
calzone alle melanzane
There’s something so nostalgic about a calzone. The saucy folded pizza makes me feel like a kid; just thinking about it makes my mouth water. Without fail I always take a huge bite too early and instantly burn the roof of my mouth, but it’s worth it! This eggplant calzone gives me all those feelings and is like a cozy pocket of pizzeria goodness.
A calzone is essentially a pizza folded in half. This allows for stuffing of all sorts of varieties, meats and cheese and vegetables, all encased in that lovely pizza dough that gets a crispy crust when baked in the oven.
Calzone can come in many sizes, from small handheld to larger plate size requiring a fork and knife. In the Puglia region of Italy, small calzones are fried and called panzerotti.
Ingredients
Calzone Dough
- Flour – type 00
- Yeast
- Water
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
Calzone Filling
- Eggplants
- Tomato sauce
- Mozzarella
- Extra virgin olive oil
I’ll be honest. I’m lazy and don’t always salt my eggplant. But for certain preparations I do, like for these eggplant calzones where I want a soft and creamy eggplant filling. Salting the eggplant draws out moisture giving it a more condensed flavor and tender texture. Which is exactly what you want inside a pillow of pizza filled with tomato and cheese.
For tomato sauce, I use a can of tomato pulp, which is like a cross between crushed and diced tomatoes. I season it with salt, black pepper, fresh basil and oregano. Passata would work or your favorite pizza sauce!
You can either use shredded mozzarella, or a block of mozzarella cheese that you cut into pieces or tear into strips with your fingers.
Step by Step
First is to make the pizza dough. Measure the flour into a large bowl. Add the yeast and sugar. Instant dry yeast doesn’t need to be activated in water first and can be added straight into the dry ingredients. Sugar helps to jump start the yeast.
Slowly add in the water and stir until a shaggy dough begins to form. Mix in the olive oil and then turn out onto a work surface. Add the salt and knead the dough for 5-10 minutes until smooth. Salt can impede the activation of yeast, so we add it now after the dough has started to come together and the yeast has already mixed with the water and flour.
The pizza dough can also be made in an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature for 2- 2 ½ hours or until doubled.
Meanwhile, prepare the eggplant. Salting eggplant isn’t always a necessary step for every recipe, but I like to do it for these eggplant calzones because it draws out excess moisture from the eggplant, making them tender and creamy. Arrange the eggplant slices on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Sprinkle them with salt and let sit for 30-40 minutes.
Then, with clean paper towels, blot off salt and excess moisture from each eggplant slice. I like to press down a little bit with the paper towel to help squeeze out the water.
I like to broil my eggplant, instead of the mess and hassle of frying it. Place the slices of eggplant on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the oven under the broiler for 2-4 minutes per side until golden and charred in some spots, flipping the eggplant pieces halfway through. After they have cooled, I just give them a rough chop so they fit in the calzones easier, cutting the discs in half or thirds.

When the calzone dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently roll into a log so it’s easier to portion out, and divide into 6 pieces for medium size calzones, or 4 pieces for larger calzones. You can also make 8 mini calzones. Roll each piece into a ball and cover. Let rest again for 30 minutes.


Preheat the oven to 230°C. Then, to assemble the calzones, press out a dough ball into an even, flat circle, either with a rolling pin or your hands. On one half, spread tomato sauce, eggplant slices and dot with pieces of mozzarella. Dampen the border of the dough with water to help it stick. Fold over the dough to make a half moon and crimp the edges. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.


Repeat with the other dough balls. Brush the tops of the calzones with olive oil. Place in the preheated oven and bake until golden brown 20-25 minutes, or more or less depending on size.

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Tips and FAQs
- Try adding ricotta cheese or salami!
- You can definitely use store-bought dough – take it out of refrigerator about an hour before to allow to come up to room temperature.
- If you have a pizza stone, place in the oven before preheating. When the oven is hot, place calzones on a pizza peel dusted with flour or cornmeal and slide directly onto the hot stone.

What is normally in a calzone?
Calzones can have a multitude of fillings, some with tomato sauce and some without. Tomato sauce and mozzarella is a classic combination. Adding salami or ham is common as well as ricotta or parmesan cheese. Any number of vegetables can go in a calzone, such as mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini, onions, or peppers.
What is a stromboli vs calzone?
Both are made with pizza dough and filled with similar ingredients. However, a stromboli dough is formed into a rectangle and rolled into a long cylindrical shape. It is usually larger than a calzone and once baked, is cut into slices to serve for a crowd. Calzones are formed into a half moon shape, the edges crimped, and generally made as a single-serving size. Another main difference is the stromboli is an Italian-American food hailing from Philadelphia, while the calzone’s origins are traced back to Naples, Italy.
Can you freeze a calzone?
Yes! You can freeze them before or after they’re baked. If raw, place in a freezer bag after fully assembling the calzone. If cooked, wait for it to fully cool and then place in a freezer bag.
How to Reheat a Calzone
To reheat a frozen calzone, just place straight from the freezer on a baking sheet in a preheated oven. Just add a few minutes to the baking time. You can also let it defrost in the refrigerator for about 3 hours before baking.
Eggplant Calzone Recipe
Eggplant Calzone
Course: Antipasti, Pizza6
calzones30
minutes30
minutes3
hoursIngredients
- Calzone Dough
500g 00 flour
7g dry brewers yeast – *see note
300ml warm water
40g extra virgin olive oil
6g salt
- Calzone Filling
2 medium eggplants, sliced 1cm thick
300g tomato sauce
200g mozzarella
Extra virgin olive oil
Directions
- Measure flour into a large bowl. Add the yeast and sugar.
- Slowly add in water and stir until a shaggy dough begins to form. Mix in the olive oil and then turn out onto a work surface. Add the salt and knead the dough for 5-10 minutes until smooth. Dough can also be made in an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
- Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature for 2- 2 ½ hours or until doubled.
- Meanwhile prepare the eggplant. Arrange the eggplant slices on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and let sit for 30-40 minutes.
- With clean paper towels, blot off salt and excess moisture from each eggplant slice. Arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Preheat the oven broiler and position a rack 10cm from the heat source.
- Drizzle the eggplant with olive oil and place in the oven. Broil until golden and charred in some spots, flipping the eggplant pieces halfway through, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Remove from the oven and let cool. Roughly slice each eggplant disk in half or thirds so they more easily fit in the calzones. Set aside.
- When the dough has doubled in size, turn out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently roll into a log and divide into 6 pieces for medium size calzones, or 4 pieces for larger calzones. You can also make 8 mini calzones. Roll each piece into a ball and cover. Let rest for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 230°C.
- To make the calzones, press out a dough ball into an even, flat circle, either with a rolling pin or your hands. On one half, spread some tomato sauce, eggplant slices and dot with pieces of mozzarella. Dampen the border of the dough with water to help it stick. Fold over the dough to make a half moon and crimp the edges. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Repeat with the other dough balls. Brush the tops of the calzones with olive oil. Place in the preheated oven and bake until golden brown 20-25 minutes, or more or less depending on size.
Notes
- *In Italy, I use Paneangeli Mastro Fornaio Lievito di Birra. Feel free to use whatever brand of instant yeast you prefer.
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