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Easy Calzones make for a fun lunch or dinner. A calzone is like a stuffed pizza pocket, filled with all the classic toppings – meat, cheese, and your choice of sauce wrapped in Pizza Dough.

Prep a handful of these to have on hand throughout the week. They reheat really well and are perfect for packing work or school lunch.

Calzones with sauce on the side

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Hi there! My name is Natalya and I run the blog Momsdish. If you already follow me, you know I can’t get enough of easy meals that require simple ingredients. This recipe is no different. Trust me, you’re going to love this homemade calzone recipe.

What is a Calzone?

Calzones are Italian turnovers that are stuffed with an array of ingredients. Pretty much anything that goes on a pizza can go into a calzone.

The fillings are placed on one half of the circular shaped pizza dough. The dough is then folded over, pinched and sealed, coated with an egg wash or olive oil, and baked in the oven until golden brown.

A Calzone cut open with sauce for dipping

What is the Difference Between Calzones and Stromboli?

If you love calzones, you have probably tried its close cousin, stromboli. Stromboli vs Calzone – what sets them apart? Although both have similar ingredients, the way they are sealed is different. Calzones are pinched and sealed like empanadas and are handheld, while a stromboli is rolled up and sliced.

Calzone Dough

If you’re in a pinch, grab any store-bought pizza dough to make your calzone. If you want to elevate your home cooking game, make your own pizza dough.

As you’re rolling your dough out, pay special attention to the thickness. You want to make sure that the dough is thick enough to hold all the toppings and be folded over without breaking. ¼-inch thickness is the sweet spot.

Pizza dough cut into 8 pieces and rolled up into a ball

Calzone Filling

Here are some different variations for you. Mix-and-match your ingredients to make the perfect calzone for your tastebuds:

  • Cheese – Mozzarella, parmesan, sharp cheddar, feta and goat cheese.
  • Meats – Salami, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, ham, bacon, chicken, Italian sausage, steak strips or meatballs.
  • Veggies – Mushrooms, bell peppers, pepperoncini, marinated artichokes, spinach and red onions.
  • Sauce – Use a red pizza sauce or white sauce.
  • Dip – Each your calzone plain or dip your calzone in a little homemade marinara or ranch.

Ingredients for the calzone

How to Make Calzones

Calzones at home are super easy. The best part about calzones is everyone can customize their own. Gather a ton of ingredients, lay them out and let your friends and family go at it! Follow these simple instructions to nail it every time:

  1. Divide pre-made pizza dough into equal portions and roll into a circle.
  2. On one half of the dough, spread all of your selected ingredients.
  3. Fold over and tightly crimp the edges.
  4. Cut air vents, brush with oil and sprinkle on parmesan. Bake at 475F for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Step by step of making Calzone

For Larger or Smaller Calzones: Baking time may need to be adjusted based on the size of your Calzone.

Calzone on a baking sheet ready for baking

Storing Calzones

To Freeze: Once you have prepared your calzones, you can freeze them while they are raw or cooked. Either way, place them on a baking sheet and allow them to completely freeze in a single layer. Then, store them in an airtight container or freezer-safe plastic bag.

To Reheat: Thaw frozen calzones in the refrigerator for 3 hours, or add more cooking time if heating from frozen. Bake raw calzones according to recipe instructions. Bake cooked calzones for half the time or until they are heated through.

A few calzones, one cut open next to marinara sauce

Other Quick Lunch Recipes

Easy Calzone Recipe

5 from 199 votes
Author: Natalya Drozhzhin
Baked Calzones served with marinara sauce
Easy calzones make for a fun lunch or dinner. These stuffed pizza pockets are filled with all the classic toppings - meat, cheese and your choice of sauce.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 8 servings
  • 2 lb pizza dough
  • 1 cup pizza sauce
  • 1 cup pepperoni
  • 1/2 cup salami
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 475 °F. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or spray it with oil.
  • Divide the dough into 8 equally sized pieces. Roll each piece into a 1/4" thick circle.
  • Place the filling on half of each circle (pizza sauce, ricotta, pepperoni, salami and shredded mozzarella). Make sure to leave the edges clean to allow for sealing the calzone. Fold the side over the filling and crimp the edges.
  • Place calzones on a baking sheet, leaving space apart. Cut a small vent on the top of each calzone. Brush the tops with oil and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Nutrition Per Serving

