Cheesy Jalapeño Bacon Calzones Recipe

Many different countries have some form of folded-over dough with a savory filling — Argentina has its empanadas, Cornwall its pasties, Jamaica its meat patties, and Italy its strombolis and calzones. This last-named dish has quite a long pedigree in Italy, dating back to the 18th century, but this calzone recipe by Patterson Watkins is more of a modern take on this time-honored stuffed bread. While the exterior of her calzones is fairly typical, the filling eschews Italian deli meats for bacon and two types of jalapeños, both fresh and pickled.

Watkins calls these calzones "semi-homemade," which refers to the fact that the recipe conveniently calls for both store-bought pizza dough and sauce. With these shortcuts, the calzones aren't at all difficult or time-consuming to make, so in less than an hour, you can be digging into what Watkins describes as "melty, gooey, cheesy goodness."

The exterior of these calzones is premade pizza dough coated with egg, Parmesan cheese, and crushed red pepper. The filling is made with bacon, garlic, onion, fresh and pickled jalapeños, ricotta, mozzarella, Italian herb seasoning, and salt. Watkins also likes to use pizza sauce as a dip for the cooked calzones.

Preheat oven to 450 F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 5-8 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon from the skillet and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

Add garlic, onion, fresh jalapeño, and pickled jalapeño to the same skillet. Saute until tender, about 3 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the jalapeño mixture from the skillet and set aside to drain with the bacon.

Divide pizza dough into quarters.

Roll and stretch each piece of dough into ¼ inch-thick circles.

Divide ricotta and mozzarella between among dough circles, placing the filling on only half of the dough and leaving approximately ½ inch of space around the edges.

Top cheese with bacon, jalapeño mixture, Italian herb seasoning, and salt.

Fold dough circles in half, concealing the filling, and crimp the edges to seal.

Transfer calzones to the prepared baking sheet.

Brush with egg wash.

Sprinkle with Parmesan and red pepper flakes.

Using a knife, cut 2 slits in the top of each calzone for venting.

Bake calzones for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown.

Serve calzones hot, with warmed pizza sauce on the side for dipping.

Many recipes call for either fresh or pickled jalapeños, but Watkins' calzones are unique in that they make use of both types. She says she likes the fresh ones for their "vibrant, verdant, almost grassy spiciness," while she prefers the pickled kind for their "acidic, briny punch" that "cleanses the palate" between each rich bite of calzone. The heat from both kinds of jalapeños, she says, will help you appreciate the "rich, savory, and soothing properties" of the bacon and cheese filling.

While all recipes are open to customization, Watkins points out that these calzones are already full of "mouth-puckering heat," and as such, she fears "more jalapeños might cause a blowout." If you scoff at just a few thousand Scovilles, you may feel differently and might wish to add more peppers to suit your personal preference. If you'd prefer to err on the side of caution heat-wise, though, Watkins' fence-straddling suggestion is to add some jalapeño hot sauce to your pizza sauce for spicier dipping.

These calzones are full-sized, and, as such, can serve as a main dish. Watkins suggests a side salad as an accompaniment, telling us, "I'm picturing either a Caesar or hearty chopped salad." If you'd prefer cooked vegetables to raw ones, she recommends sauteing some greens in garlic butter. And while Watkins' recommendation is to use pizza sauce as a dip, she notes that other sauces such as ranch dressing or garlic butter could also work.

If you'd like to instead turn these calzones into an appetizer or a snack, Watkins says that you can easily make mini ones. Simply divvy up the dough into 12 portions rather than 4, roll them out, fill them, shape them, and bake them — Watkins suggests using a muffin pan for this last step. As miniature baked goods will likely cook more quickly than larger ones, she suggests checking on your tiny calzones at the 15-minute mark, rotating the pan to ensure that they're baking evenly. As she explains, "You'll want the bottom and sides of your calzone muffins to be pretty crisp and golden brown."