Calzones

I tried my hand at calzones last night, and Corey and I both liked them, so I guess we'll call them a success. You can really put any combination of meats, cheeses, and vegetables in these. I generally followed an old Real Simple recipe and then also added fillings based on what I had on-hand.

CALZONES

Recipe Notes
Be sure to watch these in the oven to make sure that they don't overbake.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. tube pizza dough
• 1/2 lb. reduced-fat pork sausage (I used Jimmy Dean)
• 1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1/2 c. fresh baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 c. part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/2 c. part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 2 tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• Marinara sauce, for dipping

Instructions

1. Brown pork sausage with red bell pepper in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Set aside.

2. Combine cheeses (ricotta, mozarella, and Parmesan) in a medium bowl. Add baby spinach and stir well to combine.

3. Spray a cookie sheet with Pam. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

4. On a cutting board lightly coated in flour, separate pizza dough and roll it out into four equal circles, approximately 8 in. in diameter.

5. Place cheese and spinach mixture on 1/2 of the pizza dough circles, leaving a 1/2 inch border for sealing the calzone. Top with sausage and red bell pepper mixture.

6. Fold over calzones and seal, pressing both edges together to form a half-moon shape. Brush with olive oil.

7. Arrange calzones on cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until calzones are golden brown.

8. Serve with marinara sauce.