Freezer Calzone Recipes

CALZONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Set pizza stone in oven to get hot while oven preheats (or use a baking sheet turned upside down).
• Divide pizza dough into 8 portions. Roll a piece into a flat disk, about 1/4 inch thick. Add about ¼ cup of toppings to one side, including a generous sprinkle of cheese. Fold the other half of dough over the toppings and seal the edges together.
• Place calzones on a large piece of parchment paper.
• Use a sharp knife to make a slit on top of each calzone (for steam to escape while baking). Lightly brush tops of calzones with beaten egg, then sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning.
• Transfer calzones (on the parchment paper) to the hot pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven.
• Bake for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve with warmed pizza sauce, for dipping.

EASY CALZONES

Steps:

• Place the frozen rolls (or frozen bread loaves) on a baking sheet to thaw. Cover with a tea towel and let thaw and rise for 2 to 3 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and allow to cook for a couple of minutes. Add the sausage and cook until brown, crumbling the sausage as you stir. Add the Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. Remove from the skillet and allow to cool on a plate.
• In a separate bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, salt, some pepper, parsley and 2 eggs.
• When the sausage is cool, stir it into the cheese mixture and set aside.
• When the rolls are thawed and risen, roll them out on a lightly floured surface until paper thin. Spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons of the filling onto half of the dough circle. Fold half of the dough over itself, and then press the edges to seal.
• Brush the surface of each calzone with the beaten egg, and then bake until nice and golden brown, 10 to 13 minutes. Serve with warm Marinara Sauce.
• Add a tablespoon or so of olive oil into a hot pan over medium-high heat and throw in the garlic and chopped onions and give them a stir.
• Now add the wine (or chicken broth), whisking to deglaze the bottom of the skillet. Cook until the liquid reduces by half.
• Add the crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste and a pinch of sugar. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Toward the end of the cooking process, chop up your fresh parsley and basil and add it to the sauce to taste, stirring to combine.

QUICK CALZONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into four portions. Roll each into a 6-in. circle. Spread 1/4 cup sauce over half of each circle to within 1/2 in. of edge; top with 1 tablespoon mozzarella cheese. Fold dough over filling; pinch edges to seal. Place on a greased baking sheet., Brush milk over tops; sprinkle with Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese. Bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes.

ITALIAN HERO CALZONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Lightly grease a very large baking sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal, set aside.
• Drain tomatoes well, reserving oil.
• In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, turkey and/or pepperoni, and olives.
• Stir in the mozzarella cheese.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll each package of pizza dough to a 12 x 9 rectangle.
• Using a 3 inch round cutter, cut each rectangle into ten 3 inch circles.
• Place about 1 tablespoon of the meat/cheese mix slightly off centre on each dough circle.
• Fold dough over mixture, forming a semicircle.
• Seal the edge of each semicircle with the tines of a fork.
• Place the calzones on a prepared baking sheet.
• Brush the tops with the reserved oil from tomatoes and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and, if desired, cayenne pepper.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until calzones are golden.
• Serve warm.
• MAKE AHEAD: Prepare and bake calzones as directed.
• Remove to a wire rack and cool completely.
• Place the calzones in a freezer container or freezer bag.
• Seal, label and freeze for up to 2 months.
• To reheat, preheat oven to 350°F.
• Place the frozen calzones on an ungreased baking sheet.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until heated through.
• If necessary, cover loosely with foil to prevent overbrowning.

EASY PIZZA CALZONES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425.
• Unroll the pizza dough onto a large cookie sheet.
• Press the dough out so that it is about the same thickness all around and so that it covers the cookie sheet.
• Cut into 4 equal size rectangles.
• In a bowl, mix sauce, cheese, and toppings.
• Spoon equal amounts of toppings into the middle the rectangles.
• Lightly spread out the sauce mixture.
• Fold one corner so that it meets with the opposite corner.
• Crimp the edges so that the calzones seal.
• Mix olive oil and parmesan cheese mix.
• Brush with olive oil and parmesan cheese mixture.
• Bake in oven for 10 minutes.
• Serve hot or freeze for later.

FREEZER CALZONE

Steps:

• Pour water into a large bowl and sprinkle yeast on top. Stir slightly to allow for quicker dissolving. Allow yeast to proof (grow and form bubbles) until a nice bed of bubbles has formed, 5 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together flour, salt, and pepper in a separate bowl. Add the flour mixture to the water and yeast. Stir to combine and gradually add the olive oil. Beat well for about 5 minutes. If dough is sticky, add a little extra flour. Dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl slightly. Knead dough either with a bread hook or by hand for about 5 more minutes. Butter top of dough and cover. Let rise in a warm place until double (about 30 minutes). When doubled, punch down and divide into 8 balls. Let balls rest for 5 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°F. Flatten ball of rested dough into a 6-inch circle. Let rest another 1-2 minutes. Place ½ to ¾ cup calzone filling on half of the circle. Fold the other half of dough over to cover filling, creating a filled half circle. Soak up any running tomato sauce with a paper towel. Clean and dry-as-possible edges around the half circle will help the dough pinch together securely. Pinch dough together, being careful to ensure no liquid will escape during baking. Transfer prepared calzones to a prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Check often to avoid over-baking. Brush tops with butter after removing from oven. TIP: Any hard-crusted bread dough can be used. And if you're in a big hurry, a frozen roll dough works great as well! Baked calzones freeze well. Place cooled in a plastic zippered freezer bag or other freezer container. These can be stored up to 3 months. To reheat, let thaw in refrigerator. When ready to eat, wrap in foil and place in a 425°F oven for 10 minutes or so. These are also great cold in sack lunches!