Loaded Meatball Calzones

My husband has been, for the last few months, a newish lower carber. In the days of Dr. Pepper, he admittedly suffered through my recipes and concoctions, face palming some of the amazing vegetable-based schtuffs you guys have told me you loved time and again.

Why? Because processed carbs and chemicals mess with your taste buds. They do. Who in the fresh hell wants a zucchini crust pizza when they’re used to bread dough? Additives like sugars and chemicals compete to make foods taste better than they really do, but they also leave munchers more hungry than when they began, and usually bloated, sometimes with a headache, and often with regrets afterwards.

So imagine my surprise when my sweet baboo asks me to make him a calzone with my zucchini crust. I was like, “Are you sure?” followed by, “Are you really sure?” followed by, “Do you have a fever?” Still, I went into the kitchen, rolled up my sleeves and put together the most amazing meatball calzone ever known to mankind. I even changed the crust slightly.

And you know what? He didn’t like it. That’s because he loved it! That’s what food made with love and sexy ingredients is all about. Love. Delicious, cheesy, melty love. He told me to share this with you, pronto.

Enjoy this new, improved zucchini crust with even better crisp and handling for pick-me-up food that’s literally able to be held. Gluten free and low carb, it’s also incredibly filling, which makes this a perfect dish for those hungry folks in your family.

Loaded Meatball Calzone

The crust:
2 cups (1 medium-sized vegetable) shredded zucchini, well drained and squeezed to remove excess moisture
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 eggs
1/3 cup grated, canned Parmesan cheese

The stuffing:
Meatballs in low carb red sauce
Shredded cheese
Chopped green pepper
Chopped sweet yellow onion

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Mix all dough ingredients together in a bowl.
3. Form dough into two rounds on sprayed cookie sheets (making sure to flatten them as thin as possible without showing pan through the dough).
4. Bake crusts for 10 minutes.
5. Remove pans from oven. Carefully run a spatula around the edges, turning the pan as you go.
6. Flip crust and bake for 5 more minutes, or until top begins to turn golden brown. Remove from oven.
7. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
8. Cool crusts for 10 minutes on the pans.
9. Load shells with meatballs, toppings and cheese just off to the right of the center of the crust, and gently fold crust over (don’t worry about sealing the edges).
10. Bake for 15 minutes more, or until cheese oozes from the calzone and looks golden.
11. Cool for 5 minutes and serve.

Makes 2, 12″ calzones, or 4 smaller servings.