Calzones - An easy dinner

Last night I revisited an old dinner favorite: Calzones. We have all seen the calzones from pizza places that are stuffed with ham, pepperoni, and tons of cheese. But this is a “healthier” version I discovered a few years ago.

Basically, start with pizza dough. Last night I just purchased a ball of dough from my local pizza place but I have also made my own dough too. Roll about 2 ounces of dough out into a small circle. The original recipe included ¼ cup ricotta cheese, 1 ounce of mozzarella and ½ of a chopped tomato, sprinkled with Italian seasoning and oregano. I kicked mine up a notch last night by sautéing some green pepper and red onion then adding it to the calzone. I also added a few slices of pepperoni, that’s my not so healthy addition. When you have finished with your fillings, fold over and press the edges to seal. I usually roll the edges and press down to really make sure they are sealed.

You can add almost anything you want as a filling, just avoid adding anything that has too much liquid, which usually makes the calzone “leak” during cooking. For example don’t add any type of pizza sauce, save that for dipping after the calzone is cooked. For an extra special presentation you can brush the tops of the calzones with an egg wash and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and/herbs before cooking.

Bake the prepared calzones in a 375C oven for 20-25 minutes.

Add a salad and dinner is ready!