578kcal Calories58g Carbs26g Protein28g Fat12g Saturated Fat62mg Cholesterol1690mg Sodium227mg Potassium2g Fiber9g Sugar508IU Vitamin A2mg Vitamin C286mg Calcium4mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
Easy Calzone Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
578
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
28
g
43
%
Saturated Fat
 
12
g
75
%
Cholesterol
 
62
mg
21
%
Sodium
 
1690
mg
73
%
Potassium
 
227
mg
6
%
Carbohydrates
 
58
g
19
%
Fiber
 
2
g
8
%
Sugar
 
9
g
10
%
Protein
 
26
g
52
%
Vitamin A
 
508
IU
10
%
Vitamin C
 
2
mg
2
%
Calcium
 
286
mg
29
%
Iron
 
4
mg
22
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: calzone recipe, calzones
Skill Level: Easy
Cost to Make: $
Calories: 578
Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen

Natalya Drozhzhin

Natalya is a food blogger who founded Momsdish to make cooking easier. Growing up on a farm in Ukraine, Natalya was inspired by the amazing dishes that were prepared using simple ingredients. Natalya is most notably known for making cooking approachable for any person.

Read more posts by Natalya

5 from 199 votes (171 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  • Elizabeth
    December 10, 2022

    Super easy weekend lunch! I roasted eggplant slices and used those instead of pepperoni. Delicious! Took 10 min to put together.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      December 10, 2022

      I’m so glad it was quick and delicious for you! Thank you or your great review, Elizabeth!

      Reply

  • Fifi
    November 13, 2022

    Making this today. Used your pizza dough recipie. Looking good so far.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      November 13, 2022

      I hope you love this!

      Reply

  • Jo Nelson
    October 24, 2022

    This is amazing and easy!! I substituted out the salame and added Canadian bacon and Italian sausage.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      October 24, 2022

      That sounds good, thanks a lot for sharing!

      Reply

  • Eric
    October 11, 2022

    But how can I find your recipes through all the commercial clutter?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      October 11, 2022

      Hi Eric, the ads are the only way we can provide recipes for free to our readers. We found most people would rather see an ad than have to pay a subscription.

      Reply

    • Clutter
      October 30, 2022

      Seeing that we are being petty… I select what is an adblocker for $1,000.

      Reply

      • Eric L
        December 22, 2022

        LOL – good one, Cutter.

        Also, looking forward to making this recipe.

        Reply

  • Todd
    September 30, 2022

    Perfect recipe! Easy to follow, squirm, and delicious. 10/10 would recommend!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      October 1, 2022

      I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Todd!

      Reply

  • Arlene Rogers
    September 11, 2022

    I will let you know if it is authentic or not. I lived in Italy for 3 years so I know how amazing they are. They do put artichokes in Italy but I don’t like that.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      September 11, 2022

      Sounds good!

      Reply

  • Anonymous
    September 5, 2022

    Hi, can you omit the meat toppings and just use sauce cheese and ricotta? What are some other toppings you can use?

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      September 5, 2022

      I haven’t tried other toppings but feel free to do an experiment!

      Reply

    • Cristina
      September 8, 2022

      Calzones can have any toppings you want. If you’re vegetarian, you can do ricotta with spinach and parmesan and mushrooms and combine basically any veggies you want. Calzones are as versatile as pizza. Put anything in them that you would put on a pizza.

      Reply

    • dude
      September 10, 2022

      no u are not allowed to do that. you cannot choose your own fillings. sorry.

      Reply

      • RC*
        December 5, 2022

        DUDE,you can pick and choose your fillings (like u can on a pizza).In fact, u can also use different types of sauces.So sorry.

        Reply

      • Cindy
        October 11, 2023

        Okay funny! 🤣. The “sorry” at the end was a great touch.

        Reply

  • Dawn
    August 28, 2022

    Using your pizza dough recipe, how many calzones would it make in total? Also, how big do you make a circle of dough for one calzone?

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      August 28, 2022

      Hi Dawn the serving size is 8 for this recipe.

      Reply

  • Dee
    August 25, 2022

    475 is too high for parchment paper. Paper burns at 450 – hence the title Fahrenheit 451! This could be why some commented that the bottom of their calzone burned

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      August 25, 2022

      Hi Dee, we have little parchment exposed and haven’t had that issue. Spraying the pan and baking right on it will work.

