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This homemade Calzone 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 it’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, try Skillet Pizza, Easy Grilled Pizza, and Pizza Stuffed Crescent Rolls!
Calzone
How to Make a Calzone?
- Place a pizza stone in the bottom third of the oven (if you don’t have one, that’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 (this 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) OR 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.
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.
What are Some Good Calzone Fillings?
Calzone fillings are similar to that of toppings on pizza- cured meats like ham, pepperoni, prosciutto, sausage…, vegetables, and various cheeses.
This Calzone is more of a classic “Supreme Pizza” 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.
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 it’s sliced into 1 inch slices like a baguette for multiple servings.
Looking for More Pizza Recipes? Enjoy These:
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Calzone
Ingredients
- 1 recipe pizza dough or store bought
- 8 ounces sweet Italian Sausage casings removed
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1/2 red onion diced
- 24 slices pepperoni
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup sliced olives
- 1 egg + 1 tablespoon water
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
- Italian Seasoning
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Place a pizza stone (if don't have one you'll use a pan later on) in the bottom third of the oven and preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- In a medium skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat until brown, using a wooden spoon to break it into crumbles. Add the peppers and onions and continue to cook until tender. Season with salt and pepper and then remove from pan and onto a paper towel lined plate to drain.
- Section off 1/4 of the pizza dough. Flour work surface and roll it out into a 8-9 inch circle. Place on a piece of parchment paper. Spread about 3 tablespoons ricotta cheese onto half of the circle, leaving a 1 inch border.
- Spoon on 1/4 of the sausage filling over the ricotta, sprinkle with a little cheese, layer on the pepperoni, more cheese, and some sliced olives.
- Fold over the pizza dough so the curved edges line up and make a semicircle. Pinch the edges together to seal. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Cut 3 slits into the top of each calzone to allow steam to escape.
- Brush the egg wash all over the dough. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning.
- With the parchment paper underneath, transfer each Calzone to the stone in the oven (I like to use a pizza peel or plate) OR place on a large baking sheet, cut off any parchment that hangs over and then into the oven.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Rest 10 minutes. Cut in half and serve with marinara sauce for dipping.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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!
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.
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!
Oh my. Used my homemade pizza dough as the base for this recipe. Added a mix of my mom’s italian meatballs, my mom’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.
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.
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!
This recipe along with the dough recipe is perfect and not time consuming. My family loved it.
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.