This homemade calzone recipe is a mixture of sausage, pepperoni and bell peppers, all baked inside pizza dough with plenty of melted cheese. Calzones are the perfect food for a party, as they’re hand held, hearty and totally delicious.
Pizza is a commonly served food at gatherings, but I like to surprise my guests by offering calzones instead. You can fill your calzones with so many different toppings, and they’re sure to garner rave reviews. Serve your calzones with other Italian food recipes such as panzanella salad, eggplant lasagna or sun dried tomato chicken for a memorable meal.
Good food is part of any great gathering, and my current go-to for feeding a crowd are these amazingly delicious calzones. This calzone recipe can easily be doubled or tripled for a large group and it’s a nice change from the typical pizza that you find at many events.
Table of Contents
Calzone Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need pizza dough, Italian sausage, bell peppers, pepperoni, pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, an egg and parsley.
How Do You Make Calzones?
Preheat the oven, and coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Divide the pizza dough into quarters, then roll out each piece into an oval or rectangle shape. Place the sausage in a pan or large skillet, then cook until it is golden brown, breaking up the meat with a spatula as you go. Add the bell peppers to the sausage, and cook until the peppers are soft. Place some pizza sauce on one side of each piece of dough, then layer cheese, sausage and peppers and pepperoni on top. Add a little more cheese, then fold the dough over and pinch the ends to seal. Brush the tops of each dough packet with egg, then bake until the crust is golden brown. After the calzones come out of the oven, sprinkle them with parsley and sere with pizza sauce for dipping.
Tips For Homemade Calzones
- You can make your calzones as big or as small as you like. I typically make about 4 calzones per pound of pizza dough, which makes for a hearty main course. If you’re looking to serve them as an appetizer or snack, you can create 6-8 mini calzones instead.
- Homemade pizza dough or store-bought pizza dough both work well in this recipe. I often buy a tube of pizza dough because it requires less rolling.
- Use a sharp knife to cut a few vents in the top of each pizza pocket so that the steam can escape.
- I recommend grating your own mozzarella cheese for this dish. The bags of pre-shredded cheese from the grocery store often contain preservatives and anti caking agents and do not melt smoothly.
Quick Tip
I brush the top of my pizza pockets with egg so that they get that beautiful golden-brown sheen. You can skip the egg wash step and still have delicious results.
Calzone Variations
While I typically use the fillings listed in this recipe, I sometimes add other ingredients depending on what I have on hand.
- Meat: Instead of pepperoni, try Canadian bacon, salami, frozen meatballs, ham or chicken along with your sausage.
- Vegetables: Other great vegetable options include mushrooms, artichoke hearts, spinach, olives or onions.
- Cheese: Swap out some of the mozzarella for a different type of cheese such as parmesan, fontina, asiago or provolone. You can also add a spoonful of ricotta cheese to the mix.
- Sauce: No pizza sauce on hand? Try marinara sauce, pesto or Alfredo sauce.
Recipe FAQs
A calzone is a type of Italian folded pizza that can be stuffed with any number of toppings. You can pick calzones up and eat them like a sandwich, which makes them a mess-free option for entertaining. You can even set out pieces of pizza dough and toppings and let your guests assemble their own culinary creations.
Both a stromboli and a calzone consist of pizza dough folded around meats, cheeses or vegetables. A stromboli has a log shape and a calzone is often triangle or semicircle shaped.
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This recipe is a simple, kid friendly meal that is easy to customize and will surely get rave reviews!
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Calzone Recipe Video
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Calzone Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound pizza dough homemade or store bought
- 8 ounces Italian sausage casings removed
- ¾ cup bell peppers cut into thin strips, you can use any color you like
- ½ cup pepperoni
- 1 cup pizza sauce divided use
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 tablespoon parsley chopped
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Coat a sheet pan with cooking spray.
- Divide the pizza dough into 4 pieces.
- Roll the dough into 1/4 inch thick ovals or rectangles.
- Place the sausage in a pan and cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until browned, using a spatula to break up the meat as it cooks.
- Add the bell peppers to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened.
- Spread 2 teaspoons of pizza sauce onto one side of each piece of dough. Top with 1/4 cup cheese.
- Divide the sausage and pepper mixture evenly on top of the sauce. Top with pepperoni and an additional 1/4 cup of cheese.
- Fold the dough over and pinch to seal the edges. Use a sharp knife to cut 2-3 slits into the top of each calzone.
- Brush each calzone with the beaten egg.
- Place the calzones on the sheet pan. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown.
- Top with parsley, then serve immediately with remaining pizza sauce for dipping.
Notes
- You can make your calzones as big or as small as you like. I typically make about 4 calzones per pound of pizza dough, which makes for a hearty main course. If you’re looking to serve them as an appetizer or snack, you can create 6-8 mini calzones instead.
- Homemade or store bought pizza dough both work well in this recipe. I often buy a tube of pizza dough because it requires less rolling.
Served this for dinner tonight and it was a hit all around the table! Quite possibly, my family’s new favorite way to enjoy pizza! Delicious!
Just made this calzone and it was a huge success! My husband loves it as well!
Now these look delicious. I think my children would just love one of these calzone for lunch.
Such a simple and easy looking recipe. I think the only thing I’d do differently is saute the bell peppers beforehand to get that sweet caramelized flavor….maybe add in some cooked onions to now that I think about it. Sounds sooo good.
What a great recipe the whole family will enjoy. The kids can help make them too.