Sausage and Pepper Calzones

(Please don't judge this recipe by the picture. I know it's horrible.)

Dough:

2 3/4 c. flour, divided

1 c. warm water

1 package yeast (about 2 1/4 t.)

Dash of sugar

1 T. olive oil

3/4 t. kosher salt

Filling:

1 t. olive oil

2 c. thinly sliced red bell pepper (about 2)

1 c. chopped onion (about 1)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 lb. chicken apple sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices

3/4 c. shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/2 c. no-salt-added tomato sauce

1/4 c. 2% low-fat cottage cheese

2 T. grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1 t. dried oregano

1/2 t. kosher salt

1/4 t. crushed red pepper

To prepare dough, combine 1/2 cup flour, 1 cup warm water, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl; let stand 15 minutes. Gradually add 1 3/4 cups flour, 1 tablespoon oil, and 3/4 teaspoon salt; stir until a soft dough forms. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes); add enough of remaining 1/2 cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands.

Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.)

To prepare filling, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add bell pepper, onion, garlic, and sausage; sauté 10 minutes or until tender. Spoon mixture into a bowl; cool slightly. Add mozzarella and remaining ingredients to sausage mixture; stir well.

Preheat oven to 450°.

Punch dough down; cover and let rest 5 minutes. Divide into 8 equal portions. Roll each portion into a 6-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Spoon about 1/2 cup sausage mixture onto half of each circle, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Fold dough over filling; crimp edges of dough with fingers to seal. Place calzones on a large baking sheet lined with foil and coated with cooking spray. Pierce the tops of the dough once with a fork. Lightly coat the calzones with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 14 or 40 minutes or until browned. (WHY the discrepancy? The magazine said 40, but online says 14. Ours were pretty tough, so maybe check them at 15 minutes, but don't hesitate to keep going.) Remove from oven. Cool completely on a wire rack. Coat a sheet of foil with cooking spray. Place 1 calzone on coated side of foil; seal. Repeat procedure with remaining calzones and cooking spray. Place calzones in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; freeze.

To reheat, place foil-wrapped, frozen calzones on a large baking sheet. Bake at 450° for 40 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Notes from me: These were really good. Chuck and I both enjoyed them. Again, please ignore how not-so-appetizing the picture makes them appear, but what can you do? About the recipe, I have no idea what apple sausage is, but I used our regular Turkey sausage found at Giant. We used only one (because I didn't read) green (because I'm cheap) pepper. The whole process takes a bit of time, but again, they tasted great and now we have five calzones waiting for us in the freezer. I really love that!