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This Homemade Calzone Recipe is so fun to make with your family. An easy dough and sauce combined with lots of gooey cheese and favorite pizza toppings make this a simple supper everyone will be happy to help prepare!
Homemade calzones are a fun twist to pizza! This easy recipe uses store-bought frozen bread dough, which is so yummy and convenient. But if you want to make them more from scratch, try our Homemade Pizza Dough recipe. It’s soft, flavorful, and simple to make!
Serve the sauce on the side for dipping. My older kids like it this way, but it can get messy for my younger ones. My kids have also been known to dip calzones in ranch or pour sauce over the top of each individual calzone and let that glorious sauce seep into the crust. It is delicious!
Homemade Calzone Recipe
Make this simple calzone recipe with all the fillings! Quick and ready in less than 30 minutes. With only five ingredients this dough comes to life and is baked with all the toppings inside making it a delicious dinner recipe!
- Frozen bread dough – Thaw the dough ahead of time. Divide the dough to make five different calzones.
- Spaghetti sauce – I like to use Barilla brand spaghetti sauce that has the most flavor.
- Mozzarella cheese sticks – Make it simple by unwrapping kid’s cheese sticks for that thick cheese to melt in the dough while being baked.
- Pepperoni – Sliced pepperoni can be layered and filled in the dough.
- Mozzarella cheese – Sprinkle extra cheese on the toppings. This gives it an extra melty cheese.
How to Make Easy Calzone
Wrap all your favorite ingredients into a delicious dough and bake it. It is a simple and fun twist to homemade pizza. It is easy to make and can feed a family of four!
- Dough – Divide bread dough into 5 equally-sized dough balls. Spread each dough ball out on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin as if you were making a pizza. Roll into a 6-7 inch circle.
- Add sauce – Spread 2 tablespoons of sauce on the center of each pizza leaving about 1 inch uncovered around the edge for sealing.
- Toppings – Remove plastic wrap from each cheese stick and place a cheese stick in the center of each pizza. Put as many toppings as you would like in the middle then sprinkle on a couple of tablespoons of shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Bake – Using a sharp knife, make a couple of little slits in the top of the dough, spray the top lightly with cooking spray, or brush with egg wash. Then bake on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until the tops and bottoms of the calzones are golden brown.
- Dipping – Heat the remaining spaghetti sauce in a small pot or in the microwave and simmer until the calzones are done. You can serve the calzones with the sauce on the side then dip the calzone into it OR you can pour the sauce over the calzones and top them with cheese.
Let’s Talk Toppings
As far as toppings go, the sky’s the limit! I wanted to share a few of my favorite topping combos, but feel free to get creative! Anything you can put on a pizza, you can put in a calzone! You can also experiment with different sauces. Instead of marinara, try pesto, Alfredo, or bbq sauce.
- Classic – Pepperoni or just cheese is always easiest and the most favorite in kids and some adults.
- Hawaiian – Canadian bacon and pineapple tidbits are either favored or strongly disliked.
- Supreme – Italian sausage, pepperoni, olives, peppers, and mushrooms give it a hearty and meaty taste.
- BBQ Chicken – Shredded chicken, red onion, and cilantro, bbq sauce is a delicious combination.
- Alfredo – Classic chicken, bacon, and Alfredo sauce is an overly delicious Italian dinner.
- Meat Lovers – Pepperoni, Italian sausage, and ham enjoyed by all the meat lovers out there!
- Veggie – Peppers, olives, mushrooms, onions, and tomatoes for a lighter and healthier combination.
“Hands-down one of my favorite new weekend dinners! They’re SO GOOD!”
-Jenn
Frequently Asked Questions
The word “calzone” actually comes from an Italian word that means “stocking”. Calzones have been around since the 18th century! They originated in Naples as a portable, walking-friendly alternative to pizza.
Traditional calzones were filled with salami, ham or vegetables, mozzarella, ricotta, and Parmesan or pecorino cheese, as well as an egg. Now, the fillings more resemble popular modern pizza toppings. In Italy, during the 60s most pizza places only delivered calzones because they thought that was the most efficient way to keep the pizza hot during transport.
A calzone is kind of like an inside-out pizza, while a Stromboli is similar to a rolled-up sandwich. A Stromboli is made with square-shaped bread dough, topped with sandwich toppings like cold cuts, cheese, and veggies, then rolled into a log and baked. A calzone, on the other hand, is pizza dough stuffed with cheese and any other yummy pizza toppings and then folded over like a turnover. They can either be baked or deep-fried.
Calzones and pizza are similar in toppings and essentially they both use the same type of dough. The big difference is that calzones are stuffed whereas pizza dough is baked flat.
Can You Freeze Calzones?
Yes! Once they’re all baked and cooled, wrap any leftovers individually in plastic wrap. They’ll freeze beautifully for up to three months. On a busy day, pull some out of the freezer and let them thaw for a few hours in the fridge. You can also pop them into the oven frozen, and just allow a longer time for cooking.
More Delicious Italian Dishes
I love a good Italian dish! Usually when I think about Italian food I think of pasta, but there are so many other delicious Italian recipes out there. Try some of our favorite pasta and non-pasta Italian recipes.
How to Make Homemade Calzone
Homemade Calzone Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 loaf frozen bread dough thawed
- 24 ounces “Barilla” brand spaghetti sauce
- 5 Mozzarella cheese sticks
- 6 ounces pepperoni
- 1/2 pound Mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
- Divide bread dough into 5 equally-sized dough balls (they should each be a little smaller than a softball). Spread each dough ball out on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin as if you were making a pizza (spread it out as much as you can without tearing it). Roll into a 6-7 inch circle.
- Spread 2 tablespoons of sauce on the center of each pizza leaving about 1 inch uncovered around the edge for sealing.
- Remove plastic wrap from each cheese stick and place a cheese stick in the center of each pizza. Put as many toppings as you would like in the middle then sprinkle on a couple of tablespoons of shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Carefully fold the dough over the toppings and pinch the edges together well so they seal. I like to use a fork and push down on the edges all the way around. This helps the edges stay together better.
- Using a sharp knife, make a couple of little slits in the top of the dough, spray the top lightly with cooking spray, or brush with egg wash. Then bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until the tops and bottoms of the calzones are golden browns.
- Heat the remaining spaghetti sauce in a small pot or in the microwave and simmer until the calzones are done. You can serve the calzones with the sauce on the side then dip the calzone into it OR you can pour the sauce over the calzones and top them with cheese.
Looks good want to make it
Going to try this with my favorite bread dough recipe! That will actually save time as I don’t need to wait for the frozen dough to thaw.
Hands-down one of my favorite new weekend dinners! They’re SO GOOD!
The combination of flavors in this dish is great! Love it!
Haven’t tried it yet, but sounds delicious.
So easy and very yummy!
I’m going to try making it with the sauce inside with the toppings instead of pouring it over the calzone or dipping it in the sauce .. that will be an option for those who like extra sauce!! Thanks for this easy recipe .. was getting tired of only pizza!!