Sunday Dinner: Make-your-own calzones

Wouldn’t it be nice to serve one meal that everyone loves? Move make-your-own calzones to the top the list! It’s easy to let everyone pick his or her favorite ingredients for this fun, satisfying Sunday dinner.

Get in the ‘zone

If you’re wondering what a calzone is, think of a cross between a pizza and a hand pie. It’s an Italian-style favorite made using pizza dough. You can load each with your favorite pizza toppings, cheeses and sauce, fold and crimp, then bake, serve and delight!

The best part of serving calzones for Sunday dinner is that your ingredient list can include just about anything you can think of, and you can let each person pick his or her favorite ingredients to personalize the calzones. Serving calzones is also a great way to use up the week’s leftovers. Do your Friday leftovers include ground beef, sliced bell peppers and onions? Toss them in the calzone. You get the idea.

Check out this recipe for easy (almost) authentic empanadas >>

Good habits for healthy eating

The key to instilling healthy eating habits in your kids is to recognize that it isn’t a one-time lesson. Start early and be consistent. One way to help your kids make good choices is to get them involved in meals and decision-making opportunities. Read on for great suggestions to help teach your children to be healthy eaters.

Make-your-own calzones

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of prepared pizza dough (makes 6 individual calzones)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons of your favorite tomato sauce (more for serving on the side), per calzone
• 2 ounces of your favorite pizza-type cheese, per calzone
• 2 to 4 ounces of your favorite pizza-type toppings, per calzone
• 2 tablespoons melted butter to brush on calzones
• Flour for dusting work surface
• Parchment paper

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven according to the directions on the dough package.
2. Precook any meats you’re using, as appropriate.
3. Dust a flat work surface with flour and roll out your pizza dough into six, 6-inch disks.
4. Spread your sauce on the bottom one-third of the dough, just to about half-an-inch from the edge of the dough.
5. Next add your ingredients and cheese over the sauce.
6. Fold the top part of the dough over the ingredients, and pinch the edges of the dough to seal tightly.
7. Place the calzones on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, brush them with the melted butter, then cut three small vents in the calzones.
8. Bake for about 15 minutes, rotate, then bake for 8-10 minutes longer. You may want to bake them slightly less, depending on your oven. As they cook, check them to ensure they don’t burn.
9. When they’re lightly golden, remove from the oven, allow them to cool slightly and serve with a side of tomato sauce.

Calzones for Sunday dinner is likely to make it to your family’s “favorites” list!

Try these Sunday dinners

Ballpark chili dogs
Enchiladas with spinach and mushrooms
Mediterranean tuna salad in radicchio bowls