Calzone in the UK: what it is, how to order it, where to find it
Quick answer
A calzone is a folded pizza: the same dough and fillings sealed into a half-moon and baked, so the toppings steam inside rather than crisp on top. The name means 'trouser leg'. It suits fillings that would slide off a flat pizza, ricotta especially, and it is a substantial single-portion meal. A good calzone is well sealed and cooked through, not doughy at the fold.
Calories and nutrition
- Calories
- 850
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 95 g
- Fat
- 34 g
- Salt
- 3.6 g
720–1000 kcal
Portion: One calzone, about 350 g.
A full meal; the ricotta and cheese make it richer than a plain pizza.
Estimates for a typical portion, based on standard UK and USDA food composition data. Actual values depend on the recipe and the restaurant.
What a calzone is
Pizza dough is topped on one half with ricotta, mozzarella and often salami, ham or vegetables, then folded over and the edges pinched shut, and baked. Some versions have a little tomato sauce brushed on top or served on the side. Because it is enclosed, the filling steams and stays moist, and ricotta is the classic because it would be too wet on an open pizza. The Neapolitan calzone is baked; a fried version, calzone fritto, exists as street food. It is one pizza's worth of dough and filling folded into a parcel, so it is filling.
How to judge it
The dough should be cooked through, including at the thick sealed edge, with no raw doughiness. The filling should be hot and moist but not soupy. A calzone that is pale and heavy was underbaked; the fold is the part most likely to be undercooked, so a good pizzaiolo watches it. Ricotta inside is the sign of the classic; a calzone that is just a folded pepperoni pizza has missed the point.
Calzone versus pizza
A calzone is one folded pizza and a bigger single portion than a flat pizza slice. It suits wet fillings and travels better. If you want the crisp char of an open pizza, order a pizza; if you want a moist, enclosed, filling meal, order the calzone.
Where it is done well in the UK
Neapolitan pizzerias that make good pizza make good calzoni; ricotta on the menu is the sign. Our directory lists areas with the most Italian restaurants and pizzerias.
How to order it
Order a calzone when you want a filling, enclosed meal rather than a crisp flat pizza. Ricotta inside is the classic. Check it is cooked through at the fold. One is a full meal; they are large.
Where it's done well
UK councils with the most calzone specialists, by restaurant name, in our directory.
Restaurants near you
Search by postcode or use your location to find restaurants likely to serve calzone near you.
Make it at home
Serves 2 · 90 min
Ingredients
- Neapolitan pizza dough for two (see Margherita recipe)
- 250 g ricotta
- 150 g mozzarella, torn
- 100 g salami or cooked ham, optional
- a little tomato sauce
- Parmesan, salt, pepper
Method
- Stretch each dough ball into a round. On one half spread ricotta, mozzarella and salami, seasoned.
- Fold the other half over and press and crimp the edge firmly to seal.
- Brush the top with a little oil or tomato and bake in the hottest oven on a stone for 8 to 10 minutes until golden and cooked through.
- Rest a minute; the filling is very hot.
Seal the edge well or the filling leaks. Do not overfill, and check the thick folded edge is baked through.