Is there anything better than warm, comforting Italian flavors all wrapped up in a delicious golden crust? You'll love these calzones with sausage and bell peppers served with a hearty Italian house salad on the side. Smarts: Calzones are freezer-friendly - stash away leftovers or make some extra calzones to enjoy later.
Pizza dough - Divide dough in half (make 2 calzones for 4 servings; adjust if customizing), cover in flour, and let rest for at least 30 minutes outside of fridge before rolling out. This is tip #1 to good pizza / calzones - resting dough gives gluten time to chill out, which makes the dough much more pliable.
Onions / Bell peppers / Garlic - (If prepping right before cooking, get oven heating before continuing with prep.) Prep as directed. Combine onions and bell peppers. Store garlic separately. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Heat oven to 425F / 218C degrees with sheet pan inside.
While oven is heating, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add cooking oil and then onions and pepper. Saute until tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add sausage. Saute, breaking sausage apart, until starting to brown.
Continue to saute until sausage is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes more. Stir in garlic and sprinkle thyme leaves over top. Saute for 1 minute more. Drain any excess oil / liquid from pan.
Transfer onions, bell peppers, and sausage to a mixing bowl and let cool for a few minutes. Combine with mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, and red pepper flakes.
Watch this video to see how to assemble calzones. Roll each portion of pizza dough out into an oval shape (if you have a pizza paddle, do it on that, so you can easily ease the calzone onto a sheet pan). Divide the filling between prepared dough, leaving about a 3/4” / 2 cm edge.
Brush the edges of calzones with egg wash, fold dough over the filling and crimp with a fork.
Brush heated sheet pan with some oil and transfer first calzone to sheet pan. Repeat for remainder of calzones.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden.
While calzones bake, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, and oregano. Add olive oil while whisking. Toss with lettuce, tomatoes, and olives.
Serve calzones with tomato or marinara sauce for dipping if you’d like. Enjoy salad on the side.