Something amazing happened the other day. I had a window of opportunity to make something new for dinner and I took it. The result was these amazing Sausage and Three Cheese Calzones. They are stuffed with turkey sausage, salami, onion, green pepper, mushrooms, and parmesan, ricotta, and mozzarella cheeses. They are kind of like pizza but better!
I made some chicken and artichoke calzones a few years back that were also delicious. However, I can attest that these ones are wayyy better. I think it’s because they are more traditional in the calzone world. I like trying new things but I also love traditional dishes and staying simple. That is exactly what these calzones are –> SIMPLE!! They use frozen bread dough to make life easier because we could all use that lately. And yet they are full of flavor and texture. You are going to want to add these calzones to your meal plan quite often.
I use frozen bread roll dough because it’s good and it’s simple and I don’t need any more reasons than that. I let the dough that in a 9×13 greased pan for about 3-5 hours and then proceed with the recipe.
The filling is full of meats, veggies, and cheese just like a calzone should be. I added turkey sausage, salami, green peppers, onion, mushrooms, Italian seasoning, parsley along with ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. I’m being honest when I say these calzones are one of my all-time favorite recipes I have added to the blog. They have the best flavor and my family loves them!
There’s something wonderful about homemade bread. However, this is real life and using frozen bread dough suits this recipe so nicely. Today, we are okay with frozen bread dough. In fact I wouldn’t choose anything different because these calzones are fantastic without homemade bread dough. Also once you taste them, you will realize that homemade bread dough is completely unnecessary here.
Calzones always remind me of D’Bronx in KC when we lived there. They have the best calzones, pizza, you name it. We loved eating there and still love stopping by there and getting takeout (bc 3 tired kiddos after a long day calls for takeout) when we get back to visit. KC was such an amazing place to live and I miss it so often.
On a different note, I am so excited to have another solid dinner recipe to add to our quarantine list of awesome easy meals to fix. It’s meals like this that make dinner time so fun because when everyone loves what is served it’s just a whole lot more fun. And these are just like stuffed pizza. It doesn’t get any better than that right?!
Hope you give these Sausage and Three Cheese Calzones a try real soon! They’re so delicious!!
Best Ever Sausage and Three Cheese Calzones
Ingredients
- 14 frozen dinner rolls dough I used Rhodes brand
- 1 lb turkey sausage may also use pork sausage or breakfast sausage
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 oz salami, chopped
- 1/4 green bell pepper, chopped
- 4 oz baby bella or button mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- pinch red pepper flakes
- dash black pepper
- pinch kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded + more for topping
- 3 eggs, divided
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped may sub 2 tsp dried parsley
- 15 oz can tomato sauce I used Contadina brand and it paired great with calzones.
Instructions
- Start by thawing dough. Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place frozen bread dough in pan and cover loosely with plastic wrap that has been spray with nonstick spray. Follow package instructions for thawing method. Allow to thaw 3-5 hours.
- Once dough has been thawed and is doubled in size, begin preparing the rest. Preheat oven to 400℉. Cook turkey sausage and onion in a large skillet for 5-8 minutes until sausage is fully cooked. Add salami, green pepper, mushrooms, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. Cook another 5-6 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and allow to cool down.
- In a separate large bowl, mix ricotta cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, 2 eggs, salt and pepper, and parsley. Add sausage mixture to cheese mixture and combine. Set aside.
- Beat remaining egg in a small bowl and set aside. On a floured surface, roll out dough from two bread rolls into a circle. Add two large spoonfuls of calzone filling into center of dough. Fold dough over filling and line it up with edge of dough on the other side. Seal edges by pinching together and/or use tines of a fork. Place onto a greased baking sheet. Brush tops with egg wash. Repeat process for the rest of the dough/filling. Bake for 10-13 minutes or until golden brown. While calzones are baking, add tomato sauce to a small saucepan and heat over medium low. When calzones are done cooking, allow to rest for 3-5 minutes. Serve warm with tomato sauce and shredded parmesan cheese on top.
More Dinner Recipe Ideas
Favorite Lasagna
Whole Grain Thin Spaghetti with Mushrooms
Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry
