After posting a pic of this on FB, I got numerous requests for the recipe, including folks who wanted to know if it was vegetarian. For the Veggies out there, no it isn’t but is easy to adapt which I have included below. This recipe is chock FULL of veggies and low in fat so you can feel good about it tasting good. Yes, the RT (Recipe Taster) pronounced it “Good!” It freezes really well and I have taken it for lunch twice this week….so yes, I guess it IS tasty! We will see who gets the last two hiding in the freezer. heh, heh.

 

Taco Calzones

Makes 6 to 8 large servings

  • 1# ground turkey OR extra lean ground beef OR 3/4 cup TVP
  • 2 T. olive oil
  • 3/4 c. chopped onion
  • 3/4 c. chopped red bell pepper
  • 3/4 c. chopped green bell pepper OR large poblano peppers
  • 3 jalapenos, seeded and chopped (Clean the seeds OUT or it may be too hot!)
  • 2 t. ground cumin
  • 1 t. chili pepper
  • 1/2  T. crushed red peppers (The kind you throw on pizza)
  • 3 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 c. salsa- your choice: fresh, jarred, hot, sweet, smoky or not!
  • 2 (11 oz.) can refrigerated thin crust pizza dough OR 1 thawed  uncooked bread dough loaf
  • About 6 slices jalapeno jack cheese (Tillamook anyone?!)
  • Cooking spray

Saute the ground turkey or ground beef in 1 T. olive oil in a large skillet. When done, remove from pan and reserve. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and add the veggies. Saute till the onions are l and the veggies are soft. To keep the pan from getting too wet to brown, you may need to saute the veggies in batches. Add the spices and the ground meat- OR if choosing the vegetarian option, this is when you add the TVP- back into the pan. Add the salsa and mix thoroughly.

Divide the bread dough into 8 equal portions. If using the refrigerated pizza crust, each can has one crust. Cut each one into 4 pieces. Roll one piece of bread into a rectangle roughly 6″ X 8″. Mound a generous serving of the meat mixture (about 1/2 cup) on top of the dough, top with a half slice of cheese and fold dough over the top and pinch the edges shut. Place on a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray. Repeat till the pan is full and you are out of dough. (If there are meat leftovers…burritos!) Bake the calzones at 425 degrees for approximately 15 minutes or until browned.

We had a salad with it for dinner and served extra salsa to pour inside because we like our food spicy! Mix it up and let me know how it works out for you!