Mini Calzones with Pepperoni

These cute little mini calzones make for a terrific after school snack, or even a fun appetizer to pass around at your next gathering. Made easy with store-bought pizza dough, this mini calzones recipe is filled with three cheeses and pepperoni, then baked until golden and dipped into warm marinara!

A bite-size snack loaded with pizza flavor

I'm a total sucker for diminutive snacks or finger foods that I can enjoy in one or two bites. I'm not quite sure why this is, but the cuter and smaller the morsel, the funner it is to eat, and more delicious it seems to taste!

Take these mini calzones, for instance. They're cute little versions of my classic calzones, only filled with a combination of four cheese blend, ricotta and parmesan cheese, plus pepperoni for lots of savory flavor in each two-bite package!

I love that these mini calzones make for a terrific after-school snack for little fingers to pick up and munch on, or a festive appetizer to pile up onto a big platter and pass around on game day, or at a gathering for adult fingers to enjoy.

Made with just a handful of simple ingredients, these cozy mini calzones are just the snack when you've got a hankering for bold pizza flavor in a cute little package!

My recipe for mini calzones with pepperoni

When it comes to appetizers and snacks, if I can find a good short cut, I'm all about that.

For these mini calzones, there's no need to make pizza dough from scratch, especially since it is easy to find good quality pre-made pizza dough in the market these days. So I'm opting for store-bought pizza dough here, to eliminate that extra (and often a bit time consuming) step.

Since I do prefer my homemade marinara sauce, I do like to whip that up from scratch, and it's super quick. But you can absolutely use your own favorite store-bought marinara sauce here, for dipping.

While you can use pretty much whatever filling ingredients you'd like for these mini calzones, I like a classic cheese and pepperoni vibe, and use a variety of cheeses—a shredded four cheese Italian blend, ricotta and parmesan cheeses—to offer lots of yummy flavor.

And instead of keeping the pepperoni whole, I roughly chop it into bits to incorporate into the filling mixture. Then, all that's left is to gently roll out the pre-made dough, cut out the circles, add the filling, and bake!

What I love about this recipe is that you can assemble these mini calzones ahead of time, and keep them on a baking sheet wrapped in plastic until ready to bake off and serve.

They're the perfect make-ahead appetizer!

Here's a sneak peek at my mini calzones recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get started, if making my homemade marinara sauce, I make that and set it aside to have ready for dipping. If using store-bought, I skip this step.
2. Next, I mix together my filling ingredients and set those aside.
3. Then, roll out my store-bought pizza dough and use a cookie or biscuit cutter to cut the circles, filling each with some of the filling.
4. Next, I fold each dough circle over to create a semi-circle or calzone shape, then place onto my baking sheet.
5. I bake for about 12 minutes, or until the mini calzones are golden and baked through.
6. To serve, I spoon some warm marinara sauce into a small bowl, pile up the mini calzones onto a platter, and serve hot.

Recipe

Mini Calzones with Pepperoni

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

These mini calzones filled with a blend of cheeses and pepperoni are the perfect two-bite snack loaded with pizza flavor!

Category: Appetizer
Cuisine: Italian-American

Yield: 32 mini calzones

Nutrition Info: 231 calories (per 4 mini calzones)

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 12 minutes
Total time: 37 minutes

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup shredded, Italian four cheese blend
• ¼ cup whole milk ricotta cheese
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 ½ ounces pepperoni, chopped
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, plus extra to sprinkle
• Pinch salt
• Pinch black pepper
• 1 egg, beaten, divided use
• 1 pound (16 ounces) store-bought pizza dough
• Warm marinara sauce, for dipping

Preparation:

1. Begin by gathering and prepping all of your ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use. (If making my homemade marinara sauce, begin by preparing that. If using store-bough, skip to the next step.)
2. Preheat the oven to 450°, and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper, drizzling them lightly with a touch of olive oil.
3. Prepare the filling by combining the shredded Italian four cheese blend, ricotta, grated parmesan, chopped pepperoni, Italian seasoning, a pinch of salt and pepper and half of the beaten egg in a small bowl. Set this filling aside for a moment.
4. Next, sprinkle a work surface lightly with flour, and roll out the pizza dough until quite thin. Using 2 ½ inch biscuit or cookie cutter, cut rounds/circles out of the pizza dough. Gather up any scraps of dough, roll out again, and cut out as many more rounds as you can (aim for 32).
5. Using an assembly line method, fill each dough round with between ½ teaspoon to 1 teaspoon of the filling. Once all are filled, dab a little of the beaten egg along the edges of each round with your finger, and fold one side of the dough over to form a semi-circle, or calzone shape, pinching the edges to seal.
6. Brush a little of the beaten egg over each mini calzone, and sprinkle a little Italian seasoning over top.
7. Bake the mini calzones for about 11 to 12 minutes, or until a light, golden-brown. Pile them onto a serving platter, and serve with a small bowl of warm marinara sauce on the side for dipping.

Tips & Tidbits for my mini calzones with pepperoni recipe:

• Store-bought pizza dough, as a short-cut: There's no need to monkey with preparing a homemade pizza or calzone dough here (though if you'd like to, feel free to use my classic calzone recipe for that)—using a good quality store-bought pizza dough is terrific here. A 1 pound ball of dough will be perfect.
• Your favorite pepperoni: If you like a mild pepperoni, use that. If you like a more spicy pepperoni, that'll be delicious as well! You can even use turkey pepperoni in place of pork. Just roughly chop your pepperoni to make it easier to incorporate it into the filling.
• Homemade marinara sauce or store-bought: If you're a fan of the flavor of homemade marinara, then my marinara recipe is for you! Start by making that first, to have it ready and on hand. Otherwise, feel free to use your favorite store-bought marinara, and gently warm it before serving.
• Make these mini calzones ahead: These are a fantastic make-ahead appetizer (by a day or two). All you have to do is assemble the mini calzones, then place them onto their baking sheet(s), wrap in plastic wrap, and keep in the fridge. When ready to serve, simply brush a touch of the egg wash over each, and bake according to the recipe instructions.

Hungry for more delicious appetizers like this one? Check out my recipe for Flatbread Pizza, Thai Chicken Salad Wonton Cups, Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus in Puff Pastry, Oktoberfest Potato Skins, Spicy Orange Chicken Wings, Cheesy Garlic Bread, or my recipe for Sausage Pinwheels!

Cook's Note: This recipe was originally published in 2013, and has been updated with even more love!