This homemade ham and mushroom calzone pizza is hard to resist. With that oozy molten cheese filling it's sure to satisfy any pizza cravings you might have!

I've been trying to get calzones right for a few weeks now. The first time I tried there was too much filling and too much liquid in it. I struggled to pinch the dough together as it was so stretched over the packed filling. I managed it, but then it split in the oven and because the filling was too moist, I had liquid running all over the baking tray and a cooked but slightly soggy bottom.
Those first calzones tasted good, but they weren't something I felt I could share.
Ingredients for these ham and mushroom calzones
To make these calzones you'll need:
- Red onion - I love the colour of red onions but brown onions are fine too.
- Mushrooms
- Courgette - I like to add some extra veg to my calzones and courgette is delicious with these Italian flavours.
- Garlic - All pizzas taste good with garlic. I love it in Italian food.
- Basil - I often just use dried basil in this recipe but fresh basil works brilliantly too.
- Black pepper - This adds some extra flavour.
- Pizza dough - You can find the dough recipe I use in my spicy margherita pizza recipe.
- Tomato puree
- Ham - cut into slices
- Mozzarella
How to Stop a Calzone Leaking in the Oven
The main thing to do is try to make sure the filling is fairly dry and don't over fill the calzone. Don't make the mistake of adding tomatoes like I did at first. Unfortunately they just add too much liquid.
Instead, to get that tomato flavour I spread a thin layer of tomato puree over the dough. After all, it is a pizza.
I also cook and then drain the filling in a sieve while cooling to remove any excess liquid.
Then, to create an extra barrier between the dough and the filling, I lay the ham slices on the dough and put the rest of the filling on top of the ham.
You don't have to use all the filling
I'm saying this again as it really is important. You don't want it to burst open in the oven. You need plenty of room around the edge of the filling to pinch the sides of the calzone together.
If you have some filling left over then just serve it on the side.
Can you adapt this Ham and Mushroom Calzone Recipe?
If you want to change the filling a bit then go ahead. Just be sure to make sure that the filling is not too wet and that the calzone is not over filled!
For example, you could switch out the courgette and add a different vegetable such as red pepper or aubergine. You could add a little sweetcorn too.
Instead of using ham you could use peperoni or chorizo slices.
Can you adapt the quantities?
Yes, this recipe just serves one but you could easily increase the quantities and serve more, as I did previously in the attempts which didn't quite work. My lovely husband was getting bored of eating sub-standard calzone and so I made this successful one when he was out!
More Recipes you might like
You might also love these spinach and feta parcels which are a little similar to calzones! Or how about one of these recipes:
Recipe

Ham and Mushroom Calzone
Ingredients
- ¼ red onion sliced
- 3 mushrooms sliced
- ¼ courgette cut into batons
- 1 garlic clove
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- Pinch black pepper
- 200 g pizza dough
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- 2 ham slices
- 75 g Mozzarella diced
Instructions
- Put a little oil in a pan and fry the onions, mushrooms and courgette. Sprinkle over the basil and black pepper and add the crushed garlic. Don't cook for long, just so everything softens but doesn't break down.
- Put the contents of the pan in a sieve to cool and to drain away the excess liquid that the vegetables have released.
- Heat the oven to 220°C. Roll out the pizza dough and spread with the tomato puree. Put the ham on one side. Then put the contents of the pan on top of the ham. Lay the slices of mozzarella on the top. Don't overfill. Any extra vegetables can just be eaten on the side.
- Fold the other half of the pizza over and pinch the edges together. Prick with a knife a couple of times so the steam can escape when it's cooking.
- Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes. Serve with salad.
Notes
Nutrition
Keep in touch
Do let me know if you try this calzone recipe. I love to get feedback from readers.
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Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch)
Making a calzone at home has been on my list of things to do for a couple of years now. I'm glad I read your post, your stretching the dough around the ingredients is an important tip to not overdue on the fillings. And now I'm officially hungry! 🙂
Corina
I learnt that the hard way unfortunately! I hope you have a go at it now. It's really easy, as long as you don't have to make the dough by hand and makes a lovely meal at home.
Javelin Warrior
I want a bite! I love calzones and this homemade version looks particularly delicious. Now I need to take all these great tips and give this a try myself 🙂
Corina
Thank you. I hope you enjoy it if you have a go.
ghostwritermummy
I can't tell you how much I want to eat this right now. Yum!
x
Honest Mum
Oh wow, delicious, brother serves this in his Italian restaurant and they are HUGE-thanks for linking up to #brilliantblogposts
Corina
I've had huge ones in Italian restaurants too!
Sophie at Franglaise Cooking
This looks fab, thank you for testing all the other versions before making this perfect one, it looks lovely 🙂
#BrilliantBlogPosts
Corina
Thank you. I do like to keep tweaking things though so hopefully my future ones will turn out just as well even if I don't use the same recipe.
rhiannong
Well done for persevering with it, this one looks great. It's got a lovely golden colour to it!
Corina
Thank you. If I didn't really like calzone I would definitely have given up and just stuck with making ordinary pizzas.
Joanne
I don't think I've ever quite gotten calzones right...but even wrong calzones taste good!
Corina
Yes, if I hadn't at least enjoyed eating the calzones I got wrong I would never have continued experimenting to actually get it right in the end!
Becky Evans
Mmm, looks delicious! I've been wanting to try one of these for a while now, you've given me the oompf to give it a go!
Corina
I do hope you enjoy it!