Ham and Bell Pepper Calzones

It’s been extremely hot here in NJ. In fact, I think it’s hot just about everywhere in the States. So you may not be inclined to try this recipe right now as it requires turning on your oven. We’ve certainly boycotted turning our oven on. But these calzones are too good to pass up trying once the heat wave breaks. So I hope you’ll keep this recipe handy and try it when it’s cooler out.

This Ham and Bell Pepper Calzone comes from a Weight Watchers cook book we have. Rachel and I aren’t on Weight Watchers – what, you couldn’t tell with all the fabulous (chocolate fudge brownies, chocolate banana cake, chocolate raspberry cookies!) dessert recipes we’ve been posting? – but they’ve got some pretty tasty recipes and, if it’s healthier, all the better right? So enjoy!

For the dough you can make your own (I recommend Alton Brown’s Pizza Dough) or go quick and easy and buy it premade from the store.

Recipe: Ham and Bell Pepper Calzones

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into this strips
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano (or substitute in about 1/4 cup fresh)
1/4 pound thin sliced deli ham, cut into thin strips
1 pound pizza dough
1 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell peppers, garlic, and oregano; cook stirring occasionally, until softened, 5-7 minutes. Add the ham and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Set the skillet aside and let the pepper and ham mixture cool.
Sprinkle a work surface lightly with flour. Turn the pizza dough onto the surface;cut in half. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll each piece into a 10-inch circle. Spread half the ham mixture over half of one circle and spread the other half over half of the other circle, leaving a 1-inch border. Top the mixture on each pizza with the cheese. Fold the dough over the filling, crimping the edges to seal.
Transfer the calzones to the baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Number of servings (yield): 4

384 calories, 5 g fat, 2 g sat fat. 7 points.

Slice red and green peppers and an onion.

The recipe calls for dried Oregano but we substituted in fresh straight from our garden. We love fresh herbs, so we just eyeballs it and tossed a bunch in.

In a fry pan cook the vegetables until slightly softened, then add the ham and cook a few minutes more until ham is lightly browned. Set aside to cool, about 15 minutes. Very important you let it cool otherwise it’s going to make a mess of the dough later!