Three Meat Calzone

EdsGirlAngie's Note:

I created this filling just for Ed, since he loves pepperoni and hot Italian sausage on his pizza. I've added lots of oregano and a little garlic as well, and wrapped it up in a crust with more oregano. I don't think the tomato juice in the crust gives it any additional flavor, but it gives it an appealing color.

• Total Time: 2 hrs 5 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs 30 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 2

For the crust

• 1/2 cup tomato juice or 1/2 cup V8 vegetable juice
• 1/2 package active dry yeast
• 1 1/4-1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the filling

• 7/8 ounce package pepperoni slice, cut slices in half
• 2 tablespoons minced onions
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2-3/4 cup crumbled pre-cooked hot Italian sausage (about 1 link)
• 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 teaspoons tomato paste
• 3/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Prepare the crust: Combine tomato juice, yeast and 3/4 cup of the flour in a large bowl.
2. Mix well then add oil, salt, and oregano, then gradually add the remaining 3/4 cup or so of flour.
3. Work into a soft dough, then knead for 5 minutes on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic.
4. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel in a warm place until doubled in size (about an hour).
5. Begin preparing filling while you wait for dough to rise, see below.
6. When dough has risen, divide it into 2 even balls and let rest another 15 minutes.
7. Pat out dough balls into 2 crusts, each about 1/8 inch thick.
8. To prepare filling: Brown the pepperoni a little in an ungreased non-stick skillet; add onion, garlic, pre-cooked and crumbled Italian sausage and ground beef.
9. Cook together until ground beef is thoroughly cooked; pour off excess grease, then add oregano and tomato paste; stir to combine thoroughly and cook another 10 minutes.
10. Add salt or pepper to taste and set aside to let cool for filling the calzone.
11. To assemble the calzone: Spread filling on one half of the prepared crust; sprinkle evenly with mozzarella cheese and top with the other prepared crust and press down firmly along the edges with the tines of a fork to seal.
12. Slash top crust with a knife as you would a pie, then bake on a lightly oiled pizza pan in a 450 degree oven 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned.
13. Alternatively, you could make two separate calzones instead of one large one.

Reviews

[momof2leos]

My husband really liked this! I subbed some spicy tomato marinade for the tomato juice (trying to use up open bottle before opening a new can of anything), the rest of the recipe I stuck to tightly. He was quite happy and said it was not too spicy, couldn't have been, 18 month old son gobbled it up with him.

[Lisa Lou Who]

I made this just to try the crust and we loved it. I doubled it and made 3 large and 2 small calzones so everyone could pick their own filling. Yum!

[kween_bee3]

Absolutely loved the dough; however, I found it wasn't pizza'ish enough and it was too meaty. I think I'll add more tomato paste and less ground meat next time. Nevertheless my boys loved it. Thanks I will keep this for sure. :)