Homemade Calzone Recipe with Italian Sausage and Pepperoni

Homemade Calzone Recipe

There’s nothing better than this delicious calzone recipe for a dish that’s full of Italian flavor. A flaky, homemade crust surrounds a filling of Italian sausage, onions, pepperoni, three kinds of cheese, Italian seasoning, and more tasty ingredients, then they’re served with a tasty marinara sauce. When you put them all together, you get a recipe for hand-held deliciousness that you just cannot beat. It’s just like holding a tiny pizza in your hand and then devouring it.

Variations

One of the best parts about these homemade calzones is that you can play with it to make it exactly the way you want it. After making the crust, the rest is up to you. Go super rustic or make it semi-homemade. Use your favorite toppings. You can tweak it to your heart’s content.

Favorite Pizza Toppings

Just like a pizza, this calzone is totally open to your interpretation. Use any of your favorite pizza toppings from sausage and pepperoni to salami, ham, and pineapple, olives, anchovies, bell peppers, mushrooms, spinach, and more. If you’d put it on a pizza, you can put it in this calzone.

Vegetarian Calzone

Make this recipe vegetarian by filling it with your favorite pizza veggie options. The marinara sauce pairs perfectly with any vegetable that you’d normally put on your vegetarian pizza.

Semi-Homemade Calzone Recipe

If you don’t want to go the homemade route, make this recipe semi-homemade. Use premade pizza dough and pizza sauce to cut down on time. Then make the rest of the recipe per the directions.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have questions about this homemade calzone recipe, then I have answers. The following FAQ answers all the most frequently asked questions regarding calzones, so it’s worth a read before diving into the recipe.

What is a calzone?

A calzone is simply a folded pizza. Its essentially an Italian version of a savory turnover.

What’s the Difference Between Calzones and Stromboli?

There are three major differences between the two. Calzones are simply a round crust folded in half and stuffed with toppings and sauce. On the other hand, Stromboli is rolled into a spiral with a bit of extra dough folded over the top to seal it. Another major difference is that, while both the calzone and Stromboli are dippable, Stromboli will often have sauce baked inside it while calzones never will. Finally, calzones almost always have ricotta cheese in them, and Stromboli doesn’t.

Do Calzones have Sauce Inside?

No. Calzones are dipped in sauce. The sauce is never baked in.

Do Calzones Always Have Ricotta Cheese in Them?

Traditional calzones almost always have ricotta cheese in them.

Is a Calzone Just a Folded Pizza?

Pretty much!

What to serve with calzones?

These are hefty, hearty hand-held pizzas, so the best things to serve are light options like a side salad or roasted vegetables.

Can you freeze calzones?

Yes. Let the leftover calzones chill in the refrigerator, then wrap them tightly in clingwrap and store them in an air-tight, freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bags.

Homemade Calzone Recipe Ingredients

This recipe is fully homemade, so there are several ingredients. The great thing is that they’re all simple and easily found at your local grocery store.

For the Dough

• All purpose flour
• Instant dry yeast
• Salt
• Sugar
• Warm water
• Olive oil

For the Filling

• Butter
• Onion, diced
• Hot Italian sausage
• Oregano
• Basil
• Red pepper flakes
• Ricotta cheese
• Mozzarella cheese, shredded
• Parmesan cheese, shredded
• Fresh parsley, chopped
• Garlic salt
• Black pepper
• Large eggs, with one egg beaten
• Pepperoni slices

For the Marinara Sauce

• Tomato sauce
• Tomato paste
• Crushed tomatoes
• Onion powder
• Garlic salt
• Oregano
• Basil
• Black pepper

How to Make This Homemade Calzone Recipe

As a fully homemade recipe, you’ll be making the dough, filling, and sauce. Don’t let that deter you, though. All three parts of the recipe are very simple to make. Requiring only basic steps that anyone can do.

Step 1: Make the Homemade Pizza Dough

In a large bowl, whisk flour, yeast, salt, and sugar together. Add warm water and oil. Using an electric mixer or stand mixer with the dough hook, mix on low until ingredients are well incorporated. Increase speed to medium and continue mixing until dough forms into a ball (about 8-10 minutes).

Place dough ball into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Let rise for about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size. Next, transfer to a well-floured surface and divide the dough into 9 even pieces. Place dough pieces on a large baking sheet or parchment paper and set them aside.

Step 2: Make the Filling

In a large frying pan or skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add sausage, onions, and seasonings to the pan and cook until sausage is completely cooked through and no longer pink and onions are translucent. Drain and set aside to cool. In another bowl, add the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and parsley. Stir to combine then add eggs. Mix well. When the sausage has cooled, add the cheese mixture, stir to combine. Set aside.

Step 3: Make the Marinara Sauce

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add tomato sauce, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and seasonings. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer over low-medium heat for 20-30 minutes.

Step 4: Assemble the Calzones

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet(s) with parchment paper. Set aside. Then, roll each dough ball into 6-inch circles. Add a heaping tablespoon or two of the sausage and cheese mixture to the center of the dough. Fold the dough in half and press and pinch the edges together to form a seal. Brush the tops of each calzone with beaten egg and place them on a prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 – 13 minute or until golden brown and serve with the marinara sauce.

Try This Delicious Homemade Calzone Recipe Today

This homemade calzone recipe is completely from scratch, but it’s so easy to make. It’s also absolutely delicious. It’s the perfect combination for a fun family meal or addition to your next party or potluck. Give it a try, and I know you’ll find yourself making it again and again.

More Delicious Italian Recipes You’ll Love

Homemade Lasagna – This lasagna recipe is a hearty, delicious, and is the perfect meal to make to feed a crowd. It’s made with a sauce that is made completely from scratch, flavors of fennel, oregano, and basil, and loaded with beef and sausage. It’s cheesy and delicious!

Spaghetti and Meatballs – My spaghetti and meatballs are made 100% from scratch; with meatballs rolled from hand, and a sauce that is loaded with so much Italian flavor, this recipe will be the only one you use for pasta nights.

Lasagna Soup – This soup takes all the flavors of your favorite lasagna and puts it in a bowl that is perfect for chilly weather. It’s simple and easy to make and the best part is that you don’t have to layer a huge pan of lasagna!

You may also love to try these Italian Sausage Pizza Roll Ups from Great Grub Delicious Treats. These are made with an Italian sausage meat mixture (that is so delicious just on it’s own) and then wrapped up in a pizza crust and baked until golden brown. Yum!