While I’ve eaten less lasagna than Garfield the Cat over my lifetime, thanks to the layered Italian dish, I’m familiar with what ricotta cheese tastes and feels like. So I find it a bit odd that Papa Johns’ Cheesy Calzone Epic Stuffed Crust Pizza, which has a blend of mozzarella and garlic herb ricotta packed into the crust, lacks any indication that the latter cheese is there.
Even when I pulled open the end crust, it only looked like a sea of mozzarella, and there were no herbs. Sure, the person who made mine might’ve not included it, or Garfield the Cat used Odie to distract the Papa Johns employees to suck out the ricotta while the pizza was sitting to be picked up. But I do taste something garlicky in the crust, so I assume the ricotta must be there. That flavor definitely does not come from the crust’s exterior because it looks and tastes as plain as plain can be. Heck, if you look at the whole pizza, it looks as if it’s seen a ghost.
Of course, the amount of ricotta you get in your crust may vary, and the lack of a strong flavor with the end crust can easily be remedied by dipping it into the dependable special garlic sauce that comes with the pizza. But without the sauce, it’s pretty much just a regular stuffed crust pizza.
The end crust of a Papa Johns Cheesy Calzone Epic Stuffed Crust Pizza is supposed to have the flavors of a calzone, but mine didn’t scream CALZONE, nor did it say it at a normal talking volume. I don’t hate it as much as Garfield the Cat hates Mondays, but if the amount of ricotta I got in my pizza is what I’m supposed to get, then it’s very disappointing.
Purchased Price: $18.99*
Size: Large
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 slice) 350 calories, 14 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 35 mc 910 milligrams of sodium, 41 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 5 grams of sugar, and 14 grams of protein.
I’ve read 3 reviews and all 3 said pretty much the exact same thing so … wth, Papa? This could be a good/interesting spin on stuffed crust but I don’t know why every PJs pizza comes out lookin so pasty. Even when I order it well done, 9/10 times it looks exactly like that (I doubt they even bother to pay attention to my requests for a well done ‘za…)
the main thing i noticed looking at the images in this review was how pale the pizza was! my family never orders papa john’s so i was wondering if this was a blip or par for the course for them. the pizza looks under-baked and dry at the same time!
“Garfield the Cat used Odie to distract the Papa Johns employees to suck out the ricotta while the pizza was sitting to be picked up.” I love cats so freaking much that I found that mental image to be adorable, rather than gross. 😀
Seee…we could, be friends, IRL (despite the salty vs sweet and coffee vs tea thing), after all: I freaking LOVE CATS, too! Felines, FTW!
Yep, I can totally roll with that! 😀
I’ve gotten this pizza twice, once with pepperoni and once with barbecue chicken. Both times I didn’t seem to see any herbs in the stuffed crust mixture, but I definitely tasted a “creamy element“ that I assume was the ricotta. I really like it.