This Italian Calzone is exactly like your favorite pizza shop. This easy calzone is filled with sautéed mushrooms, squash, lots of cheese, flavorful marinara sauce and then baked until puffy and golden brown.
They’re heavenly little creations. I’m not sure who invented them but they are glorious! Like gigantic hot pockets filled with cheesy goodness. Make them for your next pizza night!
What Is a Calzone?
This isn’t an existential question. I’m here to answer it legitimately. They’re are used interchangeably with strombolis. But they are VERY DIFFERENT. Don’t let anyone tell you they’re the same. They’re stuffed with meat cheeses and veggies!
What’s the Difference Between a Calzone and a Stromboli
- Calzone is a half moon-shaped cheese and sauce filled piece of heaven. It comes from Naples, Italy and is a popular street food, due to the fact that it’s easy to eat while standing and walking.
- Stromboli comes from beautiful New Jersey! Strombolis are shaped like burritos, while the former is half moon-shaped.
So, they are basically just pizzas in turnover form. Yet they taste different for some reason? I think classier. Maybe because they require a fork and knife? Maybe because their new shape has those crimped edges?
These things can take whatever you have lying around in the fridge.
How to Make a Calzone
- Grab your homemade or store-bought pizza dough. Roll it out into a 9-inch round on a lightly floured surface. I did this using my hands and a rolling pin.
- Preheat oven.
- Fillings! I used sauteed cremini mushrooms, tomato sauce, diced squash, caramelized onions and mozzarella.
- Add it to the pizza dough. You’re only adding the fillings to one side of the pizza dough.
- Flip over the one half of the pizza dough. I did a terrible crimp action so do your best. Brush the top with olive oil.
- Cut a hole in the top. And then transfer it to the oven to bake for about 20 minutes. I lined my baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper. If you like, you can skip it and use cooking spray.
- No need for egg wash. I decided to skip egg wash because this is not a pastry! 🙂
- Calzone!Â
Calzone Recipe
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion thinly sliced
- Pinch kosher salt
- 1/2 cup butternut squash cubed
- 1/2 cup broccolini trimmed
- 1/2 cup cremini mushrooms sliced
- 3 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 1 (12-ounce) batch of store-bought or homemade prepared pizza dough
- 3 tablespoons jarred marinara sauce
- 1 (4-ounce) mozzarella ball Or 4 ounces shredded mozzarella
Instructions
To Make the Filling:
- In a medium skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add thinly sliced onions and pinch of salt. Cook onions for 30 minutes, or until onions are browned and caramelized.
- While the onions are cooking, pre-heat oven to 400F. Place cubed butternut squash on a baking sheet and toss with a teaspoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes, or until soft. Remove and set aside.
- When onions are caramelized, add broccolini and cremini mushrooms and sauteé for 5-10 minutes. Add garlic to the top and cook just until fragrant.
To Bake the Calzone:
- Lightly flour your work surface and roll out pizza dough to a 1/8-inch thick circle. Transfer pizza dough to a piece of parchment. Add the tomato sauce to one half. Top with broccolini/mixture. Add the butternut squash and then finish it off with a few slices of mozzarella.
- Fold dough in half, over filling, and crimp as desired to seal. Transfer parchment with calzone to a baking sheet. Using a knife, slice a hole in the top. This will allow steam to escape as it bakes. Place it in the oven and cook until dough is puffed up and golden brown, 15-20 minutes.
Notes
Equipment
Nutrition
If you make this, let me know on Instagram!Â
that’s not even close to being a real calzone , Calzone don’t have tomato sauce.or squash. It has Italian sausage, lot of ricotta cheese , mushrooms etc , I can’t make one but I did have the opportunity to eat some of the best in the world but the guy moved to another area and I cannot get them anymore but no harm or rudness intended .
I guess everyone has their on way of cooking .
I am going to ask my wife to try this wonderful recipe, looks Yum!
This is a super recipe, I love calzones. This looks delish.
No I didn’t read them all. Who says you need a fork to eat a Calzone?
Oh my gosh – this looks delicious! A recipe that I must try soon!
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WOOOOW. I have been looking around at calzone recipes for a few weeks now and this one wins the cake, by far. Excited to try this soon!
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