EASY TACO CALZONES

Easy Taco Calzones are made with a simple, homemade crust and then filled with ground beef, diced tomatoes, cheese and onions.

Easy Taco Calzones are simple and delicious and my whole family loves them! The homemade crust comes together so easily and adds a fun new twist to a traditional taco recipe. One of the things that I love about tacos is that they are so easily customized for even the pickiest eater. Everyone can make their own and add the toppings that they like, which helps to involve the whole family in dinner prep and ensure that everyone is happy with dinner too!

I used ground beef in this recipe, but shredded chicken would also be delicious. I also used Hunt’s Diced Tomatoes. Their vine-ripened tomatoes taste so good, and are steam peeled using water only instead of chemicals. You can add beans, corn, rice, onions, peppers, cheese and whatever else you can think of that sounds good in a taco! My kids also loved the Taco Calzones because they are made for dipping which seems to somehow make everything more fun to eat – am I right?! We like to mix salsa with ranch dressing as a dip, but you can use regular ranch dressing, plain salsa or guacamole and all of those options are delicious.

EASY TACO CALZONES

Crust:

• 2 1/4 tsp dry yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 cup warm water (about 110° F)
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt

Filling:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 pkg. taco seasoning
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/2 cup diced onions
• 1 cup Hunt’s Diced Tomatoes
• 8 oz. shredded cheese (Mexican blend, cheddar, Monterey Jack, etc)

1. In a medium bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand for about 10 minutes.
2. Add the flour, oil and salt to the mixture and mix until well combined and smooth. Let rest while you make the taco filling.
3. In a medium skillet, cook the ground beef and drain any excess grease. Add the taco seasoning and water and cook for 2-3 minutes over medium heat until the seasoning is well incorporated. Set aside.
4. Divide the dough into 8 equal parts. Roll each part into a 6″ circle and then place some of the ground beef in the middle of the circle, being careful not to get it within a half-inch of the edge of the dough.
5. Add onions, Hunt’s Diced Tomatoes and cheese (and any other desired toppings) to each calzone.
6. Fold the dough in half to make a semi-circle shape and press the edges of the dough together. Use the tines of a fork to press the edges together all the way around the rounded edge of each calzone.
7. Place the calzones on a greased baking sheet and bake at 400° for 15-17 minutes, or until the edges and tops of each calzone are a light golden brown. Serve immediately with your choice of dip (salsa ranch, ranch dressing, guacamole, etc). Enjoy!

Looking for some queso to dip your delicious calzones in? Try this incredible Homemade Pepper Jack Queso recipe here. It’s so good and it adds such a good kick to these calzones!

For more great recipe inspirations from Hunt’s tomatoes, visit www.hunts.com.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Hunt’s. The opinions and text are all mine.

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