Italian Sausage Calzones

We made this recipe a while back at a Pampered Chef party we had at my sister-in-law's. I've been wanting to make it ever since, and just never did. It was so easy and so yummy! This week Publix had the Pillsbury Pizza Crusts and the Johnsonville Italian Sausage on sale. Everything else I had in my stockpile. This recipe makes two side-by-side calzones. I cut each one into 6 slices. One and half did me right! Pizza is something that is really good to make at home yourself. You can add the things that your family likes. And I just hate to pay for pizza. I cringe when I have to write the $20 or more check for the pizza guy. The ones from home just taste so much better! I have a really awesome pizza recipe that I came up with a while back, but we'll just have to wait for that one! Here's how you do the calzones...


**I completely forgot to add the sauce in the sausage mixture! We just dipped it instead :)

1 lb. Italian sausage
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup green pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can olives, sliced
1 8-oz. jar pizza sauce (more for dipping)
2 tubes refrigerated pizza crust (I used the thin crust)
1 8-oz. block mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cook sausage in a medium skillet until browned, breaking up the chunks with a wooden spoon. Drain off excess fat. Return to pan and add onion, garlic and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables soften. Stir in pizza sauce and sliced olives.

Unroll one package of pizza dough across the entire rectangular baking sheet or baking stone (I used my large rectangular baking stone from Pampered Chef). Sprinkle half of the cheese in two rows on the dough with about 2-inches in between (remember you're making two long calzones). Top cheese with the meat mixture, dividing evenly between the two rows. Top each row with the remaining cheese.

Unroll second package of pizza dough and stretch to cover the top of the first. Press along the edges to seal. Press down the center creating the two calzones. Use a pizza cutter to cut down the center of the dough, making two separate calzones. Press the seam to seal. Lightly brush with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cut five two-inch slits in top of each calzone to vent.

Bake 22-25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with extra sauce for dipping.





Enjoy!




(adapted from Pampered Chef)