Today’s #SundaySupper event is a celebration of regional cuisine. I am so happy to show you how to make a Philly Cheesesteak Calzone, a twist on the most iconic dish from the Philadelphia region.
I’m a born and bred Jersey girl and proud of it (Bruuuuce!). But I’ve lived in the Philadelphia area for almost 30 years. I went to school in Philly, I do a lot of business in Philly, we bought our first house here and raised our children here. This is now home.
Philadelphia is a great city for so many reasons. Did you know it’s the only World Heritage City in the United States? Yes, it’s true. Of course there are the wonderful historic places to visit; the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and the Constitution Center. Philly is also home to world class universities and the singular Mummers.
If I haven’t convinced you yet how great my adopted city is, let’s talk about food. Philadelphia is definitely one of the great restaurant cities in the US. It’s always on those “Best Of” lists that are published every year. Reading Terminal Market and the Italian Market are favorite foodie destinations.
Philly’s most famous dish has got to be the Cheesesteak Sandwich. The Cheesesteak is so iconic it has a Wikipedia page. I knew I wanted to do a version of Cheesesteak for the #SundaySupper Regional Specialties event since it is Philly’s most-special regional-specialty. I thought about doing a sandwich, but for a real Philly Cheesesteak you need a very particular type of roll that most folks won’t have access to. Since this is a baking blog, I decided to turn the cheesesteak into a calzone using my Pizza Dough recipe.

The beef must be sliced paper thin. Use a sharp knife and partially frozen meat to get thin slices.

Use two spatulas to break up the meat while it’s cooking. Don’t overcrowd the pan.
I’ve had so-called “Philly Cheesesteaks” in other areas of the country and what they most often do wrong is to make the sandwich with thick slices of steak, or, even worse, roast beef.
A few notes on the recipe; I made the filling once using ribeye and once using strip steak. I preferred the ribeye and my husband preferred the strip steak. Ribeye is more traditional, but use whichever you prefer. The main thing to remember for the steak is that is must be sliced paper thin. It’s easiest to get paper thin slices by cutting partially frozen (or partially thawed) steak with a very sharp knife. While the beef is sauteing, use two spatulas to break the larger pieces into smaller bits.
I made my calzones wit (not a typo, google “cheesesteak wit”) onions, mushrooms and provolone because that’s how I like my cheesesteaks. You can eliminate either the onions or the mushrooms, or both, according to your taste. You could use American cheese or Cheez Whiz (eeeww, sorry, I just think the stuff is gross) instead of the provolone.
The assembly is pretty straight forward. You can see the steps in the diagram above. Make sure to roll the dough from the center over the edge of the dough, all around the circle. Leave the center of the dough a little thicker than the edges. This way the dough is less likely to tear when you fold the dough over the filling. Also, with thinner edges you won’t get a super thick crust that takes too long to bake.
I served the calzones with marinara. You could also squirt a little ketchup into the calzone if that’s your preference.
If you have any leftover they can be frozen and reheated in the oven.
Philly Cheesesteak Calzone
Ingredients
- 1 Recipe Pizza Dough
Filling
- 1 lb Ribeye steak (place in the freezer for 1 hour prior)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion (sliced pole to pole)
- 6 oz white mushrooms (sliced)
- 8 oz sharp provolone cheese (sliced)
- 1 egg (for egg wash)
Instructions
- Make the pizza dough and allow it to rise 1x double volume. While the dough is rising make the filling.
Filling
- Using a very sharp knife, slice the partially frozen steak across the grain into paper thin slices.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a saute pan. Saute 1 medium onion with a generous pinch of salt until they are soft and lightly browned. Remove the onions from the pan and set aside. Saute 6 oz white mushrooms in the same pan with a generous pinch of salt and black pepper to taste. Allow the mushrooms to release all their liquid and cook until the liquid is gone and the mushrooms begin to brown. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and set aside.
- Add a little more olive oil to the pan and saute the steak slices with salt and pepper to taste. Cook the steak in 2 batches if necessary to avoid crowding the pan. Use 2 spatulas to separate the pieces of steak and to break up larger pieces. Remove the steak from the pan and set aside to cool.
- Divide the pizza dough into 6 equal portions and form each portion into a smooth ball. Cover the dough balls with a damp towel or plastic wrap and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 450 °F °F.
- Using a rolling pin, roll each dough ball into an 8" round, leave the center of the rounds a little thicker than the edges. Brush the entire perimeter of the round with egg wash. Place a slice of provolone on each dough round. Divide the onions, mushrooms and steak evenly between the 6 rounds Add another slice of provolone on top of the filling.
- Fold the dough over the filling. Bring the top edge of the dough 1/2" short of the bottom edge. Use your fingers to pull the bottom edge of the dough over the top edge of the dough and pinch to form a tight seal.
- Place the calzones on a parchment lined 1/2 sheet pan. You should fit 3-4 per pan. Brush each calzone with egg wash and sprinkle the top with a little coarse sea salt Use a sharp knife to make a steam vent on the top of each calzone. Bake until they are golden brown and puffed.
