Dayne loved the Chicken Bacon Ranch Calzones so much last week, we opted to experiment some more with this super easy weeknight meal! You can’t go wrong with multiple meats!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground Italian sausage, browned
• 1 lb. bacon, diced and fried
• 6 oz. sliced pepperonis, sliced in half
• 1/2 c. basil marinara
• 2+ c. shredded Colby Jack cheese
• 2 (13.8 oz.) rolls pizza dough
• 4 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp.  garlic salt
• 1 Tbsp. grated parmesan

Directions:

1. Brown the sausage and fry the bacon pieces (Separate pans or clean in between). Drain both on a paper towel lined plate to remove excess grease. Set to the side.
2. Preheat oven to 350*. Heavily grease 2 cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray. Carefully unroll the pizza dough onto each sheet, but be careful not to flatten it out much (this will create weak spots where the delicious innards could burst out while baking).
3. Evenly spread the marinara sauce onto each pizza crust. Disperse the Italian sausage, bacon, and pepperonis onto each calzones. Sprinkle with 1 c. of cheese each (or more if desired).
4. Starting from the small end of the calzone, gently start rolling it like a log onto itself until you reach the other end. Fold the sides in and make sure it is well sealed with dough-on-dough contact to prevent leakage. If you put enough grease onto the pan, you should be able to rotate it at this point on the pan, be careful not to rip the thin dough.
5. Combine the melted butter, seasonings, and cheese. Brush this mixture onto the top of each calzone.
6. Bake for about 20-30 minutes, watching carefully until the tops of the calzones are golden brown.
7. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for about 10 minutes. This is a grueling amount of time to wait while your mouth is watering, but it ensures that the innards set-up and don’t spill out when you begin to slice the calzone.

Yields 8 LARGE servings.

Eat, Bork, & Be Merry!

~ Kate (aka The Swedish Chef)