If you love pizza-and who doesn't?-then you're going to become obsessed with these Vegetarian Mediterranean Calzones! They're meat-free, easy to make, and absolutely delicious.
This Vegetarian Mediterranean Calzones recipe uses pre-made pizza dough to save time. These calzones are completely vegetarian and stuffed with olives, artichokes, and feta cheese.
Folded Pizza Perfection
The first time I ever bit into a calzone, I'm pretty sure fireworks went off over my head. And I may or may not have stood up from the table and danced a jig. But only a short jig, because I needed to sit my rear back down immediately and scarf down the rest of that calzone.
I mean, I would have never thought there could be a better foodstuff than pizza, but here it was, a version of pizza that was folded in half, sealed, baked to perfection, and somehow even cheesier than its predecessor. Life got just a little bit better after I discovered calzones.
I love to make vegetarian calzones at home, too, although looks-wise my homemade version leaves a little to be desired. Whoever can make six calzones in exactly the same perfectly-half-mooned shape-and with precise, scalloped rolled edges, no less-wins a trophy in my book. A big one.
My calzones aren't the prettiest in town (hey, they're rustic!), but they taste pretty good if I do say so myself.
About the Recipe
When Kiersten asked me to create a Mediterranean vegetarian calzone recipe for Oh My Veggies, I was all over it. I may have danced another jig, in fact. That's me-a jig dancer. Day and night.
These calzones do take a bit of time to assemble, but when you start with pre-packaged pizza dough (we love Trader Joe's version), the process is much easier. I like to use my own homemade pizza sauce (I just freeze it in portions and pull some out whenever I need it) and roast my own red peppers when I can. But store-bought jars of either work in a pinch, too!
I adore these Mediterranean vegetarian calzones. Tangy artichoke hearts, smoky roasted red peppers, and bold kalamata olives mingle with a melty feta-ricotta cheese mix and just a smidge of pizza sauce, adding a tomato-y zip. I like to add the veggies first, so the sauce and the cheesy goodness melt into the toppings while baking-no meat to be seen. It's one big, happy Mediterranean melt-fest!
Hold on one sec. I've got to go get my jig-dancing shoes.
And if you're looking for even more tasty lunch ideas, go check out my new e-book Healthy Plant-Based School Lunches. It's loaded with all my favorite tips for making meatless school lunches that the kids will love!
How to Make Vegetarian Mediterranean Calzones
- Preheat oven and prep baking sheets.
- Prep dough.
- Prep ingredients, including mixing cheeses together.
- Stretch dough, add vegetarian filllings, and seal calzone.
- Assemble all calzones and place on baking sheets.
- Cut slits into the top of the dough.
- Bake vegetarian calzones until golden.
Full directions for how to make Vegetarian Mediterranean Calzones are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Vegetarian Mediterranean Calzones FAQs
What is a calzone?
What is a calzone-other than pure foodie heaven? Well, a calzone is basically pizza that's been folded in half, kind of like a pocket made out of bread.
Don't worry about it being a weird American food invention, though. Calzones have a long history and were originally created in Naples, Italy in the 1700s!
Can I make a vegetarian calzone that's not Mediterranean?
You can make whatever kind of calzone you want! If you're not a fan of Mediterranean flavor, you can go right ahead and switch up your vegetarian calzone fillings. Go for classic cheese and marinara, or switch it up with some zany fillings like artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes!
While you're here, be sure to check out our Vegetarian Freezer Cooking Cookbook. We take the guesswork out of freezer cooking with these meatless recipes that were specifically developed to be prepared, frozen, and reheated later. Talk about easy dinners!
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 32 oz whole wheat pizza dough, split into two balls; I like Trader Joe's refrigerated pizza dough
- 2 cups ricotta cheese, whole milk or low-fat works
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
- ½ cup artichoke hearts, canned in water; drained and roughly chopped
- ½ cup roasted red peppers, chopped
- ⅓ cup kalamata olives, halved
- ½ cup pizza sauce, plus more for serving, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Lightly oil two large rimmed baking sheets and set aside.
- Cut each ball of pizza dough into equal thirds. Let the dough rest for a few minutes while you prepare your fillings.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the ricotta, mozzarella, and feta cheeses until combined. Make sure the rest of your ingredients are ready. (If you still have some chopping to do, now is the time!)
- It's time to assemble the calzones! Place a ball of dough onto a lightly floured board or pastry map and sprinkle the top with a pinch or two of additional flour. Use your fingers to first stretch the dough, and then roll with a rolling pin until you have an 8-inch circle. If the dough shrinks back after rolling, let it rest for 5 minutes and try again.
