Sausage & Mushroom Calzones

Had a few things I needed to clear from my freezer and pantry. A pack of lamb and rosemary sausages, some mozzarella cheese, and I also had a can of plum tomatoes stashed in the cupboard. Easiest way to use up mozzarella is by making some form of pizza, so I busted out my 500 Pizzas and Flatbreads recipe book to look up a recipe I tried many many years ago, which I remembered to be quite yummy: sausage and mushroom calzones.

I really love the idea of calzones. Pizza crust crunchy on the outside yet soft and chewy on the inside, filled with yummy cheesy goodness and sealed into a convenient pocket we can eat on the go, what’s not to like? This particular recipe, a combination of meat and cheese and bread makes the ultimate comfort food, and the lamb and rosemary sausages I used worked really well here.

This recipe uses the Basic Pizza Sauce and Calzone Dough recipes. Do have these recipes open and on hand, before jumping into this one. Give it a try!

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While the dough is resting, we can start making the filling. Heat up the olive oil over medium high heat. Here I’m using some really good quality EVOO from Tenute di Badia. So precious.

Cook the sausages and mushrooms. You can really use whatever sausages you prefer, I myself used whatever sausages I had in the freezer. What is important is to get the raw, gourmet types which you can remove from the casings, not the firm, cheaper frankfurters we typically see sold in hypermarkets like Ayamas and the like.

Stir in the prepared pizza sauce, toss to coat evenly, then remove from heat.

Divide the dough into 4 equal-sized portions, and shape into rounds.

Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll the dough into a 6-inch disc. I lightly oiled my hands and work surface to prevent sticking. I also pressed the edges a bit thinner, making a 1/2-inch border of sorts. This is just my own preference, to ensure the edges don’t get too thick once we pinch them to seal.

Using a pastry brush, glaze the top edge of the disc with water.

Spoon 1/4 of the filling onto the lower half of the disc.

Top the filling with 1/4 of the mozzarella.

Fold the top half of the disc down over the filling, leaving a 1/2 border at the bottom.

Lightly brush some water over the edge of the top piece. Fold the bottom edge over the top piece, and pinch to seal tightly.

Using a sharp knife, cut a 1/2-inch vent in the top of the calzone. Repeat for the remaining dough and filling.

Brush the tops with butter.

Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of parmesan on each calzone.

Place the calzones in a preheated baking sheet lined with baking paper and bake, until the filling is hot and the crust is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

Dig in! A simple, comforting meal.