Looking for a family-friendly, comforting and cheesy dinner that feels like you brought it home from your favorite Italian restaurant? Our hearty Cheese Calzones are it! Baked on a pizza stone, these calzones have a crispy crust and warm cheesy inside that both adults and kids love.
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If your family loves pizza night, this Cheese Calzone recipe is a must-try addition to your rotation when you feel like skipping the traditional cheese pizza. You can use a homemade dough and homemade pizza sauce for extra fun or simple store bought ingredients for convenience. And don't worry if you don't have a pizza stone- you can easily use a baking sheet lightly brushed with olive oil to get a similar crispy effect a pizza stone will give you
Our recipe makes 3 large cheese calzones, perfect for a simple weeknight dinner, Friday pizza night, or a fun cooking activity the whole family can help with. Just like our customizable mini pizzas, feel free to add some toppings inside your cheese mixture, like pepperoni, leftover meatball slices, diced up ham or sausage, or spinach for a veggie twist..
Why You'll Love Our Cheese Calzone Recipe
- It's made with simple ingredients you likely already have
- It's Easy to customize for picky eaters
- Calzones store, freeze and reheat well and are great for leftovers
Ingredients
- 16 ounces ( 1 pound) pizza dough: store-bought pizza is great, but homemade dough tastes even better if you have time to make it. We love a thin crust pizza dough or if you have a bread machine, this bread maker pizza dough.
- 1 ½ cups freshly shredded mozzarella cheese: freshly shredded melts much better than pre-shredded cheese.
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning:
- 3 tablespoons cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon olive oil:
Tips from the Chef
- Seal the edges well: Pinch firmly to prevent cheese from oozing out while baking.
- Freshly shredded cheese is key: Pre-shredded cheeses don't melt as smoothly.
How To Make Cheese Calzones
- Preheat the oven to 500℉ with the pizza stone inside. Leave inside for at least 20 minutes before cooking the calzones.
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, and Italian seasoning until combined.
- Divide the pizza dough into three equal pieces. Roll each portion into a 7-inch circle.
- Place ⅓ of the cheese filling onto one half of each dough circle.Fold the empty half over the filling and pinch the edges together. Press edges down with a fork to seal.
- Sprinkle the hot pizza stone with cornmeal. Place the calzones onto the stone, leaving space between them. Brush the tops lightly with olive oil and make 1-3 small slits on top of each calzone.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the calzones are golden and firm on the outside. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving, with our 5 minute no cook pizza sauce for dipping.
How To Store
Cheese calzones should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. They can be frozen for up to 6 months. Reheat in the microwave or air fryer until warmed through.
Recipe FAQs
Mozzarella and ricotta are generally used to make traditional calzones, but you can use other cheeses that melt well, like provolone, fontina and Monterey Jack.
Yes, you can use a baking sheet instead of a pizza stone. To mimic a crispy restaurant-style bottom, brush the sheet lightly with olive oil.
Recipe
Cheese Calzone
Ingredients
- 1 lb pizza dough
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, freshly shredded
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500℉ with the pizza stone inside. Leave inside for at least 20 minutes before cooking the calzones.
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, and Italian seasoning until combined.
- Divide the pizza dough into three equal pieces. Roll each portion into a 7-inch circle.
- Place ⅓ of the cheese filling onto one half of each dough circle. Fold the empty half over the filling and pinch the edges together. Press edges down with a fork to seal.
- Sprinkle the hot pizza stone with cornmeal. Place the calzones onto the stone, leaving space between them. Brush the tops lightly with olive oil and make 1-3 small slits on top of each calzone.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the calzones are golden and firm on the outside. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Anonymous says
This worked exactly as written, thanks!