Beans are unsung heroes. They’re humble, inexpensive, and versatile. With a bit of attention and proper care, they can be spectacular in a huge range of dishes. They’re great for dips and salads, but they’re also excellent in heartier fare—such as soups, stews, and pastas—that are perfect for warming up with when it’s chilly. Below, you’ll find 15 recipes, including stick-to-your-ribs French cassoulet and a savory ham and bean soup, that take advantage of the pantry staple and are guaranteed to keep you nice and cozy.

While I love homemade pizza, I am also a big fan of pizza’s modest cousin, the calzone. And while I am all for a homemade calzone recipe (from scratch), this post is more about ways to make easy calzone using different types of crust mixes or store-bought dough.

Calzone is different from stromboli in two ways. Stromboli is rolled, like a pizza cinnamon roll, while a calzone only has a top and bottom layer. If a calzone is a pressed sandwich, stromboli is a pinwheel burrito. I also think of calzone like a pizza pocket (or my childhood favorite: Hot Pocket).

The second difference is calzone is usually made with ricotta cheese (or a mix of cheese including ricotta). This adds moisture to the calzone.

Related: Detroit-Style Pizza, Deep Dish Pizza Recipe, Tomato Sauce, Pizza Sauce.

What is a Calzone?

Calzone = Dough + Sauce + Cheese + Fillings

The ingredients in a calzone recipe are dough, pizza sauce, cheese and fillings, such as pepperoni, Italian sausage, ham, and any other vegetables or protein you prefer. You can also make a cheese calzone without any other fillings.

Another key to great calzone is you should serve it alongside dipping sauce—preferably marinara. Whatever red sauce you use inside the calzone can be served for dipping, so you don’t necessary have to make or buy two different sauces unless you want to.

From Scratch Dough Options

For an easy calzone recipe, use one of the store-bought options below. But, if you are looking to make calzone from scratch, here are few pizza dough recipes that can work well:

Other pizza dough recipes can work, but avoid anything that is super thin or crispy. These will not bake as well. It’s best to stick to a pizza dough recipe that contains yeast, although there are some exceptions.

Store-Bought Calzone Dough Options

• Frozen dough for bread loaves – This is my favorite store-bought option. Each loaf will make three calzones, so this entire package you see above would make nine calzones if I used it all at once. You will need to thaw and roll this dough out with a rolling pin.
• Refrigerated pizza dough (like Pillsbury) – I also like this option because it works well and is easy to shape into a number of different calzones, depending on the size.
• Dry pizza crust mix (like Jiffy) – Although this will work and is the most shelf-stable option, it can make your calzone crust kind of thin and dry.

This is the frozen bread dough before rolling it out. Whatever dough you use, make sure to roll it out to a desired thickness before baking.

If you leave the dough super thick (more than 1/2 an inch), it may be kind of doughy on the inside while fully baked to burning on the outside. Adjust the bake time as needed depending on what dough recipe you use.

Calzone Fillings

• Sauce – I like red sauce. You won’t need much for the inside of each calzone—just a couple spoonfuls at the most. But you will want some on the side for dipping. You can make calzone with other sauces like Alfredo or other pasta sauces or BBQ sauce. Any sauce you like on pizza you will probably like in a calzone.
• Cheese – I usually use a mixture of ricotta cheese and shredded mozzarella. The ricotta cheese adds moisture to the inside of the calzone so it doesn’t dry out in baking. That being said, if you want to skip the ricotta, the best substitution is fresh mozzarella, which has higher moisture.
• Toppings – Pizza toppings can become fillings for calzone. My family likes pepperoni, and if I have some fresh basil, I’ll usually add that too. If you want to use vegetables, you may want to consider cooking them slightly first, like sautéing bell peppers, onions, or mushrooms. But this is personal preference and just depends on what kind of textures you prefer.

Directions

Roll out the dough. For this bake time I’m recommending here, the dough should be roughly 8-10 inches in diameter and 1/2 an inch thick or less.

Add a spoonful or two of sauce and spread more or less evenly toward the edges, leaving a little edge all around. Put each calzone on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

On half of the calzone add 2-3 tablespoons ricotta cheese, crumbled. Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese or parmesan cheese. Then add a handful of any toppings you like.

Fold the dough over on itself, making an empanada shape (half moon). I like to use a fork to press the edges together, but you can also roll them up. This will depend on your dough.

Optional: Brush the tops with an egg wash before baking. This will create a golden brown color.

Once baked, serve alongside with dipping sauce. If you want to feel healthy, maybe add a salad. You do you. Enjoy! -Emma

More Recipes to Try

This homemade tomato jam is a quick and easy to make condiment that tastes great served with crackers and cheese and on burgers.

Homemade Tomato Jam

Tomato jam is a delicious spread that is made with fresh tomatoes. If you have an overload of tomatoes this year, then this is one recipe that you need to try.

Serving Tomato Jam

Here are some ideas for serving tomato jam:

• On a cheeseboard with crackers
• Spoon onto egg sandwiches or burgers
• Drizzle over a cheese ball
• Serve with some grilled Ciabatta bread
• Grill a wheel of brisket and serve it with the jam
• It’s delicious on avocado toast
• Serve with some scrambled eggs and toast
• Spoon onto a piece of grilled chicken
• Use as a dipping sauce for meatballs 

Tomato Jam Variations

• Use tomatoes at their peak for the best flavour. A mix of red, yellow and orange cherry or grape tomatoes will work. Roma tomatoes also work.
• 1+ garlic cloves, minced can be added to the mixture with the onion
• For a little sweetness, try adding a dash of honey
• Balsamic vinegar could be used instead of apple cider vinegar
• Fresh basil makes a delicious fresh garnish
• Raw sugar or cane sugar can be used instead of brown sugar
• For a spicy version, add one finely diced jalapeño
• For a more tart flavour, try using green tomatoes
• Add some diced bacon for a bacon tomato jam

Cooking the Tomatoes

The tomatoes can be cooked down as much as you desire.

