Sausage and Mushroom Calzone

Are you a pizza lover like us? While we love to make homemade pizza (like we did here), we are also big fans of calzone – or what we like to call a pizza hand pie. We tend to lean toward non-traditional ways of making pizza-like things (umm…pork belly and potato pizza anyone?). Our calzone, while largely traditional, breaks the rule of no sauce. We don’t use a lot of sauce in our calzone but we do use a little. It’s mostly on the side. Don’t judge us 😉

Our calzone uses homemade pizza dough and traditional fillings like whipped ricotta, sausage and mushrooms. However, we do add some crushed tomatoes flavored with some fresh oregano and pepper because a little tomato makes everything better. If you’re short on time – or just not keen on making your own dough – store bought pizza dough, like the dough from Trader Joe’s, works just fine. You will need two packages to make four calzones.

You can use whatever fillings suit your taste…just don’t leave out the ricotta or the tomatoes!

Whipping the ricotta gives it a light and airy texture.

Our tomato mixture combines the crushed tomatoes, oregano and/or basil and the red pepper flakes.

Press each portion of dough into a rough circle.

Top with mozzarella, tomato mixture, sausage and mushrooms, then dollop on the whipped ricotta.

Fold the dough over the filled half and crimp the edges to seal.

Use a pizza peel or flat baking sheet to slide the calzones in and out of the oven.
We recommend baking on a preheated baking stone to establish a crisp crust.

Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.

Mangia!

Sausage and Mushroom Calzone

For the dough:

• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 cup warm water (110° to 115° F)
• 1 envelope (1/4 ounce) rapid rise yeast
• 3 ¼ cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup of medium ground cornmeal

For the filling:

• 8 ounces ricotta cheese
• 5 ounces low moisture mozzarella cheese
• 2/3 pound bulk Italian sausage (2 sausages)
• 2 ounces small cremini mushrooms, sliced thin
• 1-14.5 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons fresh oregano and/or basil, divided
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• Parmesan cheese for sprinkling on top

Place a large pizza stone on a lower rack in the oven and preheat to 500° F.

Make the dough:

In a small bowl, dissolve the sugar in the warm water. Then sprinkle the yeast over the water and stir gently until it dissolves, about 1 minute. The mixture should be smooth and beige colored (if it isn’t and the yeast is clumped and the water is still fairly clear, discard the mixture and start over). Let stand in a warm place for about 5 minutes or until a thin layer of foam covers the surface.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 3 cups of the flour, salt, yeast mixture and ¼ cup olive oil. Using the flat paddle, gradually turn mixer up to medium speed and beat until well combined, about 1 minute. Replace the paddle with a dough hook and knead at medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. If the dough still seems sticky, continue kneading while adding just enough of the remaining ¼ cup of flour until it loses its stickiness. If the dough seems to dry, add warm water a tablespoon at a time until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a well-oiled bowl, turning to completely coat the dough with the oil on all sides. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise until the dough has doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Punch down the dough with your fist and divide into 4 even pieces.

Lightly oil a piece of parchment and place ¼ of the dough on it. Using your hands, gently push the dough from the center out into a circle of even thickness of about ¼”. Repeat with remaining 3 pieces of dough. Immediately fill the calzones.

Fill the calzones:

In a small frying pan, cook the sausage breaking it apart into small bite sized pieces until it’s completely cooked and no pink remains.

Place the ricotta in a food processor and add kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Run the food processor for about 2-3 minutes until light in consistency.

In a small bowl, combine the crushed tomatoes with 1 teaspoon of the oregano/basil and the red pepper flakes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place a dough round on a pizza peel coated with cornmeal.

Spread 1/3 cup of the grated mozzarella cheese on one half of the dough round. Top with ¼ cup of tomato mixture. Sprinkle ¼ of the sausage and ¼ of the mushrooms evenly on top of the tomato mixture and dollop generously with the whipped ricotta.

Fold the uncovered half of the dough rounds over to cover the fillings. Crimp around the edges to seal. Brush the dough with olive oil.

Transfer the calzones from the pizza peel to the preheated oven and bake until the crust is golden and puffy, about 15 minutes.  Remove from oven to plates and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and remaining oregano and/or basil.

Makes 4 calzones.