Italian Sausage Calzones Recipes

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.

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.

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.

Steps:

• Preheat oven and pizza stone (if available) to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
• In a large grill plan, cook sausage until browned. Drain.
• In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella, garlic, seasonings, pepperoni and cooked sausage. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
• Roll dough out to a 15" circle on a pizza paddle or baking sheet that has been lightly dusted with cornmeal. It doesn't have to be a perfect circle.
• Spread meat and cheese filling over 1 side of the dough. Leave at least 1-inch of the edge without filling to ensure a tight seal.
• Lift 1 side of dough and fold over so that it meets the other side, forming a half moon, and pinch the edges together to seal, using a fork to press edges together. Remove any excess dough which isn't needed for the seal.
• Brush with olive oil and sprinkle some parmesan cheese over top.
• Cut a few slits in the top to allow steam to release.
• Transfer calzone from pizza pad to pizza stone in oven.
• Bake 10-15 minutes, until puffed up golden brown.
• Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
• Heat the marinara sauce in the microwave for dipping.

Steps:

• In a small bowl dissolve yeast in the warm (not hot!) water. Add 1 tablespoons of the oil, sugar and salt, and mix in 1 cup of the flour until smooth. Gradually stir in the rest of the flour until the 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 the other teaspoon of olive oil, flipping to coat dough in the oil. Cover and let rise from 40 minutes or until almost doubled.
• While dough is rising combine all remaining ingredients except for the egg in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate to chill.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• When the dough is ready, punch it down and separate it into two equal parts. Roll the halves individually out into thin circles on a lightly floured surface.
• Fill one half of each circle with half of the filling mixture and fold over. Seal the edges by pressing with a fork.
• Brush the top of each calzone with the egg wash and place on a greased cookie sheet.
• Bake at 375°F for 30 minutes or until golden brown and heated through.
• Serve with warmed tomato sauce if desired!

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

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.