Sausage & Roasted Pepper Calzone
Submitted by BRQ
Shortcut calzones made with refrigerated pie crust, hot Italian sausage, mozzarella, ricotta, pine nuts, and roasted peppers. Italian-American takeout flavor at home in under an hour.
YIELD
1 recipePREP
20 minCOOK
30 minREADY
1 hrsFast calzone that cheats with store-bought pie crust in place of pizza dough. Not traditional, but it bakes up flakier and buttery golden instead of chewy, and you skip the 90-minute rise. The filling is classic Italian-American: hot Italian sausage browned with garlic and scallions, then bound with ricotta, egg, and cubes of real mozzarella that melt into pockets of stretchy cheese.
Roasted red peppers and pine nuts round the whole thing out with sweetness and toasty crunch. Fold, seal with a fork, slash the top for steam to escape, brush with egg wash, and bake until golden.
Each calzone feeds 2 or 3 as a main with a simple green salad, or cut into wedges as an appetizer for game day.
Kitchen Tips
- Drain the sausage well after browning. Fatty filling leaks through pie crust during baking and soaks the bottom.
- Cube the mozzarella, don’t shred. Cubes melt into molten pockets; shreds disappear into the ricotta mixture.
- Cool the filling slightly before stuffing. Hot filling melts the pie crust before it ever makes it to the oven.
- The egg wash matters. It’s what gives the crust that bakery shine and helps the pine nuts stick.
Variations
- Use crescent roll dough instead of pie crust for a puffier, more bread-like finish.
- Swap hot Italian sausage for sweet Italian, or use a 50-50 mix of both for balance.
- Add sautéed mushrooms or wilted spinach to the filling for extra vegetables and color.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat oven.
Allow both crust pouches to stand at room temp 15 to 20 min.
Meanwhile, in large skillet brown sausage with onions and garlic; drain.
Stir in basil, Italian seasoning and pepper. In small bowl, beat eggs with fork; reserve 1½ tbs; set aside. Add ricotta cheese to remaining eggs; mix well.
Stir into sausage mixture. Add mozzarella cheese, peppers and 3 tablespoon of the pine nuts.
Remove crusts from pouches; unfold.
Press out fold lines.
Place one prepared crust on end of large ungreased cookie sheet with about ⅓ of crust hanging over edge.
Spoon half of sausage mixture over half of crust on cookie sheet, leaving abou 1 inch border and mounding filling towards center.
Fold pie crust half over filling’ press edges with fork to seal.
Cut four 1 inch slits in top of crust.
Repeat with second crust and remaining filling at opposite end of cookie sheet.
Brush with reserved 1½ tablespoon egg. Sprinkle with remaining pine nuts.
Bake at 400℉ (200℃) for 20 to 25 min or until crust is golden brown.
To serve cut each calzone in half or into 3 wedges.
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