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    Home » Recipes » Party Appetizers

    Mini Cheesy Calzones

    Published: Sep 24, 2021 · Modified: Jun 14, 2022 by Aleka Shunk · This post may contain affiliate links · 5 Comments

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    These Mini Cheesy Calzones are so delicious! Pillsbury crescent dough is stuffed with THREE cheeses , riccota, parmesan and mozzarella. They're then tucked into a little ball before being baked to gooey, melty perfection. Pure cheese heaven.

    I recommend serving these with a warm marinara sauce for dipping and everyone will love you.

    Mini cheesy ricotta calzone bites on board with pizza sauce on the side.
    Serve with marinara or pizza sauce for dipping!

    Calzones are a pizza pocket of cheesy heaven! If you've never tried one, you are 100% missing out!! And if you love fried panzerottis, you will love these!

    The only bad thing about calzones is that some are MASSIVE. Every pizza shop I get them from are huge and require a fork and knife to eat.

    Plus, they can get messy.

    So these mini calzones are the perfect alternative if you would like to serve them to a crowd at any party.

    And if you love cheesy appetizers, you HAVE to try my Cheesy Pull Apart Garlic Bombs are also made using biscuit dough and assembled in a casserole dish!

    Ingredients for mini calzones on table.
    Contents hide
    1 📝 Ingredients
    2 👩‍🍳 How To Make Mini Calzones
    3 ✔️Calzone Tips
    4 📌 Substitutions/Variations
    5 💬 FAQ's
    5.1 Other Cheesy Appetizers You Will Love!
    6 Mini Spinach Ricotta Calzone Bites
    6.1 Ingredients
    6.2 Instructions
    6.3 Recipe Notes

    📝 Ingredients

    • Crescent Dough: I used Pillsbury's crescent dough sheet because it's easy to form and can be frozen until you're ready to use it!
    • Parmesan Cheese: Parmesan cheese adds lots of flavor to the calzone and is a must.
    • Spinach: I recommend using chopped frozen spinach. It's inexpensive and doesn't require it to be cooked down at all. Just make sure to squeeze ALL the water out of your thawed spinach.
    • Ricotta Cheese: Ricotta cheese is what a good calzone is about. Get the creamiest, full fat ricotta you can find.
    • Mozzarella Cheese: I used mozzarella cheese sticks because they're easy to cut and the perfect size. You can use fresh mozzarella or shredded if you have.
    • Garlic Powder: I love garlic knots so this is a nod to those buttery, garlicky knots! If you want to omit this or use onion powder instead, feel free!

    👩‍🍳 How To Make Mini Calzones

    Step 1: Thaw your crescent dough fully in the fridge if not already defrosted.

    Step 2: Add your ricotta, Parmesan, garlic and spinach to a medium bowl and mix together.

    Step 3: Do not unroll your crescent sheet and instead cut the log into 7-8 portions that are about 1" thick. Each dough ball will be about 1 oz.

    Step 4: Using the palm of your hand, flatten each piece of dough so it resembled a pancake. Repeat with other pieces.

    Step 5: Add to each dough round about 1 tablespoon of filling. Add a chunk of mozzarella on top. Pinch the dough together around the filling until a ball forms. Make sure to pinch WELL!

    Step 6: Brush with egg wash and air fry or bake until golden brown. Serve hot with marinara sauce for dipping.

    Steps for how to stuff and bake mini calzones.

    Do you order pizza often when expecting company? Check out these appetizers that pair well with pizza!

    ✔️Calzone Tips

    • Pinch the dough together very well so the filling does not seep out while baking.
    • Make sure to taste the ricotta mixture first to see if it needs more salt before stuffing.
    • Adding freshly grated Parmesan cheese to the top of your calzones when they come out of the oven so the cheese melts slightly.
    • Reheat your calzone bites for 5 minutes or until heated through.
    • Omit the spinach if you wish.
    • Add diced ham or pepperoni to the inside if you prefer.
    • Brushing the top with an egg wash allows the calzones to brown nicely while giving them a pretty sheen!

    📌 Substitutions/Variations

    1. Add dried Italian seasoning to the ricotta mixture for added flavor!
    2. Brush the tops with garlic butter instead of egg for added richness and flavor.
    3. Sprinkle sesame seeds or poppy seeds on top before baking for a pretty garnish.
    4. Play with different cheeses. Ricotta is a must but the mozzarella can be swapped with other melty cheeses.
    5. Use biscuit dough instead of crescent dough!
    Close up of mini spinach calzone ball.

