Ham & Cheese Calzones

Who doesn't love a calzone? It's essentially pizza with double the dough: a gooey, cheese-filled center that a Hot Pocket could only dream of being. 

It's also a versatile blank canvas to stuff with any fillings you can think of. These are the instructions for my favorite combination, but the sky is the limit here. Stuff it with carnitas and cheddar and serve with guacamole. Or fill it with buffalo chicken and serve with ranch dressing. Or barbecued chicken and caramelized onions... see what I mean?

Let's begin.

Sorry there are no measurements for the ingredients; I don't measure anything after the dough is made. Basically just pile it up with toppings until you can't fit any more.

Ham & Cheese Calzones
From: My friend Chrissy
Serves: about 4 (depending how hungry you are and how much self-control you have)

You'll need:
1 (10 oz) tube refrigerated pizza dough OR 1 recipe of this homemade dough
sliced pepperoni
diced precooked ham
ricotta cheese
shredded mozzarella
shredded Parmesan
dried basil & oregano
pizza, spaghetti, or marinara sauce

Stretch or roll your pizza crust to an 11"x14" rectangle (a cookie sheet). Start layering your toppings. I do meat first, filling half the dough lengthwise, and leaving about 1" around the edges to seal.

Now spoon on the ricotta and layer the mozzarella, Parmesan, basil, and any other herbs or toppings you might want.

Fold the empty dough down over the filled side and press the edges firmly to seal. Otherwise all your delicious cheese will leak out while it's baking. Bake according to your dough recipe's directions (for my recipe, 15-18 minutes at 425 degrees) until this...

 ... turns into this.

While it's baking, heat your pizza, spaghetti, or marinara sauce. Slice into that gorgeous pocket of protein and serve with the sauce on the side.

Need more ideas for fillings?
- Use browned and crumbled Italian sausage instead of ham for a more "pizza" flavor
- Use creamed spinach, sausage, bacon, and mozzarella - this has so much flavor it almost doesn't need marinara
- Ham & cheddar? Turkey & Swiss? Why not? You get the idea. What will you put inside? Leave me a comment with your favorite fillings combination!