Cast iron calzone takes less than an hour of your time. Cater the filling ingredients to your liking. This is such an easy, perfect meal!
Original post: September 2015 | Updated: February 2021
I have always been in awe of the delicious calzone. It’s a pizza and a pie all in one, just like magic! As with pizza, the world is your oyster as far as filler ingredients go!
HOW TO MAKE CAST IRON CALZONE
STEP 1
Cook the ground beef in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add onions, green peppers and mushrooms. Cook until veggies are soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer contents of the skillet to a bowl and drain grease (do not clean skillet).
STEP 2
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Divide the pizza dough nearly in half, one part being slightly bigger than the other. On a flat, floured surface rough the dough into two circles, one 10 inches in diameter and the other 12 inches.
STEP 3
Place the larger circle on the bottom and up the sides of the skillet, letting the dough hang over the edge. Spread the marinara sauce evenly onto the dough and top with the cooked meat and veggies. Top with a layer of pepperonis and then the cheese.
STEP 4
Place the remaining circle of dough over the top. Pinch the dough edges together creating a seam. Using a sharp knife, cut a few vent lines into the top of the calzone.
Place the skillet into the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes. Cut like a pizza and serve with extra marinara sauce, if desired.
WHAT SHOULD I SERVE WITH CAST IRON CALZONE
Calzones are great solo but if you are looking for a little something to serve on the side, go with a simple salad such as this Chopped Salad. Garlic bread is also a great side, served with a marinara sauce or butter garlic sauce.
If you make pizza sauce for this recipe, place the remaining sauce back on the stove and let it simmer for an additional 20 minutes for a delicious marinara!
DELICIOUS PIZZA RECIPES
RECIPE NOTES: CAST IRON CALZONE
- If you’re up for it, I highly recommend making your own No Yeast Homemade Pizza Dough. It is super easy and is totally worth the tiny bit of effort required!
- As long as you’re going homemade for the crust, you may as well make your own Homemade Pizza Sauce, too! It is super easy and will taste way better than anything you can find in the store.
- The best cheeses to use to make calzones are mozzarella, provolone and cheddar.
- Change up the vegetables in the recipe for others you have on hand! Any variety of onion, zucchini and olives would all be great options.
- Replace a portion or all of the ground beef with ground sausage for an added boost of flavor.
FAQ ABOUT CALZONES
Yes, they can definitely be prepared ahead of time. Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to 3 days before eating.
Calzones can frozen for up to 4 months when wrapped in foil and placed inside a resealable freezer bag.
Calzones and pizza contain the same ingredients, but are put together differently. Think of pizza as being open-faced, exposing the ingredients, and calzones as containing ingredients inside of baked pizza dough, much like a pie.
Cast Iron Calzone Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 8 oz sliced mushrooms
- 1 lb frozen pizza dough thawed according to package directions
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 20 pepperonis
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
- Cook the ground beef in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add onions, green peppers and mushrooms. Cook until veggies are soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer contents of the skillet to a bowl and drain grease (do not clean skillet).
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Divide the pizza dough nearly in half, one part being slightly bigger than the other. On a flat, floured surface rough the dough into two circles, one 10 inches in diameter and the other 12 inches.
- Place the larger circle on the bottom and up the sides of the skillet, letting the dough hang over the edge. Spread the marinara sauce evenly onto the dough and top with the cooked meat and veggies. Top with a layer of pepperonis and then the cheese.
- Place the remaining circle of dough over the top. Pinch the dough edges together creating a seam. Using a sharp knife, cut a few vent lines into the top of the calzone. Place the skillet into the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes. Cut like a pizza and serve with extra marinara sauce, if desired.
Notes
- If you’re up for it, I highly recommend making your own No Yeast Homemade Pizza Dough. It is super easy and is totally worth the tiny bit of effort required!
- As long as you’re going homemade for the crust, you may as well make your own Homemade Pizza Sauce, too! It is super easy and will taste way better than anything you can find in the store.
- The best cheeses to use to make calzones are mozzarella, provolone and cheddar.
- Change up the vegetables in the recipe for others you have on hand! Any variety of onion, zucchini and olives would all be great options.
- Replace a portion or all of the ground beef with ground sausage for an added boost of flavor.
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