Veggie and Chicken Loaded Calzone Recipe

Though it will never achieve the kind of superstar status enjoyed by its more celebrated cousin, a calzone is little more than a pizza folded over on itself and sealed. The potential for caloric overload is very high, given the types (and quantities) of ingredients that typically find their way into the golden half moon: pepperoni, sausage, meatballs, and 19 different types of cheese, among other things (yes, even thousand island dressing, barbecue sauce, and fried chicken are popular pizza toppings). But a calzone can just as easily welcome healthy vegetable fillings into its warm, doughy embrace, too. This version of a loaded calzone recipe offers something for everyone: sautéed greens and roasted peppers for the produce proponents, and chunks of chicken sausage for the calorie conscious carnivores.

Nutrition: 395 calories, 12 g fat (3.5 g saturated), 750 mg sodium

Serves 4

You'll Need

1⁄2 bunch broccoli rabe or 1 bunch fresh spinach, trimmed
1⁄2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large link chicken sausage, casing removed
1⁄2 tsp red pepper flakes
1⁄2 cup bottled roasted red peppers
Salt and black pepper to taste
Pizza dough or 12 oz store-bought pizza dough
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup pizza sauce
1 egg white, beaten

How to Make It

1. Preheat the oven to 500°F.
2. Bring a large pan of water to boil.
3. Add the broccoli rabe and cook for 3 minutes. Drain.
4. Return the pan to the stovetop and heat the oil over medium heat.
5. Add the sausage meat and sauté until cooked through.
6. Stir in the broccoli rabe and pepper flakes and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes.
7. Stir in the roasted peppers and season with salt and pepper.
8. Divide the dough into two balls.
9. On a clean, well-floured surface, roll each piece into a thin oval, about 14" long and 8" wide.
10. Place the dough on two separate baking sheets.
11. Spread half the ricotta across each, length-wise, then top each with a 1⁄4 cup of the pizza sauce and half of the broccoli rabe mixture.
12. Fold the dough crosswise over the mixture, creating one large half moon, and pinch the dough to seal it completely.
13. Brush the tops with the egg white.
14. Bake the calzones for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned and firm all over.
15. Cut each calzone in half and serve with the remaining pizza sauce.

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