    💬 FAQ's

    Can I use pizza dough instead of crescent rolls?

    Yes but the dough will need to be rolled thin.

    Can I stuff my calzones with something else?

    Yes. Ham, pepperoni,

    My calzones exploded and cheese is seeping out!

    That's OKAY! The taste will still be delicious! This happened because you did not pinch closed the calzone well enough. You may need to wait for the cheese to cool down before removing or you can simply serve with a fork!

    Can I use provolone cheese too?

    Definitely!

    Can I fry these instead of baking them?

    Yes! Then it would be more of a panzerotti!

    Close up of cut open calzone mini with ricotta and mozzarella cheese oozing out.

    Other Cheesy Appetizers You Will Love!

    Pull Apart Philly Cheesesteak Mini Sandwiches

    Fancy Cream Cheese Grilled Cheese

    Cheddar Cheese & Beer Hard Pretzel Spread

    Stuffed Garlic Bites (Using Biscuit Dough)

    Garlic Cheese Sticks

    📲 Say hi on social!! 👋 Follow me on facebook, instagram, pinterest, youtube or tiktok for more recipes and entertaining tips!

    Mini calzone bites appetizer stuffed with cheese.

    Mini Spinach Ricotta Calzone Bites

    Mini Spinach and Ricotta Calzone Bites are so delicious! Crescent dough is stuffed with THREE cheeses and tucked into a little ball before being baked to gooey, melty perfection. Serve with a warm marinara sauce for dipping and everyone will love you. Did I mention there's spinach too?
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Appetizer, lunch, Snack
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    0 minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes
    Servings: 4 people
    Calories:
    Author: Aleka Shunk

    Ingredients

    • 8 oz. Pillsbury Crescent Dough Sheet
    • ½ cup frozen spinach
    • ⅔ cup ricotta cheese
    • 2 mozzarella cheese sticks ((about 2 ounces))
    • 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
    • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 egg
    • salt to taste

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 400°F.
    • Mix together ricotta cheese, Parmesan, spinach, and garlic powder.
    • Defrost frozen spinach in microwave or at room temperature. Use a few paper towels or dish cloth and squeeze out any excess water! (This will make your filling watery.)
    • Add spinach to bowl and mix well. Taste and add salt to your liking! It definitely needs some salt since the dough itself is not salty. You can also add more Parmesan since that it also salty.
    • Divide your crescent dough into 7-8 portions that are about 1 oz. Flatten each piece with the palm of your hand so it resembles a pancake. Repeat with all pieces.
    • Scoop a generous amount of filling onto each dough round (about 1 tbsp.) and top with a chunk of mozzarella cheese. I divided my mozzarella stick into approximately 4 pieces. Add more if you like.
    • Gently pull the dough on both sides and pinch it together. Repeat with other sides gently pinching the dough to form a mini rounded package. Place pinched side DOWN onto a lined baking sheet. Repeat with rest of dough. You should get 7-8 mini calzones.
    • Scramble egg and brush your calzones using a pastry brush.
    • Bake for 10-12 minutes on the upper rack until the dough has browned nicely.
    • Top with more freshly grated Parmesan cheese and serve warm with warmed marinara sauce for dipping!

    Recipe Notes

    • Warm your marinara sauce in the microwave while baking your calzones.
    • Using freshly grated Parmesan cheese is best!
    • Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and/or more Parmesan cheese while hot.
    • You can freeze these (once baked) and reheat them at 350ºF until warmed through.
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    Comments

    1. Patti

      June 12, 2022 at 7:28 pm

      I don't see dough or Crescent dough in the ingredients. How much is needed?

      Reply
      • Aleka Shunk

        June 14, 2022 at 12:57 pm

        Hi Patti, I apologize. I just added it! One 8 oz can of Pillsbury crescent dough SHEET.

      • Patti

        June 15, 2022 at 6:38 am

        Great!! Thank you!!

    2. Kiera Demorin

      October 04, 2021 at 11:19 am

      5 stars
      These were great and super easy to make! I added garlic salt to the filling and would even add a little more next time. I also used shredded mozzarella since that is what I had, but next time I would use a cheese stick like it says to use in the recipe. It was hard to contain the shredded cheese whilst pinching, so the stick would be better for a concentration of cheese and a melty cheesy factor. Will definitely make again!

      Reply
      • Aleka Shunk

        October 04, 2021 at 11:57 am

        Thanks so much Kiera!! 🙂

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