Brown Eyed Mama

You may have noticed that I like to simplify my cooking.  I use spaghetti sauce instead of making my own, I double batch for other uses, etc…  I do this for a reason: I work and I have kids.  Actually, I don’t even think the work part is valid, because if I was a SAHM, I would still try and simplify my cooking.

The calzones I make are easy.  You can change up the fillings to whatever suits you.  They cook quick and the kids LOVE them.  Extra bonus: clean up is a breeze!

Basic Ingredients:

The cheese mixture from my lasagna recipe, only about half of it.  Actually, the left over cheese was put in storage and saved for calzones.  That’s how I roll.

1 jar pizza sauce – I don’t use the whole jar, but the extra is good for dipping the calzones

2 packages of the pizza dough you find in the biscuit aisle.  Use the thin crust, trust me.

1 package of sliced pepperoni – this is our base meat, but use what you like.

To assemble:

Cut squares of the pizza dough in the sizes of the calzones you need.  They will be bigger than you think, so cut smaller.  Spoon on pizza sauce, cover with pepperoni, top with the cheese mixture and the cover the entire calzone with another dough square, pinching the edges to seal.  Bake these per the instructions for the pizza dough.  I think it’s 425 for 10 minutes.  Whenever the dough browns nicely.

Some tips:

I spray the bottom of the baking sheet with butter flavored cooking spray AND when assembled, I spray the tops of the calzones to give them the butter-browned effect.

I sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.

You can add any ingredient you think would be good: sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, olives, mushrooms, the list is endless.

Let me tell you that all of my kids ate two of these. TWO!  That’s how good it is.  I really think the cheese mixture makes the difference.  Some would just use Mozzarella, but they are short-changing themselves.

I have this cheese mixture that I use when making stuffed manicotti.  After messing around with stuffing those noodles, I realized that lasagna was pretty much the same thing, but with different pasta.  Lasagna is easier to make, because I don’t have the mess and stress of stuffing cheese mix in a tube.  So here is my basic lasagna recipe, but you can use the same cheese mix for stuffing manicotti or shells or any other stuff-able pasta.  I also use the same sauce.

16 oz part skim Ricotta cheese

8 oz package cream cheese

1 cup Mozzarella, shredded

Italian seasoning

2 gloves minced garlic

I’ve also been known to add finely chopped olives, mushroom, and roasted red peppers.  Use your imagination and taste buds.  The last time I made this lasagna, I used chopped sun-dried tomatoes. It was fabulous.

The Sauce (I cheat on the sauce, but why fix what isn’t broken):

1 lb ground Italian sausage, browned and drained

1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (I love Classico brand)

16 oz can of tomato sauce

Mix all under low heat.

I use the “oven ready” lasagna noodles to speed things up.

Assemble as you would normally, using the sauce as your first layer.  Top with a generous handful of shredded Mozzarella cheese.  Bake covered with foil for about 40 minutes at 375 and uncovered until the cheese is melted and browning.

For the record:  This is a “juicy” or “runny” lasagna.  It looks more like a casserole when you serve it, but it’s full of flavor and NOT dry.  Sometimes, presentation is not everything.