- Now fill your 'zone! Sprinkle a few artichoke pieces, roasted red peppers, and olives on the bottom half of your dough circle, leaving about a 1-inch border between the fillings and the edge. Remember, your fillings need to go into six calzones, so plan accordingly! Now plop about ⅓ cup of the ricotta filling on top of the veggies, and then spoon a line of pizza sauce along the top of the ricotta (it works out to about 1 ½ tablespoons of sauce per calzone).
- Now it's time to seal this bad boy! Dip your fingers in a bowl of water and wet the edges of the bottom half of the calzone. Fold the top half over the fillings to form a sideways half moon shape and press the edges firmly with your fingers to seal. At this point, you can roll the edges to help form a better seal, or I like to use the tines of a fork to press the edges.
- Carefully transfer the calzone to a baking sheet and repeat steps to assemble the remaining calzones.
- Once the calzones are lined up on the baking sheets (I can fit 3 calzones per sheet), use a sharp knife to slice a 2-inch slit into the tops of each one. This allows the steam to escape the calzone and helps prevent seeping.
- Bake until the dough is golden brown, about 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes before serving and serve with additional pizza sauce if using.
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl says
You had me at kalamata!
Courtney @ The Fig Tree says
So many of my fav ingredients in one gorgeous golden doughy pocket. Haha! I'm smitten! Cannot wait to try these out:)
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan says
Calzones are one of my favorites,especially with those olives, swoon!
Gretchen @ Two Healthy Kitchens says
I have been making calzones, too!!! Your calzones look beautiful! Mine aren't nearly as pretty as yours are! If yours are rustic, then mine are … ummm …
Yummy! A Mediterranean calzone! My hubby isn't a fan of kalamata olives, but that just means more for me!! Yay!!
I can't wait to try this … and your method! I'm hoping they turn out as gorgeous as yours! 🙂
Julia Mueller says
The more rustic the better, I always say! These calzones look amazing - so many flavors and I bet they're tons of fun to make. Bring on them kalamata olives and artichoke hearts!
Lindsey @ American Heritage Cooking says
Calzones are gifts from God. Seriously. Somehow when you fold over pizza dough and bake it with the toppings on the inside, something magical happens! I love your Mediterranean twist on a an old classic!
Kare Troughton says
Seriously. Pizza amplified. Magic!
Heather says
Have you ever tried freezing the calzones?
Maureen @ Wisconsin Mommy says
Those look absolutely amazing!! Can't wait to try making them for dinner 🙂
Kare Troughton says
Thanks so much! I hope you love them.
dishing up the dirt says
Kare,
My husband would fall in love with me all over again if I made these for him! Thanks in advance for that 🙂
Kare Troughton says
Ha - well, my pleasure. Somehow I think plenty of your own gorgeous creations make him do that daily! 🙂
Joanne says
I've definitely been known to do a two-step or two over calzones, so I totally understand! I mean, they're like pizza in pocket form. What could be better?! Loving these Mediterranean flavors. I could live off of these!
Kare Troughton says
I guess the good thing about all the pizza dancing is that it burns off some of the pizza calories! ;D
Meg van der Kruik says
Kare, I am often caught dancing when I in my seat when I eat yummy food. Todd makes fun of me , because I don't even realize I am doing it, it just happens. I am sure these calzones would make me dance!
Meg van der Kruik says
shoot...I shouldn't type so fast when I am thinking about calzones! What I meant to say was:
I am often caught dancing in my seat when I eat yummy food.
Geez! Haha!
Kare Troughton says
I totally understood it the first time! 😀 Hee hee. 🙂
Helen @ Scrummy Lane says
These look and sound wonderful. I've been making my own pizzas over the last few years and loving it so maybe now's the time to branch out with a calzone. And hey, nothing wrong with rustic!
Kare Troughton says
Mmm, I love homemade pizza. A couple of years ago we started Friday night pizza night and we will never go back to anything else on Fridays!
Elisa @ Insalata di Sillabe says
I'm a big fan of calzones, too and trust me when I say yours, in these pictures, look incredible! Now I can't wait to go make some myself…well, I think I've found what to make for dinner tonight!
xo, Elisa
Kare Troughton says
Thanks, Elisa! I hope you love them. 🙂
Constanza says
Hi!! just a thing! Calzones in spanish means underwear, are the panties. The correct word is Calzzone. And there are with a lot of diferent fillings like bacon cheese, meat and onion, shrim cheese, and they are called Empanadas in Chile.
XOXO!
Layla @ Brunch Time Baker says
This looks so yummy! Can't wait to try em.
Lily (A Rhubarb Rhapsody) says
Those are my absolute favourite pizza topping combinations. Like pretty much any pizza I make will be topped with those. Stuffing a calzone with them sounds heavenly.
Rebecca @ it's a nourishing thing says
Calzones! They look awesome! I have never thought of making them myself at home. Great idea!
Courtney says
Ever since we trialed pizza for my daughter with multiple allergies she's been addicted. I'm sure she'll love this at home 🙂