Easy Calzones

These vegetarian calzones are quick, filling and delicious! If you don't know how to make calzones, this is a perfect recipe to start with. (Bonus: they are great for make ahead meals.)

This calzone recipe is a crowd-pleaser anytime of the year. It's super kid-friendly, and even makes a fun cooking activity since there are minimal ingredients and steps involved.

For the rest of the family, it makes a great lunch paired alongside a simple salad of greens topped with apple cider vinaigrette or another favorite dressing. And it goes great with a smoothie!

Jump to:

• 🌿 Ingredients
• 📝 Instructions
• 📋 Substitutions
• 📖 Variations
• 🔪 Equipment
• 🍱 Storage
• 🎉 Top tip
• 🍳 Recipe

🌿 Ingredients

The ingredients couldn't be any easier, and you can find all of them at most standard grocery stores.

• all-purpose flour
• pizza dough
• pizza sauce
• shredded pizza blend cheese (or mozzarella)

And, you want to get creative and add some fillings (or let family members choose their own fillings), here are some suggestions:

• sliced pepperoni or chicken
• sliced mushrooms, onions, green pepper or spinach
• diced pineapple

See recipe card below for exact quantities.

📝 Instructions

To get started, preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.

Then, dust a large cutting board or plate with some flour and coat the dough by rolling it around in the flour a bit. Divide the dough into four even sections and use your hands or a rolling pin to press or roll each of the dough sections into a flat, round shape no more than one centimeter thick.

Preparing one calzone at a time, place a little pizza sauce off to one side but away from the edges, and top with some shredded cheese plus any additional toppings you'd like. Then, fold the non-filled half of each calzone over the filled half.

And lastly, crimp the edges of the dough together using the back of a fork. That'll keep all of the fillings from escaping during baking (but don't worry if a little escapes!)

Place all of the calzones onto your lined baking sheet and bake at 425°F for 15 minutes or until the tops just start to turn golden brown. Let them cool for at least 10 minutes on the baking sheet, and then serve and enjoy.

📋 Substitutions

Here are a couple of modifications to accommodate special diets:

• Gluten free - use gluten free pizza dough mix to make gluten free dough; you can use the same mix as flour to sprinkle on your work surface, or just use any gluten free flour to dust
• Dairy free - use any dairy free shredded cheese

📖 Variations

Feel free to get as creative as you'd like with different fillings! Here are some ideas:

• Cheese calzones - prepare the recipe as is, without optional toppings, and use a couple different kinds of cheese if you'd like!
• Pepperoni calzones - place some sliced pepperoni on the sauce before topping with cheese
• Chicken calzones - if you have any leftover cooked chicken on hand, dice some up and place on top of the sauce (don't use raw chicken)
• Spinach calzones - chop up some fresh spinach leaves or baby spinach to place on the sauce
• Spicy calzones - add chili pepper flakes or sliced hot peppers to the sauce

🔪 Equipment

Just a few pieces of equipment are required for this recipe:

• baking sheet
• parchment paper (optional, but recommended for easy cleanup)
• cutting board to flour and form the calzone (or just use a large plate)
• rolling pin (optional, to roll the dough out quickly)

🍱 Storage

Leftover or make ahead calzones stay fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or you can freeze for up to 2 months.

🎉 Top tip

Don't worry if your dough isn't perfectly round or the ingredients are not perfectly measured; this recipe is very forgiving. 😉

Have fun making your calzones!

🍳 Recipe