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This homemadeย Calzoneย is a delicious Italian favorite! Pizza dough is filled with cheese, meats, and vegetables and baked until golden. No one will be able to resist this classic!

Everyone loves pizza but we sometimes forget about itโ€™s amazing cousin, the Calzone. If you like pizza you are sure to fall head over heels for this baby. For more pizza-like dishes, tryย Skillet Pizza,ย Easy Grilled Pizza, andย Pizza Stuffed Crescent Rolls!

A close-up of the inside of a Calzone cut in half with melted cheese, pepperoni, olives, and sausage.

Calzone

How to Make a Calzone?

  • Place a pizza stone in the bottom third of the oven (if you donโ€™t have one, thatโ€™s okay!) and preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
  • In a medium skillet, cook and crumble the sausage over medium-high heat until brown. Add the peppers and onions and continue to cook until tender. Season with salt and pepper and drain on a paper towel lined plate.
  • Section off 1/4 of the pizza dough (thisย No Knead, No Rise Pizza Dough is my go-to!). Flour work surface and roll it out into a 8-9 inch circle. Place on a piece of parchment paper.
  • Add filling onto half of the circle, leaving a 1 inch border- ricotta, sausage and veggies, cheese, pepperoni, and olives.
  • Fold over the pizza dough so the curved edges line up and pinch together to seal. Use remaining dough to make 3 more calzones (or refrigerate and use dough within 2 days).
  • Cut 3 slits into the top of each calzone to allow steam to escape.
  • Brush the egg wash over the dough. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning.
  • With the parchement paper underneath, transfer each calzone to the stone in the oven (I like to use a pizza peel or plate)ย ORย place onto a large baking sheet (cut off any excess hanging parchment paper and then into the oven.
  • Bake for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Rest for 10 minutes. Cut in half and serve with marinara sauce for dipping.

A circle of dough with pizza toppings on one half of it. A pre-cooked calzone ready to bake.

What is a Calzone?

A calzone is a sort of enclosed pizza, like it has been folded in half. It originated in Naples, Italy and has since been made various ways.

Inside of the bread dough, the calzone is filled with cheeses, meats, vegetables, and sometimes sauce.

Holding two halves of a Calzone showing the fillings-cheese, pepperoni, sausage, and olives.

What are Some Good Calzone Fillings?

Calzone fillings are similar to that of toppings on pizza- cured meats like ham, pepperoni, prosciutto, sausageโ€ฆ, vegetables, and various cheeses.

This Calzone is more of a classic โ€œSupreme Pizzaโ€ but you can use whatever fillings you like best.

A true calzone has ricotta cheese and does NOT have any sauce. It is served with pizza sauce for dipping.

A Calzone cut in half on a baking sheet with a bowl of marinara sauce for dipping.

What is the Difference Between a Calzone and Stromboli?

Both stem from pizza and use the same ingredients but are enclosed. Rather than have the additives on top, they are wrapped up inside of the dough. Both calzones and stromboli are completely sealed so that none of the filling escapes.

A calzone is shaped like a taco, crimped closed at the curved edge, and typically serves just one.

A stromboli is folded or rolled up like a burrito with the dough folded over itself. After baking itโ€™s sliced into 1 inch slices like a baguette for multiple servings.

A calzone cut in half with melted cheese stringing between the halves.

Looking for More Pizza Recipes? Enjoy These:

Dipping half a Calzone into marinara sauce.

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Calzone

5 from 4 votes
By: Melanie Dueck
This homemadeย Calzoneย is a delicious Italian favorite! Pizza dough is filled with cheese, meats, and vegetables and baked until golden. No one will be able to resist this classic!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients 

  • 8 ounces mild Italian sausage
  • 1 cup sliced pepperoni
  • 1 Homemade Pizza Doughย  or store bought
  • ยฝ cup ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  • In a small skillet over medium-high heat, cook and crumble theย 8 ounces mild Italian sausageย until it is evenly browned and fully cooked.
  • Cut theย 1 Homemade Pizza Doughย ย dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each piece into an 8-inch round.
  • Divide theย ยฝ cup ricotta cheeseย and spread it evenly on one half of each calzone, leaving a ยผ-inch border of dough exposed.
  • Lay theย 1 cup sliced pepperoniย on top of the ricotta and sprinkle with the cooked sausage andย 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese. Add any additional fillings to the calzone at this point.
  • Fold the calzones in half, folding the dough over the fillings. Pinch and fold the edges together to seal the calzone tightly. Place the assembled calzones on the prepared baking sheet.
  • In a small bowl, whisk theย 1 eggย andย 1 tablespoon waterย together to make an egg wash, and brush the egg wash over each calzone.
  • Sprinkle theย 2 tablespoons parmesan cheeseย andย 2 teaspoons Italian seasoningย evenly on each calzone and cut 3 slits in the top of each.
  • Bake the calzones for 15-18 minutes until the calzones are golden brown and baked through. Let the calzones rest for a few minutes before enjoying.

Video

Notes

Storage: Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
You can prepare the calzone without the egg wash and toppings, cover them, and store them in the fridge for up to 2 hours before baking. Egg wash, top, and cut 3 slits in each calzone before baking.
I don't recommend freezing calzones, they are best eaten fresh!

Nutrition

Calories: 745kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 33gFat: 46gSaturated Fat: 19gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 151mgSodium: 1825mgPotassium: 305mgFiber: 2gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 423IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 273mgIron: 5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian, Italian American
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!

About Melanie Dueck

Melanie is the cook and photographer behind the blog Garnish & Glaze. When sheโ€™s not playing princesses with her two little girls, sheโ€™s experimenting in the kitchen. She takes simple ingredients and creates everything from healthy dinners to indulgent desserts.

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8 Comments

  1. Absolutely making these tomorrow night! No meat on Fridays because of Lent and I want to make exactly what you made! Mmmm cannot wait! Thank you!

  2. 5 stars
    I made these and everyone loved these. Great recipe!
    Can i roll these and have those ready and bake after an hour? Do you think they will stay ok unbaked for an hour. I am having my whole family over and can’t make all after they come. Trying to decide whether to bake fully and warm those up or have those ready but bake when we are ready to eat. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

    1. I haven’t tried that before but I think for an hour they should be fine as long as they are in your fridge! I would wait to put the egg wash and parmesan and seasonings on top until just before you are ready to cook them. Let me know how they turn out!

  3. Oh my. Used my homemade pizza dough as the base for this recipe. Added a mix of my momโ€™s italian meatballs, my momโ€™s italian gravy for dipping and rest of recipe as stated. Better than any I have had. Hands down. This one goes in our recipe book.

  4. 5 stars
    1st time making calzones, but not the last. These are delicious. I bought already made dough and had lots of veggies and turkey pepperoni. Funny thing is, I added the ricotta but forgot the mozzarella so we put it on top after it baked. I did use a pizza stone so the bottom was crispy, yum. There are so many options, we’re already planning a buffalo chicken and philly cheesesteak version. Thanks for an awesome recipe.

  5. My goodness this is wonderful!! My youngest decided he wanted calzones for his birthday dinner (hello, 10 years old!!!), and when I saw this recipe I was hooked. I used your.pizza dough recipe and it was so simple and easy. Popped these into the oven and everyone is happy as a classic! Thanks so much!

  6. 5 stars
    I have been searching and trying different calzone recipes. The search has ended! This by far is the best one I have tried! My husband even said it was a keeper. Thanks for sharing.