Spinach and Sausage Calzones

If you love a classic sausage pizza, this is the personal calzone for you. Mozzarella, parmesan, tomato sauce, and lots of zesty Italian sausage - all in a pocket you can enjoy at lunch, dinner or snacktime!!

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• CRUST

• 1 1⁄3 cups  all-purpose flour1 garlic cloves, minced
• 1  teaspoon dried basil or 1  teaspoon  italian seasoning
• 1⁄2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1⁄2 cup  all-vegetable shortening, well-chilled (I prefer Crisco)
• 3 -6  tablespoons  ice cold water

• FILLING

• 1  tablespoon  vegetable oil (I prefer Crisco) or 1  tablespoon canola oil (I prefer Crisco)
• 4  ounces  ground  Italian sausages
• 1  cup  Baby Spinach, lightly packed
• 1⁄4 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
• 1⁄4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1⁄4 cup  prepared tomato sauce

Directions

1. CRUST: Blend flour, garlic, herbs and salt in medium bowl.
2. Cut chilled shortening into 1/2-inch cubes. Cut chilled shortening cubes into flour mixture, using a pastry blender in an up and down chopping motion, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some small pea-sized pieces remaining.
3. Sprinkle half the maximum recommended ice water over the flour mixture. Using a fork, stir and draw flour from bottom of bowl, to the top distributing the moisture evenly into the flour. Press chunks down to the bottom of bowl with fork. Add more water by the tablespoons until the dough is moist enough to hold together when pressed together. Shape dough into ball. Flatten ball into 1/2-inch thick round. Wrap dough in plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
4. Preheat oven to 400°F Grease or line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet . Add the sausage and cook until crumbled and golden, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach, and cook until wilted. Let cool about 10 minutes. Add the cheeses. Reserve.
6. Roll out dough on a lightly flour surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out 4-inch circles. You should get 8 circles. You may have to gather up leftover dough and re-roll. Place 1 teaspoons tomato sauce on one side of the circle. Top with 1 tablespoons cooled sausage mixture. Brush edges with beaten egg and crimp and seal around edges wirh a fork.
7. Place on prepared baking sheet. Brush tops with beaten egg and bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes.
8. TIPS; Filling can be made a day ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to use.