Meatball Calzones

A friend asked me for this recipe...

Meatball Calzones

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3 tsp Italian seasoning

2 lbs ground beef

3 loaves (1 lb each) frozen bread dough, thawed

3 cups (12 oz) shredded mozarella cheese

1 jar (14 oz) spaghetti sauce, warmed

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning.  Crumble beef over mixture and mix well.  Shape into 1 inch balls.  Place meatballs on a rack in a shallow baking pan.  Bake uncovered, at 400 degrees for 10-15 min or until no longer pink.  Drain on paper towels.  Reduce heat to 350.

On a floured surface, roll each portion of dough into an 18x12 inch rectangle.  Spoon a third of the meatballs and mozzarella cheese down the center of each rectangle.  Fold dough over filling; press edges firmly to seal.

Place seam side down on greased baking sheet.  Brush tops with butter, egg whites, or cooking spray; sprinkle with Italian seasoning.  Let stand for 15-30 min.  Bake for 25-30 min or until golden brown.  Serve with spaghetti sauce.

*Lynn's note*  If you don't want to make three calzones, you can also freeze unbaked meatballs on wax paper on a cookie sheet and then package them when frozen for later use.  Obviously, for each calzone, you use one cup of cheese and one package of bread dough.