Updated on October 4th, 2025
This calzones recipe brings the classic pizza experience into a warm, handheld version that’s easy to make at home. The golden crust holds a mix of Italian sausage, pepperoni, cheese, and sauce that melts together perfectly as it bakes. You can prepare your own dough for a soft and fresh crust or use store-bought dough when you want to save time. It’s a cozy meal that works for dinner, parties, or even a fun weekend cooking project with family.
Why this recipe works
- Homemade dough: Preparing the dough from scratch gives the calzones a soft texture and adds a fresh, bakery-style quality to each bite.
- Rich filling: The mix of sausage, pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese blends into a flavorful filling that tastes just like your favorite pizzeria.
- Simple to make: The steps are easy to follow, and the ingredients are common, so anyone can make this recipe without stress.
- Endless options: You can swap or add ingredients like mushrooms, spinach, or extra cheese to make each calzone your own.
- Crowd pleaser: Calzones are fun to assemble, great for sharing, and always a hit whether served for dinner or at a gathering.
Serving suggestions
- Dinner idea: Serve these calzones with garlic bread or breadsticks and a side of marinara sauce for dipping.
- Lunch option: Reheat leftover calzones in the oven or air fryer for a quick and satisfying midday meal.
- Party food: Slice calzones into halves or quarters and serve with dipping sauces for an easy-to-grab appetizer.
- Weekend meal: Pair them with a fresh salad and a drink for a relaxed weekend dinner everyone can enjoy.
- Freezer meal: Make extra calzones, freeze them, and reheat later for a quick and filling meal anytime you need it.
Calzones recipe
Calzones recipe with homemade dough, sausage, pepperoni, and cheese baked to golden perfection for an easy Italian-style dinner everyone loves.
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Dough-
- 1 package yeast
- 1 cup water (warm)
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 3/4 cups flour
Filling-
- 1 can sliced mushrooms (drained)
- 1 green pepper (diced)
- 2 slices of onion (diced)
- 1 jar pizza sauce
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1lb Italian sausage (cooked)
- 1 small package sliced pepperoni
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
- butter (melted, for brushing)
Instructions
- To make the dough- dissolve yeast in 1 cup of warm water. In a large bowl mix sugar, oil, salt, and flour.
- Add water/yeast mixture and mix together until smooth. Knead well and cover and allow to sit for 30 minutes.
- While the dough is resting. In a separate bowl mix mushrooms, green pepper, Italian sausage, onion, pizza sauce, Italian seasoning, oregano, basil, garlic salt, and pepperoni.
- Split the dough in half and roll out each half on a floured surface into a 10” circle. Place 1-2 cups of sauce in the center of each circle of dough. Top with mozzarella cheese.
- Fold over and crimp shut. Place calzones on a greased cookie sheet.
Place into the oven and bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees. - After 15 minutes into the baking remove from the oven and brush lightly with melted butter. Return calzones to the oven and allow them to finish cooking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 1275
- Sugar: 19.3 g
- Sodium: 2767.4 mg
- Fat: 47.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 167 g
- Protein: 44.2 g
- Cholesterol: 77 mg