      Reply

    • Cristina
      September 8, 2022

      As an alternative, you can spray the cooking tray with some oili and spread cornmeal to prevent it from sticking. This is the traditional way.

      Reply

    • Elizabeth
      December 10, 2022

      Same thing happened to me. A little scorched. Would tuck it under more next time.

      Reply

  • Lori
    August 20, 2022

    I’m looking forward to trying this. I have a question – the recipe calls for 2 lbs pizza dough, but your dough recipe doesn’t have a weight. Is is one dough recipe for the 2 lbs?

    Reply

  • Bonnie
    August 13, 2022

    My grandkids love these. I’ve used pizza dough from a can, crescent dough, and frozen bread dough. All are excellent.

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      August 13, 2022

      Sounds great, Bonnie! Thanks for sharing.

      Reply

  • DeeDee
    July 9, 2022

    I’ve never seen sauce inside a calzone in any pizza shop. In NY and NJ it’s always on the side. Interesting.

    Reply

    • Ray
      August 23, 2022

      DeeDee, you are completely correct, Calzones do not have any sauce inside, that would make it lean toward being a Stromboli instead. Calzones are for dipping in a side sauce.

      Reply

  • Panay
    June 24, 2022

    I’ve made these twice and although they taste great, my calzones keep opening up when in the oven spilling out all the cheese. I’ve tried to seal them two different ways but failed both times. What am I doing wrong?

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      June 24, 2022

      Hi Panay! Are you cutting air vents for them? Also, be sure to not overfill the Calzones. You can try sealing the dough with some water, just lightly brush some water underneath the top fold where it attaches to the bottom fold. I hope that helps.

      Reply

  • Dawn Blais
    May 21, 2022

    I’ve had them made with ricoots cheese. I didn’t like them because it was too heavy. I think I’d like it with mozzarella instead.

    Reply

  • Monica
    May 19, 2022

    Hey Natasha , for the oven temperature are you sure it should be 475 instead of 375? . I tried the calzone and completely burned. I was thinking maybe it’s just a typo

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      May 19, 2022

      Hi Monica, that’s right, we used a temperature of 475 Fahrenheit. Ensure your oven is calibrated and your pizza is not too close to the burners on regular bake mode.

      Reply

  • Brittany
    May 2, 2022

    I made this tonight without salami since I didn’t have any on hand. But it was still yummy! Just added extra pepperoni. Toddler approved! I love how you put the cost to make on the recipe!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      May 2, 2022

      That’s wonderful, glad your toddler loved this too!

      Reply

  • Cindy
    April 23, 2022

    My second batch of these was way better than the first. There was a little bit of a learning curve for me. Three suggestions – do not overstuff (which I really wanted to do!), use non-stick aluminum foil instead of parchment paper, and Trader Joe’s herb pizza dough makes great calzones.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      April 24, 2022

      Thanks a lot for your suggestions, Cindy! That is so helpful.

      Reply

  • Camille
    April 10, 2022

    Not worth making. I have tried better ones in my life, though I believed in your recipe.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      April 10, 2022

      Hi Camille, sorry to hear that you didn’t like the recipe. Can you be more specific as to what happened when you tried this?

      Reply

  • Tiffany Bowkamp
    January 23, 2022

    I attempted to make this last night. Did not know my dough needed to rest 4-5 hours 🙁 let it rest and the. Refrigerated it till tonight. My dough would not stretch out. I tried and tried. Kept shrinking back. So I gave up and went to plan B real quick. Used a can on biscuits I had in the fridge just to make dinner. I followed the dough recipe from here. I’ll try again another time and use the dough right away instead of putting it in the fridge. Otherwise really good.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      January 24, 2022

      I hope you give it another try soon Tiffany!

      Reply

  • Elise
    January 23, 2022

    I just made some calzones the other day, very similar to yours. I make them small and fry them in vegetable oil, they are amazing. They must be small circles no bigger than 6 inches and then fold them over. It takes your calzones to a new level. Try it once, ,are them exactly as you did here but instead oof baking them, fry them. They must be small however.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      January 24, 2022

      That’s nice, thank you for sharing that with us!

      Reply

    • Barb
      March 1, 2023

      This is what we call a PANZEROTI in southwestern Ontario—the BEST!!!! But def a treat for once in a while LOL😋

      Reply

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