If you have been a fan of the famous restaurant chain Pizza Hut for some time now, then you have, most certainly, tried in the past their famous P’Zones. Hence, it is not strange to suddenly remember this delicacy and ask – “Does Pizza Hut still have P’Zones?”.
Unfortunately, P’Zones (Pizza Hut’s version of the traditional calzone) are not regular items on Pizza Hut’s menu anymore. In 2012 they decided to discontinue this item, and the reason, we would imagine, was the fact that the recipe demands a lot of ingredients and toppings. However, since then, P’Zones have appeared sporadically as a part of some special events.
P’Zones Are Not Part of the Regular Menu Anymore
Pizza Hut is considered to be one of the best delivery pizzas, and they have built their reputation around exciting recipes like P’Zone. This kind of pizza was introduced in 2002, and it became an instant hit due to its unique style of preparation and taste. There were three different types:
- Pepperoni,
- Supremo,
- Meaty.
All three received highly positive reviews and were popular choices among customers of all ages. Pizza Hut prices have always been known to be reasonable, and P’Zone was no exception which added a lot to its popularity. Unfortunately, in 2012, P’Zone was removed from the regular menu, and my guess is that it simply wasn’t a cost-effective recipe as it required a considerable amount of ingredients.
However, P’Zone Has Made a Comeback
Pizza Hut posted an interesting tweet in 2019, stating that a legend will return a week before their traditional March Madness event. Immediately, a lot of people speculated that P’Zone was coming back, and they were right. In March 2019, the three famous P’Zones were brought back, and to make it even better, Pizza Hut included them in their 5-dollar menus, but they were again removed once the event had passed. Since then, P’Zones have been part of the menu a couple more times, and many people hope that Pizza Hut will decide in the future to bring them back for good.
P’Zone Is Pizza Hut’s Version of the Traditional Calzone Recipe
Calzone is a type of pizza that has a long tradition (it originated in Naples in the 18th century) and a lot of people prefer this recipe over regular pizza. Hence, it is no wonder that all popular American pizza chains have them on their menus. However, Pizza Hut has gone a step further and created its own versions of this famous recipe.
Calzone is an oven-baked folded pizza. You could say that it resembles a sandwich as the dough covers the toppings and ingredients on both sides. A typical Italian calzone has ham, cheese (usually pecorino, mozzarella, or parmesan,) egg, and some vegetables. Naturally, Pizza Hut being a fast food restaurant, wanted to make calzone more appropriate and exciting for the American population, and as a result, they created the three aforementioned recipes – Pepperoni, Meaty, and Supremo.
The Three Recipes All Have Their Differences When Compared to the Original Calzone
The first and main difference is the crust. Pizza Hut’s calzone is a lot crispier than the original, and it is sprinkled with oregano, parsley, and parmesan cheese, which adds a lot to the flavor. But, they have also included a lot of different toppings for each P’Zone:
| Pepperoni | Pepperoni P’Zone is for people who like spicy food. It includes an ample amount of pepperoni slices and melted cheese. However, it has probably been the least favorite choice among customers, as there is no significant difference when compared to a standard pepperoni pizza. |
| Meaty | Meaty is, without any doubt, the most adventurous recipe as it includes ham, pepperoni, Italian sausage, pork, and beef. Of course, everything is covered in a huge amount of melted cheese. |
| Supremo | It could be stated that Supremo P’Zone is the closest one to the original Italian calzone recipe. It is made with Italian sausage, fresh green peppers, red onions, and cheese). |
As you might have noticed, all three recipes have no sauces, which is indeed strange for a pizza. But, this is where Pizza Hut didn’t want to break the tradition. The traditional Italian calzone doesn’t contain tomato sauce. However, the P’Zone order includes a small package of marinara sauce if you find it to be too dry for your taste. I have personally found P’Zone to be more enjoyable without the sauce as it is too sweet.
Finally, when you order a P’Zone, you get two smaller calzones in a box with the sauce. But, when combined, the overall pizza size is more than enough to satiate your hunger, especially if you order Meaty. Nonetheless, all three are, indeed, hearty meals. However, this is probably the reason why P’Zones has been discontinued as a calzone needs to be extremely rich in toppings in order to be enjoyable, and also it requires a bit more time for preparation (especially when it comes to the dough) than the regular pizza which is never good news for a fast food restaurant chain.
If P’Zones Appear Again, Be Sure to Try Them
I can only hope that for next March Madness, or some other event, Pizza Hut will start making P’Zones again. There is no denying that this is one of their most exciting recipes, and in general, if you are bored of regular pizza, there is no better way to break the monotony than to order a calzone. For that matter, if you haven’t tried calzone yet, we highly recommend that you do so, regardless of whether it is Pizza Hut or some other restaurant chain.