Man, oh man, these are some delish calzones! Filled with creamy pesto, buttery mozzarella, chunky meat sauce and salty Parmesan cheese, they definitely kick the pants off those frozen Hot Pockets. I call these lasagna calzones, because they’re filled with everything I’d typically put in a lasagna casserole. You can feel free to substitute the mozzarella cheese for some ricotta, or be extra wicked and just add both! These are a perfect meal for kids and adults alike.
Ingredients
(Makes 4 servings)
1 recipe’s worth of my Homemade Pizza Dough (or 1 lb store bought)
1/2 cup of my Macadamia Nut Pesto (or store bought)
8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
1 1/4 cup Easy Weeknight Meat Sauce (or store bought)
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Cooking spray or olive oil mister
Salt & pepper
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
Divide the pizza dough into 4 equal sized balls.
Roll each dough ball into a flat disc, about 6-8″ in diameter and 1/4″ thick.
Brush each dough circle with 2 tablespoons of pesto, leaving a border around the edge for sealing.
Top 1/2 of each dough circle with 2 ounces of sliced mozzarella. Sprinkle a bit of salt & pepper on the mozzarella.
Top the mozzarella slices with 1/3 cup of meat sauce.
And finally, top the meat sauce with 3 tablespoons of shredded Parmesan cheese.
Fold the calzone in half, to cover the filling, and press the edges of the dough down.
Crimp the edges to seal, and cut a small ventilation hole in the top to allow steam to vent.
Place the calzone on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, and spray with cooking spray or olive oil so it gets brown and crispy. Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes, or until it’s nice and golden brown.
Allow the calzones to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving, they’ll be super hot inside!
Lasagna Calzones
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh pizza dough
- 1/2 cup homemade or store-bought pesto
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese
- 1 1/4 cup meat sauce
- 3/4 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
- cooking spray or olive oil mister
- salt & pepper
Instructions
-
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
-
Divide the pizza dough into 4 equal sized balls. Roll each dough ball into a flat disc, about 6-8" in diameter and 1/4" thick.
-
Brush each dough circle with 2 tablespoons of pesto, leaving a border around the edge for sealing.
-
Top 1/2 of each dough circle with 2 ounces of sliced mozzarella. Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper on the mozzarella.
-
Top the mozzarella slices with 1/3 cup of meat sauce. And finally, top the meat sauce with 3 tablespoons of shredded Parmesan cheese. Repeat this for the rest of the calzones.
-
Fold each calzone in half, to cover the filling, and press the edges of the dough down. Crimp the edges to seal, and cut a small ventilation hole in the top of each calzone to allow steam to vent.
-
Place each calzone on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, and spray with cooking spray or olive oil so the calzones get brown and crispy. Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes, or until they're crisp & golden brown.
-
Allow the calzones to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
