Meat Calzone

Meat Calzone is a super easy and delicious game day appetizer or mouthwatering weeknight dinner! Made with pizza dough baked to a perfect golden brown and stuffed with cheese, pepperoni, salami and sausage.

This calzone recipe is perfect for meat lovers! You don’t even have to make your own dough (unless you want to). Each bite is packed full of meaty, cheesy delicious. It’s a great recipe for the whole family to enjoy.

Make meat calzones for pizza night instead of ordering in. They are delicious served hot and fresh from the oven. Just let it cool a little bit so you don’t burn your mouth. Ouch!

Once you have the basic calzone recipe, you can customize to include your family’s favorite fillings. We are a family of meat lovers here! Though I do appreciate a good vegetarian calzone at times! Ham and pineapple? Sure!

Why You’ll Love Meat Calzone

• You don’t have to make your own dough.
• Hearty, filling and so scrumptious
• Can be served for game day or as a dinner recipe
• Ready to eat in 40 minutes
• Easy to make in the oven

Ingredients

• Pizza dough
• Mozzarella cheese – Don’t buy the pre-shredded cheese. They don’t melt as good as cheese that you shred yourself.
• Parmesan cheese
• Pepperoni
• Salami
• Cooked sausage – I like mild Italian sausage.
• Salt
• Italian seasoning – I have a recipe for homemade Italian seasoning.
• Egg
• Water

How to Make Meat Lovers Calzone

• Step One: Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Step Two: Divide pizza dough into two pieces. On a clean work surface, roll out each piece into a pizza dough round to be about 8-inches in diameter.

• Step Three: Layer half the pepperoni, sausage, salami, mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese on each round dough.

• Step Four: Fold circle of dough over and pinch edges together. Roll pinched edges up and pinch again. 
• Step Five: Whisk together egg and water. Brush egg wash over the top of the calzones.
• Step Six: Sprinkle tops of the calzones with salt and Italian seasoning. 

• Step Seven: Transfer both calzones to the prepared baking sheet.
• Step Eight: Loosely tent the baking sheet with foil. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes or until the crust is a deep golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Equipment Needed

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• Rolling pin
• Rimmed baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Pastry brush
• Aluminum foil

What to Serve with Meat Lovers Gameday Calzone

• Ham and Cheese Sliders
• Italian Sliders
• Air Fryer Crab Rangoon
• Oven Baked Chicken Wings
• Air Fryer Fried Pickles

Variations and Substitutions

• Add ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder to the tops of the calzones before baking for even more flavor.
• Add in some cooked veggies like red pepper, green pepper, onions and/or mushrooms. 
• Try different kinds of meat like cooked ground beef, cooked ham, cooked bacon or Canadian bacon.
• Use another type of cheese like shredded cheddar cheese, ricotta cheese or even a slice of provolone.
• Use your own homemade pizza dough instead of store-bought.
• Sprinkle on grated Parmesan cheese after it has finished baking.
• Add this mixture to the calzone if you want to include some ricotta cheese: ½ cup ricotta, ¼ cup parmesan, and ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning.

Recipe Tips

• When you place the ingredients on the pizza dough, make sure to keep them about 1 inch away from the edges. 
• Use a fork to pinch the edges of the dough so they’ll stick together. 
• Use a sheet of parchment paper to line the baking sheet so there is less mess to clean.
• Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into two pieces.
• Prep the ingredients ahead of time and store in the fridge.

Storage Instructions

Store leftover calzone in the fridge in airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or microwave when ready to eat again.

Can I Freeze?

Yes, you can freeze meat calzones either baked or unbaked. 

If you bake them first, let them come to room temperature. Then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and again in aluminum foil. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.  

You can also freeze the unbaked the same way for up to 3 months. Let them thaw in the fridge for a few hours before cooking or cook from frozen, but you’ll need to add in some extra baking time.

Dipping sauces

• Pizza sauce
• Marinara sauce
• Meat sauce – My homemade spaghetti sauce would be yummy served here.
• Ranch dressing
• BBQ sauce
• Pizza Dip

Other Calzone Fillings

• Hawaiian calzone with ham and pineapple.
• Veggie calzone with peppers, mushrooms, onions, and more.
• The Works calzone with olives, mushrooms, pepperoni, cooked bacon, peppers and more.
• Canadian calzone with pepperoni, mushrooms and bacon.
• Cheeseburger calzone with cooked ground beef, cheddar cheese, bacon, and more.

What are Calzones?

A calzone is basically a folded pizza like a pizza turnover or inside out pizza. It’s baked in the oven and can include a variety of fillings. 

Should Calzones Have Sauce Inside?

No, calzones typically don’t have sauce inside. You dip the calzone into the sauce after it’s been baked. Stromboli usually has the sauce baked inside.

Pizza Recipes

• Taco Pizza
• Air Fryer Pizza
• Chicken Caesar Pizza
• Cheeseburger Pizza
• Seafood Pizza

You’ll also like this Copycat Popeye’s Chicken Sandwich.

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