Can you think of a better comfort meal than lasagna?? Okay, you probably can, but lasagna is a classic that immediately makes me feel at home. After seeing on Instagram that people wanted to see more recipes for easy, everyday meals, I thought this would be a perfect one to share. These Lasagna Calzones have all the comforting flavors of the traditional layered pasta dish, encased in a soft, delicious dough!
I mean, look at that cheeseeeee. Wow. not only are you getting that stretchy cheese goodness from the mozzarella but the creamy, smooth texture from the ricotta. I make this calzone flavored all different ways, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be using ricotta in all of them moving forward 🙂
Recipe tips:
- Pizza dough: Want to make this recipe even simpler? Use store-bought pizza dough! I love my own pizza recipe but I have to admit, if I’m making these on the fly or if I don’t have flour in my pantry (this has happened a few times with the recent pandemic) I use store-bought pizza dough. Roll the pizza dough out, fill and bake. Can’t get much easier than that 🙂
- Yeast: I love Instant Yeast, it’s basically my BFF in the kitchen. But if you only have regular yeast on hand you can easily substitute it in! Add in the warm water, honey, yeast, and salt and let it bloom for ten minutes. After ten minutes you will come back and the mixture will have bubbled up and there will be a foam on top, this means the yeast has activated! Proceed with the rest of the directions!
- Ground meat: I’m a huge veggie lasagna person and don’t usually prefer meat, however, it adds some hardiness to these calzones that I like! I used ground pork for the photos, but only because I forgot to defrost my ground beef and I was too hungry to wait! You can also easily omit the meat and make this a normal calzone, it’s up to you!
Making these are super easy. After splitting the dough into 4 even pieces, roll each into an 8-inch square about 1/4 inch thick. Scoop about half a cup of sauce into the center of the dough and spread. Spread on ricotta cheese and mozzarella. Make sure to leave one inch around the outside edge so that your filling doesn’t pool out. Brush half of the circle edges with water before folding over and crimping. Brush with oil before baking and wha-la, you have these tasty lasagna pockets of deliciousness.
Lasagna Calzones
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 packet Instant Yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons) If you don't have Instant Yeast, no problem! Use your normal yeast and let it bloom in the warm water with the honey and salt for 10 minutes. Then proceed to the next step!
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp olive oil for the bowl
For the sauce:
- 1 lb ground beef or pork
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 1 14 oz jar of pizza sauce or marinara
Additional ingredients:
- 1 15 oz container of part skim ricotta
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- ¼ cup olive oil for brushing on the top
- Parmasean cheese for topping
Instructions
For the dough:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the packet of Instant Yeast and warm water (think warm bath water). Add in honey and salt. Connect the dough hook and mix on the lowest speed for 30 seconds until everything is combined.
- Gradually add in all 2 ½ cups of flour. As it is combining, add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder and mix until combined. Allow mixture to beat on the lowest speed for 10 minutes. This works to knead the dough which means you don't have to knead it yourself!
- While the dough is kneading, take approximately 1 tablespoon of olive oil and use it to coat a large sized bowl. After the 10 minutes is up, the dough should be clinging to the dough hook. Take the dough from the mixer and place it in the oiled bowl. Cover with a damp dish towel and let it sit in a warm, dark area for 1 hour to rise. I like to turn my oven onto the lowest temperature for 2 minutes, turn it off and leave the dough there to rise.
For the sauce:
- While the dough is rising, make the sauce! In a medium-sized saute pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil, ground meat, and seasonings. Cook until the meat is browned and just starting to become crispy, 5-7 minutes. As soon as the meat is browned, add in the sauce and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Once the dough has risen, remove and preheat the oven to 500°. Punch down the dough and divide it into 4 even pieces. On a floured surface, roll each dough ball out to about an 8-inch circle, ¼ inch thick. Spoon on about ½ cup of sauce on each, leaving about 1 inch around the edges without sauce. Top with a little more than ⅓ cup of ricotta, and then ½ cup of mozzarella.
- Lightly dampen half of the edges with water, fold the dough in half and pinch together. Crimp edges together and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops with olive oil and using a knife, slice 3 slits into the top to allow the steam to release. Bake until the tops are golden and the filling is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Let the calzones cool for 5 minutes before eating. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve!
Daniela
Definitely worth the extra effort of making your own dough. This was a big hit with the kids and hubby. Great recipe!