Green Calzones

There's nothing more pitiful looking than a pizza without cheese. Yeah, we eat it that way because we don't have much choice, and if we close our eyes, we can pretend it's "normal" pizza because the flavor is still darn good. But a cheese-free pizza still looks naked. So I figure a calzone is a great way to get around this predicament because everything is hidden inside the crust!

I had some leftover pesto sauce and decided to throw it together in this recipe. It turned out really good!

You could easily adapt this recipe to whatever veggies and meats you have on hand. A vegetarian version with sauteed mushrooms, onion, spinach and bell peppers would be great! Not feeling especially "green" today? Red Calzones with pizza sauce, pepperoni and sauteed red peppers would be fun!

If you have any extra filling leftover after using all your pizza dough, just toss it up with some pasta.


Green Calzones

1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 lb. chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
9 oz. package frozen broccoli cuts, thawed
1/3 cup MSPI-friendly purchased or homemade pesto sauce
MSPI-friendly purchased or prepared homemade pizza dough, enough for a 12-14-inch pie

Heat olive oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat. Saute chicken breast until halfway cooked, add broccoli until everything is cooked through. Set pan aside to cool slightly. Mix in the pesto sauce.

Heat the oven to the temperature called for in the pizza dough instructions.

Cut pizza dough into four pieces. Roll or pat one piece out into an 8-by-5-inch oblong shape on a well-floured surface. Spoon 1/2 cup of filling onto one side of the dough, leaving a 1-inch edge. Fold the other side over the filling, pinching the edges together. Place calzone on a cookie sheet.

Repeat with other three pieces of dough and filling. Bake according to pizza dough instructions.

Optional: Brush tops of the calzones with olive oil prior to placing in oven.