Every now and then, when I’m in the mood for a little indulgence, I whip up these mini calzones. They take a bit of time and patience to make, but the steps are straightforward. I start by cooking the main ingredients separately—tomato sauce, bell peppers, onions, and minced meat. Then comes the fun part: stuffing the calzonettes with all these delicious fillings, along with a generous helping of cheese.

This recipe usually yields around 12 to 14 calzones, and I use a 14cm diameter bowl (since I don’t have a cookie-cutter) to shape the dough into circles.

Ingredients:

• Ready-made fine pizza dough. I used 4 doughs of 260g each, as I feel their size has mysteriously shrunk since the pandemic!
• 250g minced meat.
• ½ bell pepper, finely diced.
• 2 shallots, finely chopped. I also used a ¼ of a leftover onion I had in my fridge.
• Shredded Mozzarella cheese.
• 1 egg.
• Poppy seeds.

Marinade for the minced meat:

• 1 small shallot, finely chopped.
• 1 garlic clove, crushed.
• 1 teaspoon Italian spices.
• ½ teaspoon dried basil.
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano.
• ½ teaspoon paprika.
• 1 tablespoon tomato coulis.
• 1 tablespoon olive oil.
• Salt and pepper.

Spices for the bell pepper and shallots:

• 1 teaspoon Italian spices.
• ½ teaspoon dried basil.
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano.
• 1 tablespoon olive oil.
• Salt and pepper.

Ingredients for the tomato sauce:

• 2 tomatoes, finely chopped.
• 175g tomato coulis.
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed.
• ½ beef stock cube.
• ½ teaspoon Italian spices.
• ½ teaspoon dried basil.
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano.
• ½ teaspoon paprika.
• 1 tablespoon olive oil.
• Pepper.

Method:

1 – In a bowl, combine the marinade ingredients with the minced meat and mix thoroughly. Cover the meat with cling film and allow it to marinate in the fridge for about an hour.

2 – Begin by preparing the tomato sauce. Heat olive oil, garlic, and a beef stock cube in a pan, letting the mixture sizzle briefly. Stir occasionally. Add tomatoes, spices, and coulis, then let the sauce simmer until fully cooked.

3 – Mix the above-mentioned ingredients into the diced bell pepper and chopped onions until well combined.

4 – Arrange the bell pepper, onion, and minced meat (spreading it out evenly) on a baking tray without mixing them together, then bake in the oven until fully cooked. Once the minced meat has cooled, crumble it.

5 – Retrieve the pizza dough from the fridge, unroll it, and shape circles using a cookie cutter or a bowl (as I did). Fill the newly formed circles with tomato sauce, bell pepper, onions, meat, and cheese. Carefully fold the calzone over and seal by pressing the dough. Apply pressure along the edges with a fork to ensure a firm closure.

6 – Once the calzonettes are shaped, arrange them on a baking sheet, brush with beaten egg, and sprinkle poppy seeds on top.

7 – Place the calzonettes in the oven and bake at 180°C (adjust the temperature according to your oven type). Bake for approximately 25 – 30 minutes, or until the dough turns a golden hue.

8 – Your delicious calzonettes are now ready to be enjoyed!

Bon appétit!