Pumpkin Turkey Calzone

For our last installment of pumpkin week, I decided to aim for a recipe that is a bit more savory and indeed, nice and filling. Adding pumpkin to a close friend of pizza, the calzone, adds an extra splash of flavor on an otherwise classic dish.

Let me just start by saying, I thought that this recipe was going to be an epic fail when I started making the dough. However, it turned out hearty and delicious. My experience gave me a few pointers to pass along to you to make this much easier and less of a mess.

To make pumpkin pizza dough ingredients:
1/2 C. barely warm water
1 tsp. honey
1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
3 1/2 C. bread flour
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling!)
2 Tbsp. olive oil, plus more for bowl
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder

Mix water, honey and yeast in small bowl. Set aside. In a stand mixer with a dough hook, add all ingredients, including yeast mixture and knead for several minutes. Flour a clean surface and knead the dough by hand for a few more minutes. Coat a large bowl with olive oil, toss in the dough, turning to coat and cover the bowl in plastic wrap. Let dough rise for about an hour.

Turkey filling ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground turkey
1 can diced tomatoes, drained well (or 2 fresh diced tomatoes)
1 green pepper, diced
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
black ground pepper and salt to taste
1 lb. shredded mozzarella
egg wash (one egg, beaten with 1 Tbsp. water)
garlic salt to taste

In large saute pan, brown ground turkey. Add green pepper, cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add diced tomatoes and spices. Let mixture cool, until no longer steaming.

To make the calzone:

Either half or quarter the dough – depending on the amount of calzones you would like to make. Place on a well floured surface and roll out the dough. Transfer circle to baking sheet (***important as filling it on my board and transferring it afterward was not an easy task). Place turkey mixture on half the dough, top with large handful of mozzarella cheese, covering the filling. Fold dough over to form semi-circle. Press edges together with fork. Brush top of dough with egg wash. Sprinkle with garlic salt.

Bake in preheated oven at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Top with homemade pizza sauce (see recipe below) or store-bought pizza sauce.

In medium sauce pan over medium high heat, add the following ingredients. Stir until heated through.

• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. sugar
• pinch of salt
• cracked pepper to taste
• 1 tsp. white vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Enjoy!