- Serve with your favorite marinara sauce or ketchup.
Equipment
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Nutrition
Thanks to Sue Lau from A Palatable Pastime for hosting this week’s #SundaySupper event. Take a tour by checking out these other Regional Specialties:
Appetizers:
- Crispy Salmon Bites with Homemade Tartar Sauce by Pine Needles In My Salad
- Loaded Tex-Mex Chile con Queso by The Weekend Gourmet
- New England Style Stuffed Clams by Caroline’s Cooking
Beverages:
- Brandy Old Fashioned by Curious Cuisiniere
- Wine Pairing Recommendations For #SundaySupper Regional Specialties by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog
Breakfast:
- Breakfast Empanada Casserole by Simply Healthy Family
Salads:
- Pittsburgh Steak Salad by Seduction in the Kitchen
- Homemade Ranch Dressing by My Imperfect Kitchen
- Tupelo Honey Key Lime Vinaigrette by Family Around the Table
Sauces:
- Alabama White Barbecue Sauce by Cookin’ Mimi
Side Dishes:
- Delaware Crabs by Delaware Girl Eats
- JoJo Potatoes by A Mind Full Mom
- Long Beans with Coconut by Food Lust People Love
- Old Bay Cauli-Tots by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
- Southern Collard Greens by Magnolia Days
Soups:
- Mohawk Corn Soup by kimchi MOM
- Steve’s Famous Maryland Crab Soup by Monica’s Table
Main Dish:
- Amish Chicken and Noodles by Palatable Pastime
- Boiled Lobster with Drawn Butter by Taste And See
- Bison Steaks with Cranberry Chimichurri by Tramplingrose
- California Beer Steamed Shrimp by Nosh My Way
- Avocado BLT Sandwich by Brunch-n-Bites
- Cali Inspired Fish Tacos by Sew You Think You Can Cook
- Cheesy Tex Mex Enchiladas by The TipToe Fairy
- Cola Marinated Steak Tips by Hardly a Goddess
- Corn and Bacon Chowder by Moore or Less Cooking
- Crab-Stuffed Artichokes with Spicy Aioli by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- Deep Fried Pizza Roll by Grumpy’s Honeybunch
- Halal Cart-Style Chicken and Rice with White Sauce by The Texan New Yorker
- Copycat Hattie B’s Hot Chicken by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
- Homemade Quebec Maple Baked Beans by She Loves Biscotti
- How to Make Vegetable Lumpia by Asian In America
- Italian Hot Dog by Simple and Savory
- Mom’s City Chicken by My Life Cookbook
- North Carolina BBQ with Cole Slaw and Hush Puppies by The Freshman Cook
- Philly Cheesesteak Calzones by Baking Sense
- Polish Boy Sandwich by Renee’s Kitchen Adventures
- Spicy Salmon for Tacos by Hey What’s for Dinner Mom?
- Tex-Mex Slowcooker Chicken and Beef Fajitas by Meal Planning Magic
- West Michigan Wet Burritos by Wholistic Woman
Desserts:
- Upside Down Angel Food Cupcakes by Cooking With Carlee
- Austrian Mohnnudeln (Poppy Seed Noodles) by The Bread She Bakes
- Butter Tarts – A Canadian Tradition by Red Cottage Chronicles
- Carob Cherry Crumb Bars by Pies and Plots
- Florida Key Lime Cream Pie by The Crumby Cupcake
- Fried Biscuits by Angels Home Sweet Homestead
- Gooey Butter Cake from Saint Louie! by Our Good Life
- Homemade Butterscotch Krimpets by The Redhead Baker
- San Jose Burnt Almond Cake by Eat, Drink and be Tracy
- Shoofly Pie by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Spanish Bar Cake by Get the Good Stuff!
- Hoosier Sugar Cream Pie by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Plus Rhubarb Steamed Pudding and Favorite Regional Recipes from Sunday Supper Movement
Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.
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David
Sunday 2nd of June 2019
So glad I came across this when I was looking for calzone recipes. I love the pictures and your presentation is awesome. I am going to try to replace the ribeye steak with flank steak and see how that works out. Thanks for sharing this!
Eileen Gray
Monday 3rd of June 2019
Enjoy!
Lauren @ Sew You Think You Can Cook
Tuesday 31st of May 2016
Love the idea of a Philly Cheesesteak Calzone
Eileen Gray
Tuesday 31st of May 2016
Thanks, Lauren.
Renee
Thursday 28th of April 2016
These are what regular old calzones dream about being. Seriously though, just looking at the photos made my stomach growl. I'm hungry now and it's too soon for lunch.
Caroline
Thursday 28th of April 2016
Those look so delicious!
Eileen Gray
Thursday 28th of April 2016
Thanks, Caroline.
Liz
Thursday 28th of April 2016
Can you believe I've never had a Philly Cheesesteak???! I'm going to change that, but I want your calzones first! Wow!
Eileen Gray
Thursday 28th of April 2016
Thanks, Liz.I hope you give it a try.