Italian Sausage Calzones Recipes

SAUSAGE CALZONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 F.
• Brown sausage in a small skillet in a drizzle of olive oil. Transfer the cooked crumbled sausage to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
• Combine sausage with ricotta, parsley, garlic, Parmigiano, nutmeg, pepper, and pimento. Roll out doughs and halve cross-wise. Place a dough rectangle on a nonstick cookie sheet. Use 1/2 cup mozzarella on half of each dough rectangle and pile a mound of filling on half of the total area. Fold dough over and pinch edges to seal. The result is a rectangular turnover.
• For half-moon shaped calzones, trim excess dough. Roll dough bits into strips, tie in knots and brush with garlic oil and cheese. Garlic knots are fun to dip at the table.
• Bake calzones 15 minutes or until golden all over. Serve calzones with warm tomato, marinara, or pizza sauce for dipping.
• Cook's Note: For an additional time saver, 2 packages precooked sausage crumbles, 8 ounces each, may be substituted for raw Italian sausage used in the above recipe.
• Add olive oil to medium saucepan over moderate heat. Add garlic and crushed pepper to the heated olive oil; when pepper snaps and garlic sizzles, stir in crushed tomatoes. Season sauce with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Cook for five minutes and stir in parsley. Serve.
• Yield: 4 servings

ITALIAN SAUSAGE CALZONE

Steps:

• Unroll pizza dough onto an ungreased baking sheet; pat into a 14x11-in. rectangle. Spread pizza sauce over 1 long side of dough to within 1/2 in. of edges. , Layer the spinach, sausage, mushrooms and cheese over sauce. Fold dough over filling; pinch seams to seal. , Bake at 400° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before slicing. Freeze option: Freeze cooled unsliced calzone in a freezer container. To use, place calzone on an ungreased baking sheet, cover with foil and reheat in a preheated 375° oven 10 minutes. Uncover; bake until heated through.

SAUSAGE CALZONES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the milk, 2 tablespoons oil, salt, sugar and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl; turn once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. , Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the spinach, cheeses, parsley and pepper; mix well. , Punch dough down; divide into six pieces. On a floured surface, roll each piece into an 8-in. circle. Top each with 2/3 cup filling. Fold dough over filling; pinch to seal. , Place on greased baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal. Brush tops lightly with remaining oil; sprinkle with garlic salt. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with pizza sauce. Freeze option: Freeze cooled baked calzones in resealable plastic freezer bags. To use, reheat calzones on a greased baking sheet in a preheted 350° oven until heated through.

REAL ITALIAN CALZONES

Steps:

• To Make Dough: In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the oil, sugar and salt; mix in 1 cup of the flour until smooth. Gradually stir in the rest of the flour, until dough is smooth and workable. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes, or until it is elastic. Lay dough in a bowl containing 1 teaspoon olive oil, then flip the dough, cover and let rise for 40 minutes, or until almost doubled.
• To Make Filling: While dough is rising, combine the ricotta cheese, Cheddar cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms and basil leaves in a large bowl. Mix well, cover bowl and refrigerate to chill.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• When dough is ready, punch it down and separate it into 2 equal parts. Roll parts out into thin circles on a lightly floured surface. Fill each circle with 1/2 of the cheese/meat filling and fold over, securing edges by folding in and pressing with a fork. Brush the top of each calzone with egg and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
• Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Serve hot.

SAUSAGE, SPINACH AND RICOTTA CALZONE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Combine 1 cup flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add very warm water and oil; mix until well blended, about 1 minute. Gradually add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Dough should form a ball and will be slightly sticky. Knead** on a floured surface, adding additional flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes. Cover and let rest on floured surface while preparing filling.
• Cook sausage in skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through; remove from skillet and drain excess fat. Add spinach and water to skillet; saute 1 to 2 minutes until spinach is wilted; drain. Return sausage to pan.
• Combine ricotta, mozzarella and egg in a mixing bowl. Stir in Italian herb seasoning, crushed red pepper and garlic salt; set aside.
• To make calzones divide dough into four portions. Roll 1 portion into an 8-inch circle on a floured surface. Spread approximately 1/3 cup ricotta mixture in center bottom half of dough. Top with heaping 1/3 cup sausage spinach mixture leaving outer 1/2-inch free of filling. Fold top half of dough over filling. Pull edge of lower crust over top; folding and pressing layers together to form a seal. Carefully transfer to greased baking sheet. Cut 3 to 4 vents in top. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until lightly browned. Transfer to cooling rack to keep bottom crust crisp while cooling slightly. Serve with pizza sauce or other sauce for dipping.

SAUSAGE AND RICOTTA CALZONES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450°F. Divide pizza dough into 8 pieces. Roll out each into 8-inch round disk.
• To make filling, in 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium to medium-high heat. Add onion and mushrooms; cook 5 to 7 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften. Add spinach; continue to cook about 2 minutes or until spinach wilts. Remove from heat; set aside.
• In large bowl, mix cooked sausage, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt, nutmeg, pepper and onion-spinach mixture.
• To make each calzone, place filling in center of dough round. (Resist the temptation to overfill the dough.) Fold dough over; press edge and twist to seal. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cut calzones in half to serve.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE CALZONE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Crumble sausage into large deep skillet; cook on medium heat until evenly browned, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in mushrooms and jalapeño slices.
• Unroll pizza dough onto baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray; pat into 12-inch round.
• Spread meat mixture onto half the dough to within 1 inch of edge; top with cheese and pasta sauce. Fold dough in half; seal edges with fork. Cut 2 to 3 slits in top of dough to vent steam. Brush crust with milk; sprinkle with cheese.
• Bake 20 to 25 min. or until golden brown.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE CALZONE RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Crumble sausage into large skillet sprayed with cooking spray; cook until evenly browned, stirring frequently. Drain.
• Unroll pizza dough onto 12-inch pizza pan sprayed with cooking spray; press dough to evenly cover bottom of pan.
• Spread ricotta onto half the dough to within 1 inch of edge; top ricotta with pasta sauce, shredded cheese and sausage. Fold dough in half to enclose filling. Press edges together to seal. Brush dough with milk; sprinkle with Parmesan. Cut slits in top to vent steam.
• Bake 20 min. or until crust is golden brown. Cool slightly. Meanwhile, heat remaining pasta sauce as directed on label.
• Cut calzone into slices.