My Big, Fat Italian Meatball Calzones…

Here’s a little something I put together this afternoon.  It coincides with an old world dough recipe I made a couple of days ago–basically taking my favorite pizza dough recipe and freezing it for a couple of days; then thawing it out for a few hours before use.

Ingredients:
Yields up to 4

  • 1 pizza dough (Click here for the recipe), divided into four
  • 1 lb organic ground meat (For this recipe, I used bison)
  • 1 can organic tomato sauce
  • 1/2 package organic mushrooms, sliced
  • 3 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
  • 1/4 cup red onions, chopped
  • 1 tsp Italian Seasoning (or similar)
  • 1 tsp Pasta and Herb Seasoning (or similar)
  • 1 tsp Herbs de Provence
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 cup Mozzarella
  • 1 egg, plus 1 tbsp water (for egg wash)
  • Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper, to taste

Directions:

  1. In a large bowl combine ground meat, garlic, onions, seasonings, salt and pepper.  Make about 15 medium-size meatballs (about 3 inches wide); then set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, preheat a large pan and place-in the meatballs.  Cook until all sides are a light brown.
  3. Add-in the tomato sauce and mushrooms.
  4. Pour-in the red wine vinegar inside the tomato can so that it soaks up the remaining sauce from the can.  Pour this into the pan.
  5. Add-in a bit more of the seasonings, as well as, salt and pepper in accordance to your taste.  Cook for another 5 minutes.  Set aside.

  6. Meanwhile, prep the pastry dough using a dough-filler (optional) -or- fill-in manually, as shown below.   Unroll one dough onto a slightly floured pastry board.  Top with mozzarella, then spoon-in two meatballs and sauce mixture onto half of the dough.  Fold dough over the filling, forming a half circle and press with a fork to seal. Brush top with egg mixture. Repeat with remaining dough, and meatball mixture.

  7. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve with additional meatball, sauce mixture, and mozzarella if desired.

    Bison Meatballs Calzone

8 comments

  1. You make it look so easy! My girlfriend and I shall give this a try!

    Also, this method you used with the fork and all remind me of a Mauritian sweet dish

    – Tirish

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