These homemade smoked turkey calzones are the perfect way to use up your leftover turkey!
Typically, we use smoked turkey leftovers to make soups or pot pies, but turkey calzones are a great alternative. This recipe is quite easy and requires a few pre-made ingredients. If you have a lot of leftover smoked turkey, consider doubling this recipe. If you don’t have smoked turkey on hand, regular baked turkey breast or cubed deli turkey will work just fine!
Ingredients for Smoked Turkey Calzones:
- 16 ounces thawed pizza dough
- Chopped smoked turkey (breast and dark meat): sub with regular turkey, cubed turkey ham, or deli turkey
- Pepperoni slices: thin-sliced pepperoni
- Shredded mozzarella cheese: sub with Italian blend
- Pizza sauce: store-bought or homemade
- Bell pepper: sub with chopped banana peppers or pickled jalapenos for a spicier calzone. You can also omit peppers entirely and substitute them with black olives or any of your favorite pizza toppings. Please note that even a small chopped bell pepper will produce more than is needed for these smoked turkey calzones. Simply freeze the excess amount in an airtight container to use in another recipe.
- Onion: A small yellow onion or red onion for a sharper flavor.
- Flour for rolling
- Olive oil
- Shredded parmesan, optional garnish
How can I make my calzones better?
- Be careful with the dough. Avoid rolling your dough too thinly. It will cause your calzones to break once stuffed.
- Use the right amount of filling. We all love a tasty smoked turkey calzone, but it’s best not to overstuff them with filling. This part gets tricky. If your dough strains to cover the filling, you have too much.
- Keep the dough loose. When we say loose, we don’t mean a watery dough; we mean giving the dough a little slack when folding the calzones. If you wrap them too tightly, they will split during cooking.
- Let the steam through. Always, always, always make room for steam. Create steam vents by gently poking holes or making small slits in the dough. It will help the trapped steam escape and prevent cracking and splitting during cooking!
- Shine. Coat the top of your calzone with a little oil, melted butter, or even an egg wash to give them a shiny, golden brown appearance.
How to Make Smoked Turkey Calzones:
- Preheat your oven for 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment, brush with a little olive oil (or use cooking spray), and set aside.
- Form pizza dough into 4 equal-sized balls.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll each dough ball into an 8-inch disc.
- Add 2 tablespoons of pizza sauce onto one-half of the surface of each dough round. Set aside remaining sauce to serve on top of the smoked turkey calzones.
- Next, add 4-5 slices of pepperoni, then chopped turkey, peppers, onions, and cheese.
- Carefully fold the other half of the dough over the filling, gently press the edges together, and crimp them closed.
- Using an oiled spatula, carefully transfer the calzones to the parchment-lined baking sheet
- Using a fork, lightly puncture the calzones to release steam as they cook. Brush the tops with olive oil, and place the pan into the oven.
Baking and Serving Smoked Turkey Calzones
- Bake the smoked turkey calzones for 15-17 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown and cooked through.
- Remove calzones from the oven and place them onto a platter. Let them cool for a few minutes.
- Heat the remaining pizza sauce in a small pot on your stovetop for 1-2 minutes.
- Spoon pizza sauce over the calzones, top with shredded parmesan, and serve.
Baking Them on Your Grill:
- We’ve made these calzones on our Big Green Egg XXL and our Weber Gas Grill using a pizza stone, and they’ve turned out delicious. If you plan to cook the calzones this way, we recommend keeping a close eye on them. They can go from nearly done to burnt in a matter of minutes. Follow the steps above, and prepare your grill for high heat. Bake as instructed, but plan on pulling them after 12-15 minutes. Please keep in mind that each grill is different, and these smoked turkey calzones might cook fast or take their sweet old time to cook through.
Like this recipe? We know you’ll love these!
Smoked Turkey Calzones
A delicious way to use up leftover holiday turkey!
Print Pin RateServings: 4 servings
Calories: 500kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 16 ounces thawed pizza dough
- 1 cup chopped smoked turkey breast and dark meat
- 16-20 pepperoni slices
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 14 ounces jar pizza sauce
- 1 small bell pepper seeded and finely chopped
- 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
- Flour for rolling
- Olive oil
- Shredded parmesan optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven for 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment, brush with a little olive oil (or use cooking spray) and set aside.
- Form pizza dough into 4 equal-sized balls.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll each dough ball into an 8-inch disc.
- Add 2 tablespoons of pizza sauce onto one-half of the surface of each dough round. Set aside remaining sauce to serve on top of the turkey calzones.
- Next, add 4-5 slices of pepperoni, then chopped turkey, peppers, onions, and cheese.
- Carefully fold the other half of the dough over the filling, gently press the edges together, and crimp them closed.
- Using an oiled spatula, carefully transfer the calzones to the parchment-lined baking sheet
- Using a fork, lightly puncture the calzones to release steam as they cook. Brush the tops with olive oil, and place the pan into the oven.
- Bake the turkey calzones for 15-17 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown and cooked through.
- Remove calzones from the oven and place them onto a platter. Let them cool for a few minutes.
- Heat the remaining pizza sauce in a small pot on your stovetop for 1-2 minutes.
- Spoon pizza sauce over the calzones, top with shredded parmesan, and serve.
Nutrition
Calories: 500kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 1722mg | Potassium: 503mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 774IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 163mg | Iron: 5mg
