Give those leftovers a makeover by turning them into calzones. Calzones are basically stuffed pizza pockets. Take leftover chicken, meatballs, meat sauce, and even veggies then, combine them with some cheese and stuff into pizza dough. The whole family will love them!

Calzones made with leftover chicken and meat sauce.

What is the dough made of?

Traditional calzones are made with pizza dough. I came up with this recipe a few weeks ago when I made a double batch of my pita bread dough. I had some leftovers in the fridge and tested the recipe. Everyone loved them so, here I am sharing the recipe 😊

My pita bread recipe is so easy to make and uses basic ingredients. The results are perfect. Soft on the inside and a crispy crust on the outside.

Here’s everything that will be needed:

all-purpose flour
salt
milk
water
active dry yeast
sugar
olive oil

Make-Ahead Tips

The dough can be made ahead. It takes a few minutes to knead all of the ingredients together. Set it aside (covered) for about an hour and it will be ready to use.

You can make it a few days ahead as well and keep it ready to use in the refrigerator.

Knead all of the ingredients together as per the recipe instructions.
Transfer to a bowl that will hold double the volume as it will rise.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The dough will slowly rise in the refrigerator and will be ready to use in the morning.
The dough will keep fresh in the refrigerator for 4 days. Just keep in mind that it will develop a sour flavor as it ferments.
If you’re making it ahead of time, the dough should come to room temperature before forming the calzones. Cold dough tends to shrink. The warmer it is, the easier it will be to stretch it out. So, take it out of the refrigerator at least an hour before you’re planning on making the calzones.
Also, remove it from the bowl as the bowl will keep the dough cold for longer. Cut it into portions and cover them with a clean kitchen towel. This will help the dough come to room temperature sooner.

Shortcuts

This pizza dough is so easy to make but if you’re low on time just buy some dough from your local pizzeria and use that instead.

Calzone with chicken, marinara, and cheese.

Filling Options are Endless

meat sauce with cheese and some marinara
chicken, marinara sauce, and mozzarella cheese
chicken, veggies (asparagus, peas, carrots, etc), and cheese
meatballs, marinara sauce, and cheese
veggies and cheese with sauce
leftover turkey, gravy, and veggies

There are so many options. Don’t let those leftovers go to waste. Turn them into something that the whole family will love.

Leftovers will keep fresh in an airtight container stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat the calzones in the oven util crisp. These are perfect for lunchboxes and as a quick meal. Serve them with a salad and some tzatziki. Delish!

I hope that you enjoy this recipe. If you make the calzones, I’d love to read your thoughts. How did you make them? Comment below and let me know. Kali Orexi and I will be cake soon with a delicious recipe worth sharing. xx Dimitra

Watch the Video

Calzones Made with Leftovers

Yield: makes 10 calzones

Give those leftovers a makeover by turning them into calzones. Calzones are basically stuffed pizza pockets. Take leftover chicken, meatballs, meat sauce, and even veggies then, combine them with some cheese and stuff into pizza dough. The whole family will love them!

Ingredients

For the Pizza Dough:

The Dry Ingredients:
• 4 and ¼ cups (648 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
The Wet Ingredients:
• 1 cup (250 ml) lukewarm water
• 1 cup (250 ml) lukewarm whole milk
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

The Fillings:

1 jar pasta sauce
leftover chicken, meatballs, meat sauce, vegetables
shredded mozzarella cheese
pitted olives
olive oil and salt for the topping
tzatziki sauce for serving

Instructions

Make the pizza dough:

Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
In the bowl of a tabletop mixer that is fitted with the dough hook attachment, add all of the wet ingredients except for the olive oil. Allow the yeast to activate for 8 minutes. As soon as a puffy cloud forms at the top of the mixture, the yeast is active.
Add the olive oil along with all of the dry ingredients and knead on low speed for 12 minutes.
Lightly grease a large bowl with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and transfer the dough to the bowl. Toss to coat in oil and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in the warmest room of your home to rise until doubled in volume. About 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 450 °F °F, 230 °C.
Cut the dough into 10 equal portions.
Lightly flour your work surface and roll each portion of dough out into about 6-7-inch circles.

Place some chicken (or meat sauce, or any leftovers) on once side of the circle.

Add 1-2 tablespoons of pasta sauce on top and then, shredded cheese.

Brush the edges of the circle with water and fold over and seal. Twist the edges to get a good seal and a decorative border.

Place the pizza pockets on a baking tray that has been lined with parchment paper.

Cut 2-3 slits on top so that the steam escapes during baking.

Brush the tops with olive oil and sprinkle with some salt.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the tops are crisp and golden.

Set aside to cool for 5 minutes and serve.

Notes

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Warm through in a preheated 400 °F oven for 5-10 minutes.

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