Papa Johns Calzone Papa Bites
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Papa John’s is back at it again – this time with this menu item: New Calzone Papa Bites! Pizza crust stuffed full with crave-worthy flavors like mozzarella cheese, garlic herb ricotta, pepperoni, sausage and green pepper!
What You Will ❤️ About New Cheesy Calzone Papa Bites
- Fun to Make – We’re big fans of easy dinners and this one is also fun to make by layering your ingredients. You can also swap out ingredients based on your family’s individual needs and likes!
- Cheesy Deliciousness! These are loaded with a blend of mozzarella and ricotta cheeses which add a ton of flavor!
- Take Out for Less! These are $8 for 8 bites – but you can make 2 batches for that same price at home! It’s a BOGO of these tasty shareable bites without leaving the house!
Ingredients for Papa Johns Calzone Bites
I’ve made the Jalapeño Papa Bites and Oreo Cookie Papa Bites – so I had an idea of how to make these – it was just changing up to match the ones on the Papa Johns menu! Here’s what you need for these calzone-inspired flavors:
- Pizza dough – you can use any raw dough – in the can or in the bag or make your own – I typically buy the dough balls at Kroger – I think they’re much better than the canned.
- String Cheese – I’ve found that string cheese does not melt as well as mozzarella cheese in a block that you would cut up. I tried using both with this and the string was better when they were hot because the mozzarella melted a little too much. Either work though!
- Pepperoni – you could use turkey pepperoni if you like but I went with regular
- Ricotta Cheese – this recipe uses a little less than 1/2 container – but you can use leftover with pasta later in the week!
- Garlic Salt & Italian Seasoning – you can use minced garlic if you like
- Green Pepper – any color bell pepper will work but Papa Johns uses green
- Italian Sausage – you’ll need to cook this ahead of time
Recipe Variations
These calzone bites are so easy to change up – but you can add additional topping to suit your family’s likes! Here are a few ideas:
- Cheese – instead of mozzarella or cheese sticks – you could slice up cheddar or pepper jack
- Pizza sauce – calzones typically don’t have sauce but you could swap the ricotta for sauce
- Chicken Philly – swap the pepperoni & sausage for cooked chicken and add onions
- Vegetarian – skip the sausage and pepperoni and add more veggies like mushrooms and onions
How to make Calzone Papa Bites
- In a small skillet, cook Italian sausage until pink is gone. Try not to overcook as they’ll continue to cook in the oven. Drain on a paper towel and set aside.
- Slice pizza dough into two pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece of dough into a rectangle.
- In the middle of the rectangle, lay two pieces of string cheese about 2-3″ apart
- In a medium bowl, mix together ricotta, garlic and Italian seasoning. Spread half ricotta mixture between cheese sticks
- Lay pepperoni, green peppers and cooked sausage on top of ricotta.
- Fold one side of dough over the top and roll dough and toppings as tightly as possible
- Slice log into 8 even slices – slice in half first and then halve the halves so they’re even.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set calzone bites on the parchment. OPTIONAL: you can melt 2 tbsp butter and 1/2 tsp minced garlic and brush on top of bites
- Bake at 375º for 25 min.
- Remove from oven and serve with garlic butter, pizza sauce and ranch dressing.
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Tips, Tricks & FAQs
Store leftovers in an airtight container (I like these glass ones) in the refrigerator for up to a week. Reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.
Yes – you can freeze them BEFORE baking them! Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then bake.
Papa Johns introduced these calzone flavor papa bites to their papa bites lineup in January 2024. They already have the Jalapeno, Oreo Cookie and Chicken Parmesan Papa Bites. They used to have Twix Papa Bites but those are not currently offered.
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More Pizza Joint Recipes
More Pizza Recipes
Papa Johns Calzone Bites
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Ball Pizza dough
- 4 pieces string cheese
- 16 slices pepperoni
- 2/3 cup Ricotta cheese
- 1/4 tsp garlic salt
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 Green pepper diced
- 1/4 lb Italian Sausage cooked & crumbled
Instructions
- In a small skillet, cook Italian sausage until pink is gone. Try not to overcook as they’ll continue to cook in the oven. Drain on a paper towel and set aside.1/4 lb Italian Sausage
- Slice pizza dough into two pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece of dough into a rectangle.1 Ball Pizza dough
- In the middle of the rectangle, lay two pieces of string cheese about 2-3″ apart4 pieces string cheese
- In a medium bowl, mix together ricotta, garlic and Italian seasoning. Spread half ricotta mixture between cheese sticks2/3 cup Ricotta cheese, 1/4 tsp garlic salt, 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- Lay pepperoni, green peppers and cooked sausage on top of ricotta.16 slices pepperoni, 1/2 Green pepper
- Fold one side of dough over the top and roll dough and toppings as tightly as possible
- Slice log into 8 even slices – slice in half first and then halve the halves so they’re even.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set calzone bites on the parchment. OPTIONAL: you can melt 2 tbsp butter and 1/2 tsp minced garlic and brush on top of bites
- Bake at 375º for 25 min.
- Remove from oven and serve with garlic butter, pizza sauce and ranch dressing.
