Skillet Meatball Calzones with Herbed Butter Sauce

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5 from 1 vote

Skillet Meatball Calzones with Herbed Butter Sauce

Meatballs wrapped in pizza dough with marinara, cheese and slathered in a garlic butter sauce.

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Total Time1

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: pizza, pizza sauce

Servings: appetizers

Calories: 141kcal

Author: Tricia

Ingredients

For the calzones:

16 pre-made frozen meatballs (thawed and cooked per package directions) or homemade
16 ounces pre-made pizza dough
8 slices sandwich style mozzarella cheese (from the deli)
16 ounce jarred pizza sauce

For the herbed butter sauce:

¼ cup unsalted butter melted
1 teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley leaves, plus more for garnish
pinch of salt
grated Parmesan cheese for serving
marinara sauce for serving

Instructions

Bake the meatballs according to the package directions. Set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 9" or 10" cast iron skillet or lightly grease a large rimmed baking sheet. Set aside.
Remove the pizza dough from the refrigerator and divide into 16 equal portions. If you have a kitchen scale, it works well here. Place the 1-ounce dough balls on a lightly floured sheet pan and allow them to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature or a warm location. (I put my pan in the microwave where it is warm when the task light is on)
When ready to assemble take each 1-ounce dough ball and roll out into a 5-6 inch circle. Place ½ of a slice of mozzarella cheese (folded in half to a square) in the center of the dough. Top with 1 heaping tablespoon pizza sauce, then 1 meatball. Bring the dough up over the top of the meatball so the edges overlap. Moisten with a wet finger to get the dough to stick if needed. Continue until the calzone is sealed. Place the parcel seam-side down in the prepared cast iron skillet. Continue with the remaining meatballs filling the skillet.
Once all meatballs are wrapped in dough, combine the herbed butter sauce ingredients and brush the tops of each with about half the butter sauce. Set aside the remaining butter sauce. Bake the calzones in the preheated 400°F oven for 10-15 minutes or until the dough is browned. Remove the skillet from the oven and brush each calzone with the remaining butter sauce. Sprinkle with additional fresh chopped parsley and fresh grated Parmesan cheese. Allow the calzones to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Serve with extra marinara or pizza sauce for dipping and additional Parmesan if desired.
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container. Warm leftovers in the microwave.

Notes

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition