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Pour some syrup out for your Pawnee homies, and be sure to honor Leslie’s OTP with pepperoni calzones. This post is brought to you by Netflix.
Last night the final episode of Parks & Recreation aired and we said goodbye to our favorite small-town heroes. Parks was literally my favorite show on television, and no matter where you stand on the show itself, you have to admit that it had an effect on America.
How many other shows essentially created a nationwide holiday to celebrate all your favorite gal pals?
I knew I had to mark the occasion somehow. Although I adore breakfast and waffles, waffles are too easy a tribute. Too expected. So I turned instead to Leslie Knope’s other half, our super-nerdy dream Ben.
Whether he’s trying to create his own stop-motion film or making the BEST GAME EVER, you can’t help but love him. Even when he got poisoned by his favorite food: calzones.
Ben’s obsession with calzones is wonderful, and one of those gags that pays off through the whole series. I’ll never understand why the general public hates calzones (after all, haven’t most of us been under the spell of Pizza Rolls at some point?), so let’s bring them back.
Pepperoni calzones are easy to make and a great option if you love thicker, bready crust on your pizza. They can be filled with anything you like, as long as you don’t overfill them — you don’t want the calzone to rupture in the oven and lose its contents.
This recipe makes about 8 medium-size calzones, and you can easily divide the dough further to create smaller calzones. Be sure to leave enough space between calzones on your baking sheet in order for them to rise.
If you like, you can brush pepperoni calzones with melted butter or a beaten egg and top with shredded parmesan before baking to make them extra special. I like to keep them simple and serve with extra pizza sauce on the side for dipping.
(And hey, if you haven’t watched Parks and Recreation, you can catch all the past seasons on Netflix. Treat yo’ self.)
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Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
- 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon King Arthur Flour Pizza Dough Flavor, optional
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup pizza sauce, divided
- 1/4 cup diced pepperoni
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- Combine flour, yeast, salt, and Pizza Dough Flavor in a large bowl. Combine olive oil and water and whisk into dry ingredients. Continue to stir and mix until a cohesive ball of dough forms.
- Turn dough out onto a floured board and knead until dough is smooth and only slightly tacky to the touch.
- Place dough in a greased bowl and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 400°F and line two baking sheets with parchment or Silpat liners.
- Deflate dough and divide into 8 pieces.
- Roll out each piece to about 8 inches diameter. On one half, place a spoonful of pizza sauce, then some pepperoni, then some cheese, making sure to leave 1/2 inch edge.
- Fold other side of dough over and pinch edges to seal, creating a decorative fold if you like. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
- Bake calzones for about 10-12 minutes, rotating pans halfway through.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate based on online calculators. Any nutritional information found on Stetted should be used as a general guideline only.
Disclaimer: This post is part of my ongoing partnership as part of the Netflix Stream Team.
About Megan
I learned how to cook by exploring seasonal ingredients, and you can too! Meal time shouldn’t be stressful or complicated, and with fresh ingredients and easy methods, I’m here to help you enjoy the time spent in the kitchen. Read more…
Yum! Totally going to make these Saturday night for my husband and me when we binge-watch the new season of House of Cards!
@Mary I like your thinking! I can’t watch House of Cards until Tuesday so I hope I can manage to avoid spoilers!
It’s on the DVR. I almost can’t bare to watch. Having worked with state government, I’ve loved that show since the first minute of the first episode. Haha! I haven’t made calzones in forever. These look so good!
So sad that my favorite show is over now, though I’m not sure how I felt about last night’s finale. I love calzones (and Ben!), so these look fantastic. And…might need to watch some old episodes of Parks tonight!
We puffy heart love Parks & Rec and are slowly making our way through all the seasons on Netflix right now. And yes, bring back calzones…I puffy heart love those too!!!