked.

You can keep balls of dough in the fridge (in lightly oiled containers, covered) for up to 48 hours, and they will keep in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. After that, the yeast will start to die off.

Stuffing – this step can be done 2 days in advance. Mix everything, place it into an air-tight container, and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

On the day of making, take it out 1 hour before stuffing it into the Stromboli dough and follow the recipe.

Can this recipe be scaled up or down?

Yes! You can double, triple, or even quadruple this recipe! Just make sure you have a bowl big enough to handle the volume while proofing it. Plus make sure you have a big baking sheet/pan to bake this appetizer.

The recipe can also be halved if you want to make a smaller amount.

Listen, if there's one appetizer recipe to make during the holidays, it's this one.

Isn't it just the prettiest thing you've ever seen? I enjoyed making this Christmas wreath and loved the way it turned out.

Do give this showstopper appetizer recipe a try. I am sure your family and guests will be amazed at its look and flavors.

So go and gather all these ingredients and get baking because honestly, once you taste this Mexican Stromboli Christmas Wreath recipe, you'll want to make it again and again!

Warm regards,

Dhwani.