Easy Calzones

What’s the difference between a calzone and a pizza pocket? This is one of the mysteries of life I hope to one day know the answer to.

We love calzones in our house! Always have, always will. They’re easy to eat, and you can fill them with whatever ol’ pizza-friendly ingredients you like. You can serve them with marinara as a dipping sauce or you can pour marinara sauce over the calzones after they’re baked.

And you can make them with your favorite homemade pizza crust, which I’m happy to do…OR you can do what I did last night and take this easy, just-as-delicious road.

 

Here’s what you need: Frozen (unrisen) dinner rolls or bread dough, ricotta cheese, Parmesan, mozzarella, sausage, onion, Italian seasoning (not pictured because I’m a dork), parsley, salt and pepper (not pictured because I’m an airhead), and pepperoni if you’re into that sort of thing.

 

 

 

Remove several rolls from the bag and place them on a baking sheet. Then just cover them with a towel and let them thaw and rise for two or three hours.

 

 

 

When the rolls are close, preheat the oven to 400 degrees, then dice up an onion.

 

 

 

Throw in the sausage and cook it with the onions…

 

 

 

Until the sausage is brown.

 

 

 

Then throw in the Italian seasoning…

 

 

 

And the red pepper flakes. Then just remove the sausage from the skillet and set it aside to cool.

 

 

 

Now, throw the ricotta into a bowl.

 

 

 

Then add some Parmesan cheese.

 

 

 

Grate up some mozzarella…

 

 

 

Then add it to the bowl.

 

 

 

Then have your thirteen-year-old nephew Stu crack in a couple of eggs for you.

Note: If you do not have a thirteen-year-old nephew named Stu, you may have a hard time executing this important step.

 

 

 

Add in some salt…

 

 

 

And some pepper.

 

 

 

The rolls are risen!

 

 

 

Grab one of the rolls…

 

 

 

And roll it as thinly as you can. You’ll have to press pretty hard and work it over a few times, but just keep at it.

 

 

 

Spoon on some topping…

 

 

 

Lay on some pepperoni…

 

 

 

Then fold the other edge over…

 

 

 

And place it on a baking sheet. (A baking mat, parchment, or cooking spray is wise. As you can see, I was not wise in this photo.)

 

 

 

Here’s the sausage version.

 

 

 

The bread dough is awesomely stretchy, so it allows you to pull a bit when and if you need to!

 

 

 

To seal the edges, press them with a fork…

 

 

 

Then beat an egg…

 

 

 

And generously brush the surface of the calzones.

 

 

 

Oh! And I forgot the parsley earlier.

 

 

 

It goes into the cheese mixture.

 

 

 

If you just want one variety of calzone, here’s the way I usually do it: Just throw the cooled sausage right into the cheese mixture and stir it around.

 

 

 

If you want more generously-sized calzones, grab the thawed bread loaf and tear off 1/4 to 1/3 of the loaf.

 

 

 

Form a circle of the dough…

(See that wound on my finger? Airsoft.)

 

 

 

And roll it out. Because you have a little more dough to work with, you don’t have to get it quite as thin as you did the bread rolls.

 

 

 

Lay a good portion of the sausage on the dough, then lay pepperoni slices on top.

 

 

 

Fold it over…

 

 

 

And brush on the beaten egg.

Now it’s time to bake ‘em! 400 degrees for 8-12 minutes, until they’re nice and golden brown.

 

 

 

Like dees! These are the babies.

 

 

 

And dees! This is the monster-sized one.

 

 

 

This is definitely a portion size Marlboro Man can wrap his appetite around, but the smaller calzones make more sense for kids or anyone who might be frightened by a calzone this monstrous.

 

 

 

I serve my calzone with marinara sauce for dipping. It’s more of a fun experience that way and everyone can control the amount of sauce he prefers. But you can also smother the calzone with marinara if you like things messy.

Enjoy, everyone!

Here’s the handy dandy printable:

 


Recipe: Calzones

Prep Time: 3 Hours
 | 
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
 | 
Difficulty: Easy
 | 
Servings: 8

Print Recipe
3"x5" Cards
4"x6" Cards
Full Page



Ingredients
16 whole Frozen, Unrisen Dinner Rolls (I Use Rhodes) Note: Can Also Use Frozen Bread Loaves.1 Tablespoon Butter1 whole Medium Onion, Diced1 pound Breakfast Or Italian Sausage1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning1/4 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes15 ounces, fluid Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese1-1/2 cup Grated Mozzarella Cheese2 whole Eggs1/2 teaspoon Salt Black Pepper To Taste2 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Parsley Marinara Sauce, For Serving1 whole Egg Beaten Preparation Instructions

Place frozen rolls (or frozen bread loaves) on a baking sheet to thaw. Cover with a tea towel and let thaw and rise for 2 to 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and allow to cook for a couple of minutes. Add sausage and cook until brown, crumbling the sausage as you stir. Add Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. Remove from pan and allow to cool on a plate.

In a separate bowl, combine ricotta, Parmesan, mozzarella, eggs, salt, pepper, and parsley. When sausage is cool, stir it in. Set aside.

When rolls are thawed and risen, roll them out on a lightly floured surface until paper thin. Spoon 3-4 tablespoons (approximately) filling onto half of the dough circle. Fold half of the dough over itself, then press edges to seal.

*Note: If you want a larger calzone, use frozen bread loaves and use about 1/4 to 1/3 of the loaf for each calzone.

Brush surface of calzone with beaten egg, then bake for 10-13 minutes, or until nice and golden brown. Serve with warm marinara sauce.

Posted by Ree on June 24 2012