Easy Calzones
- Total Time: 3 Hours
Description
I borrowed this idea from Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond and we’ll definitely be doing them again. I made a huge batch of the filling below and then portioned it out for the freezer – one portion works perfectly for the Christmas Breakfast Casserole and another should work for a soup that I’d like to try. I just used marinara sauce from a jar this time, but I think we’d also like any version of sauteed garlic, salt, passata, touch of brown sugar – thrown together for a dipping sauce – I also froze a few calzones and the girls had a tasty after school snack a couple of times – I encourage you to try whatever filling you think would be tasty – enjoy!
Ingredients
Easy Calzones
20 frozen, unrisen dinner rolls – I made 6 large doubled calzones and then 8 singles
Filling
1 T. butter or canola oil AND 1 large onion, minced
1 lb. breakfast sausage or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1/2 t. Italian seasoning AND 1/4 t. red pepper flakes
2 c. ricotta
1/2 c. grated Parmesan
1 c. grated mozzarella
2 eggs
1/2 t. EACH salt AND pepper
2 T. chopped fresh parsley
Marinara sauce or your favorite tomato sauce for dipping
1 egg, lightly beaten to brush on calzones before baking
Instructions
Place the frozen dinner rolls on a baking sheet, cover them with a slightly damp tea towel and leave them to rise in a warm place for 2-3 hours. To make the filling, melt the butter in a large skillet, add the onion and cook for a few minutes until softened, then add in the sausage, breaking it up as it cooks, and continue to cook it until it’s no longer pink. Stir in the Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes, then remove the skllet from the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature – this is what I tripled and then froze in portions.
In a large bowl, combine the 3 cheeses, eggs, salt, pepper and parsley, add in the cooled sausage mix, give it a good stir and set it aside – preheat the oven to 400.
When the rolls have thawed and risen, roll them out on a lightly floured surface until then are roundish in shape and paper thin – mine weren’t beautiful, but they were tasty – that counts! Spoon 3-4 tablespoons of filling onto one half of the circle, fold the dough over and then press the edges with a fork to seal them up. Place each prepped calzone onto a parchment lined baking sheet, and when you have a pan ready to go, brush the tops with a bit of egg and bake for 14 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of each calzone. Serve with dipping sauce (and a salad), for any meal or snack.
- Category: Ground Beef, Make-ahead, Freezes Well, Sausage