The longer they simmer, the more they will reduce down. This will help create a sweeter, more flavourful jam.

If you have issues with the jam thickening, it may be that your tomatoes have a high moisture content. If this happens, you can mix 1 TBSP of cornflour with 1 TBSP of water to make a slurry and mix it into the tomatoes with a fork, making sure there are no lumps.

As the jam cools, it will continue to thicken.

Ingredients for Making Tomato Jam

To make 1 cup of tomato jam, you will need:

• 2 TBSP Olive Oil
• ½ a Small Onion
• 2 Cups Cherry or Grape Tomatoes
• 2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• ⅓ Cup Brown Sugar
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• Pinch of Red Chilli Flakes, Optional

Making Tomato Jam

In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.

Dice the onion and add them to the saucepan.

Add the tomatoes to the saucepan.

Cook until the tomatoes are heated through and can be easily crushed with the back of a spoon. This can take about 5 minutes.

Add the apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, salt and pepper, and red chilli flakes, if using.

Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow to cool before using or storing.

Storing Jam

Store the jam in glass airtight jars in the fridge for up to 10 days.

More Tomato Resources

Homemade Tomato Jam

Simple Living. Creative Learning

This homemade tomato jam is a quick and easy to make condiment that tastes great served with crackers and cheese and on burgers.

Servings 1 Cup

Calories 596 kcal

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Nutrition

Calories: 596kcal | Carbohydrates: 87g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 21g | Sodium: 38mg | Potassium: 862mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 80g | Vitamin A: 2483IU | Vitamin C: 43mg | Calcium: 100mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. The values may vary according to the ingredients and tools that are used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed information.

Keyword Homemade, Jam, Tomato, Tomato Jam

Salsa verde shrimp and rice is incredibly flavorful, easy to make (ready in just 15 minutes) and the perfect busy weeknight dinner recipe. This recipe uses simple ingredients like frozen veggies and store-bought salsa verde, helping you make an incredibly delicious meal without much effort.

If you love weeknight meals that take less than 20 minutes to make, you should try Blackened Shrimp Rice Bowls or BBQ Salmon Tacos.

Bites of Wellness was created to help you get a flavorful meal on the table with little effort. Owning my own meal prep business helped me understand how to make flavorful food in the least amount of time. Seafood, specifically shrimp, is such a quick cooking protein. Be sure to check out a few more seafood recipes.

Recipe highlights

• 15 minutes with tips on how to make it even quicker!
• 8 ingredients
• Uses pantry staples – like store bought salsa verde, frozen veggies and frozen shrimp
• Easy to make – the shrimp and veggies cook together in on pan while the rice cooks in the instant pot

Ingredients

• Shrimp – I always use defrosted frozen shrimp that was already peeled and deveined to make minimal prep work.
• Frozen peppers and onions – I highly recommend grabbing the fire-roasted frozen peppers and onions at Trader Joe’s if possible.
• Salsa verde – use your favorite jarred salsa verde or make your own.
• Rice – use whatever your favorite rice is. I highly recommend jasmine rice, as it cooks quickly in the instant pot and pairs perfectly with the slightly spicy shrimp.

How to make salsa verde shrimp bowls

Start by cooking the rice in the instant pot (rinse rice well, add rice and water to instant pot and cook 3 minutes high pressure).

While rice is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium heat and cook the frozen peppers and onions with salt, garlic powder and cumin. Cook 5-6 minutes until defrosted and most of the water is starting to cook off the veggies.

Push peppers and onions to the sides of the pan and add the defrosted shrimp. Cover shrimp with salt, garlic powder and cumin and cook 2-3 minutes on the first side and 1-2 minutes on the next side. Turn off heat.

Stir in the jarred salsa verde sauce and stir well, combining the shrimp, veggies and salsa.

Serve over rice and add your favorite toppings like avocado, cilantro, jalapeno, tomatoes, etc.

Recipe variations

• Make it spicier: Add some sriracha, crushed red pepper or jalapenos
• Use a different grain: Serve with brown rice, quinoa or even cauliflower rice depending on your preferences

How to serve salsa verde with shrimp

• In a bowl over rice with avocado and cilantro on top
• In tortillas to make salsa verde shrimp tacos
• Over tortilla chips to make a fun spin on nachos

Common questions

Can you use frozen shrimp?

I don’t recommend cooking frozen shrimp in a skillet, however you can easily defrost shrimp very quickly. If you don’t have time to defrost the shrimp, you can cook frozen shrimp in the air fryer.

Can you make this with another protein?

Yes, you could also use chicken, tofu or even cubed salmon (I recommend making air fryer salmon cubes if you choose this protein). The cooking time may vary for these other proteins.

Can you make this in advance?

As you may know, shrimp can get very rubbery if overcooked, so I don’t recommend making this in advance and later heating it up. You could make the rice in advance to save time though. If you have pre-cooked rice, the recipe will be ready in 10 minutes.

Storing leftovers

• Fridge: If you happen to have leftovers, store them in the fridge in a well sealed container for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave over in a small skillet over medium low heat, covered.
• Freezer: I don’t recommend freezing this, the shrimp and veggies will not reheat well after defrosting.  

More delicious shrimp recipes