This easy homemade Calzone Recipe comes together quickly with only a few simple ingredients! No need to go to a pizza restaurant anymore when you get a craving. Filled with pepperoni, ham, pizza sauce, and cheese, it makes for a delicious Italian dinner or lunch any day of the week.
Looking for more easy dinner recipes? Try my Italian Meatballs or Homemade Pizza Sauce next!
About This Recipe
If you've never had a calzone before, think of it as a pizza that folded over on itself. It's filled with typical pizza ingredients, like sauce, cheese, meats, and vegetables. To make it, pizza dough is rolled into circles, loaded with pizza sauce and toppings, then folded over into a pocket before going in the oven. A calzone is basically a giant pizza pocket. Actually, I bet pizza pockets were derived from calzones.
My favorite part about this recipe is how flexible it is. You can swap in your favorite pizza toppings, so there's a different calzone every time. Try switching up the meat, adding vegetables, or trying a different cheese. For me, I love a classic ham, pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese calzone. My wife likes a bit more veggies, so I add green peppers and sauteed mushrooms to hers. If you use mushrooms, make sure to saute or roast them beforehand to get out their moisture otherwise the inside gets quite soggy.
Key Ingredients
Pizza dough: You can either make your own pizza dough or buy store-bought. For this recipe, I just used store-bought to make things quick and easy.
Pizza sauce: Again, you can either use homemade or store-bought. If you're using store-bought, I recommend getting a higher-quality pizza sauce since I've found that cheaper pizza sauces have lots of sodium to make up for the lack of quality ingredients.
Pepperoni: You'll need about 1 cup of pepperoni slices. Feel free to switch it up with your favorite meat toppings like salami, cooked Italian sausage, or cooked bacon.
Ham: Use either thinly sliced deli ham or cubed ham pieces.
Mozzarella cheese: I recommend shredding your own mozzarella from a block, as pre-shredded cheese is coated in anti-clumping agents that keep it from melting as nicely.
Oil: Brushed over the tops of the calzones to help them crisp up in the oven.
Parmesan cheese: It wouldn't be a calzone without some parmesan sprinkled on top!
Instructions
STEP 1: Divide the pizza dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll each into a ยผ-inch thick circle on a lightly floured surface. If the dough keeps springing back, let it rest for a few minutes.
STEP 2: Spread pizza sauce on one half of each dough, leaving about 1 inch around the edges.
STEP 3: Top with pepperoni and ham.
STEP 4: Sprinkle on cheese.
STEP 5: Fold over and crimp the edges to seal. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops with oil and cut 3 small slits to allow ventilation. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.
STEP 6: Bake for 14-16 minutes in a 425ยฐF oven until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.
๐ Recipe
Easy Calzone Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pizza dough (homemade or store-bought)
- 1 cup pizza sauce (recipe here)
- 1 cup pepperoni
- 1 cup ham
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ยฝ cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425ยฐF and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Divide the pizza dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll each into a ยผ-inch thick circle.
- Spread pizza sauce on one half of each dough, leaving about 1 inch around the edges. Top with pepperoni, ham, and cheese. Fold over and crimp the edges to seal. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Brush the tops with oil and cut 3 small slits to allow ventilation. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.
- Bake for 14-16 minutes until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.
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