The vegetables that go into making ratatouille were the inspiration behind this delicious, vegetarian calzone recipe. Stuffed with zucchini, marinated grilled eggplant, piquillo peppers, tomato, and fresh basil then loaded with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. This is an excellent recipe for a fun, family pizza night, baked golden crispy on the outside, and gooey cheesy on the inside.
You may even want to try stuffing the calzone with nduja or Italian sausage in addition to the vegetables for a spicy meaty bite. Happy cooking!
Chef notes:
To reduce the preparation time for this recipe to 1½–2 hours, buy readymade, raw pizza dough.
Specialty equipment:
Scale
Stand mixer
Yield: serves 4
Preparation time: 4½–5 hours + overnight
Cook time: 45 minutes
Pizza Dough
250 g warm water
1½ g dry active yeast
34 g olive oil
380 g double zero flour
4½ g salt
50 g sourdough starter
Tomato Sauce
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp garlic, sliced
390 ml can of Menu Pomodorina Sauce
½ tsp dried oregano
Salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Filling
1 tbsp olive oil
1 zucchini
6 piquillo peppers, diced
1 cup marinated grilled eggplant, diced
4 cups mozzarella cheese, grated
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
½ cup fresh basil, chopped
Balsamic glaze
For the dough
Pour warm water into a measuring cup, add the yeast, and stir to dissolve.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook.
Add the yeast mixture and turn it on medium speed. Mix for 10 minutes until the dough is soft and slightly sticky.
Drizzle a small amount of olive oil into the bottom of a non-reactive container.
Turn off the mixer and add the dough to the container. Brush the top with a little more oil, cover, and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours.
After 2 hours place it into the fridge overnight.
The next day, remove the dough from the container onto a floured surface.
Cut the dough into 4 even pieces, roll them into balls, and place them on a lined tray to proof for about an hour, until the balls have doubled in size. Prepare the rest of the fillings while you wait for the dough to proof.
For the tomato sauce
Pour the oil into a small saucepot on medium heat.
Add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add the tomato sauce, oregano, salt, and pepper.
Stir, turn the heat down, and cook for about 15 minutes.
Turn the heat off and set it aside.
Finishing the calzone
Preheat the oven to 420°F.
Cut the zucchini into ½-inch thick slices and season with salt.
Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat and cook the zucchini until golden brown on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Stretch the balls of dough into a pizza shell and place them onto a lined tray to begin filling.
Add ½ cup tomato to one-half of the dough.
Then add the zucchini slices, a spoonful of piquillo peppers, eggplant, mozzarella, parmesan, and fresh basil.
Fold the dough over and roll up the edges to seal it.
Brush the top with tomato sauce and grated parmesan cheese.
Bake in the oven for about 20–25 minutes, until it is golden brown and crispy.
Remove the calzone from the oven and enjoy drizzled with balsamic glaze and more grated parmesan cheese.
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