Hearty Three Cheese Calzone

“Calzone. Yes. That’s a hell of a thing. ” George Steinbrenner knew what he was talking about, and this giant crusty, meaty pizza pocket is definitely a hell of a thing.  Undoubtedly, this is a recipe for carnivores.  (Vegetarians, go here.)  There are some veggies in this recipe, but mostly it’s the 2 kinds of meat, cheese sauce and tasty crust that come together to form this hearty indulgence.  Considering just how plentiful these babies are, they’re best consumed when absolutely ravenous. That’s the ticket!

Start by dicing up some onions…

Sliced Onions

Then get your filling ready.  Mix up a bunch of yummy meats, like ground beef and chorizo sausage with the diced onions and garlic.  Yup, we’re off to a good start.

Ground Beef and Chorizo

Cook until brown, drain the grease, then add tomatoes and green chilies.

Meat filling

As I mentioned before, there are at least 3 kinds of cheese involved with these calzones.  Feel free to add more if you like; more cheese is rarely a bad decision.

Triple Cheese

Mix up some fresh ricotta and monteray jack cheese.  Go ahead and add some Parmesan here too if you have it.  Make it a four cheese calzone!  Mix it all together with an egg and some seasonings.

Cheese Mixture

Now it’s time to mix the meat and the cheese mixtures together.  This causes intense, rich flavour sensations. Consider yourself warned.

Calzone filling

Roll out your pizza dough until thin, but not see-through.

Calzone Dough

Load it up with the meat and cheese filing, then top with even more cheese – like a nice thick slice of fresh mozzarella 🙂

Loaded up Calzone

Fold the dough over the filling, seal it up with a fork around the edge.  It will look nice and fancy, and make sure everything stays inside!

“I am loving this calzone . The pita pocket prevents it from dripping.”  My thoughts exactly, Mr. Steinbrenner.

Calzone

Brush with olive oil.

Olive Oil &Calzone

Bake it in the oven @ 450, until golden brown.

Golden Calzones

To be honest, I would have liked this to be a bit more saucy,  but if you serve a bit of marinara sauce on the side and dip – problem solved.  Serve it with a salad to get your veggies, and dig in!

Calzone

“Big Stein wants an eggplant calzone!”

Calzone Recipe

½ pound chorizo sausage
1 pound ground beef
2-3 tbsp olive oil
½ onion, finely diced
One 10 ounce can diced tomatoes
One 127 ml can green chilies
8 ounces ricotta cheese
½ cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 egg, beaten
Salt and black pepper
1 Pizza Crust
Additional olive oil for brushing
Tomato sauce, for dipping

1. Preheat oven to 450F.
2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and add onions.  Sauté until lightly browned.
3. Stir in sausage and ground beef and cook until browned over medium heat. Drain excess grease.
4. Pour in tomatoes and chilies, stir to combine and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
6. In a bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, and egg.  Add a dash of salt and pepper.
7. Add the cooled meat mixture to the cheese mixture and stir gently to combine.
8. Divide the pizza dough into 8 equal size balls.  With a rolling pin on a floured surface, roll each ball into a 6-inch circle.
9. Place one-eighth of the meat/cheese mixture in the middle of each circle.
10. Fold half of the circle over the other half, gently pressing to slightly spread and flatten the filling inside.  Press a fork along the edge to seal closed, then transfer the calzone to a greased cooking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining dough and filing.  Brush the calzone with olive oil.
11. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.
12. Serve with tomato sauce on the side for dipping.