Freezer Friendly Calzones: A Cento Review
Everyone has a few easy go to recipes that they like to have on hand and for us, calzones are it.
Beyond easy to make? Check.
Perfect for the freezer? Check.
Great to throw in lunchboxes? Check.
Quick and easy snack? Check.
A grab and go dinner? Check.
I can whip up a batch of these in no time. Inexpensive to make and so delicious. For me – it’s all about the sauce. Which is why I use Cento products in our sauce. Having a homemade, yummy sauce is the perfect starting point.
Now while I use a homemade sauce, I will admit I cheat on the dough. I use the pre-made, thin crust pizza dough. You can find it over with the crescent rolls, biscuits and cookies. I get 3 big calzones per crust. But you can obviously easily whip up your own pizza crust as well!
The secret to the sauce is simple. Cento! You have to have high quality ingredients. I used to think that Cento just had tomatoes, but they have so many different products including olive oil, stocks, beans, and my newest, most favorite item: vegetable paste.
3 tbsp
vegetable paste
1 tbsp
extra virgin olive oil
15 oz
canned tomato sauce
15 oz
crushed tomatoes
12 oz
tomato paste
1 tbsp
Italian seasoning
1 tbsp
dried Oregano
1-2 tsp
crushed fennel seed
1 tsp
onion powder
1 tsp
garlic powder
1/2 tsp
salt
1 tsp
dried basil-
sugar to your preference
Servings:
-
In a large pot, begin with the vegetable paste and extra virgin olive oil. Vegetable paste is a mix of tomato, carrots, onion and celery. Usually I chop up a quick mirepoux, but this saves time by having it already done.
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Add the tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. Mix well.
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Add the remaining ingredients and stir. The sugar is up to your own personal preference. You don’t have to add it, but I like a sweeter sauce.
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Bring the sauce to a boil and then cover and reduce.
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Let the sauce simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally.
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Preheat the oven as instructed on your premade pizza dough.
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Unroll the dough onto a prepared pan. Cut into thirds.
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Spoon pizza sauce into the center of the dough and fill with your favorite toppings.
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Fold over each side of the dough to cover. Using a fork, press the edges shut and poke a few holes in the top of the dough.
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Cook as instructed from the dough instructions.
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To serve: Top with a spoonful of pizza sauce.
To freeze: Allow to cool and place in a freezer bag or vacuum seal shut.
When I pack lunches for Josh with a calzone it’s always a surprise. He loves them! To carry the sauce, I just bought a few sauce containers. They work perfectly. And we actually use them all the time!
Cento has graciously decided to give away a huge prize pack full of products to one reader! Good luck!
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Better Than Olive Garden Spaghetti Sauce
One of my favorite dishes to make is pasta.
Y’all.
I love me some pasta.
Josh and I just moved a while ago and we live minutes away from Olive Garden. If there was is one thing I love almost as much as pasta it’s their bread sticks. I’ve only given in once to eating there for dinner. Even though I have to pass it four times a day, five times a week.
The struggle is real. Oh yes. It is.
So while we’ve only stopped in for dinner once, that hasn’t stopped me from thinking of it. So I headed to my kitchen to recreate that fantastic spaghetti sauce. And I think, not only did I do it, but I honestly think it’s better than the Olive Garden sauce!
You can get excited. I did! 🙂
(BONUS: Your house will smell amazing!)
3 28 oz cans
crushed tomatoes (I like the basil, oregano and garlic tomatoes. You can also use 12-15 fresh tomatoes peeled, chopped and blended in your food processor. If using fresh tomatoes you may need to use more herbs to fit your tasting.)
4 cloves
garlic
4 tbsp
dried basil
1 1/2 tsp
black pepper
2 tbsp
sugar (This takes out the bitterness. If you are using fresh or if you like a sweeter sauce you may want to add more sugar.)
2 tbsp
olive oil
1/3 cup
shredded parmesan romano cheese-
minced green peppers (optional)
Servings:
-
Heat the olive oil in a 5+ qt. pot over medium heat, and add the chopped or pressed garlic.
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Heat for one to two minutes, making sure not to burn the garlic, then add all the tomatoes, black pepper, basil and sugar. Stirring often, bring to a low boil.
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Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2-3 hours stirring often.
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For the first half of the simmer time, do so with the pot uncovered, then cover.
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Add the cheese, stir in and simmer for an additional 5 minutes or so.
Don’t forget to pin!
If you are planning on storing your extra sauce you can either can the sauce or freeze it. These jars are my favorite for freezing things!
This post contains affiliate links.
How to Can Pineapple
This week Kroger had an awesome deal on pineapples. They were only $0.99 each! Usually at our store they are $3.49 so this was a great deal. Pineapple is a big deal at our house. We always have some in the house and it doesn’t last long. So I picked up a few (ok, I picked up 8 and another 8 on another day – I told you we like pineapple!) I decided to do a quick canning session so we can enjoy our yummy pineapple whenever we want! (Canned pineapple will last up to a year – although ours will probably be gone by next month) 🙂
Canning is really easy! But you do need a few supplies:
– Water Bath Canner with rack (Currently on sale for $29.99 on Amazon – ships free!)
– Pint Jars (Currently $9.99 on Amazon for 12 – Ships free with Amazon Prime or with a $25 purchase)
– Ball Utensil Set (Currently $11.03 on Amazon)
AND…
If you buy pineapple you NEED this! Hands down, this pineapple corer is one of the best little gadgets I’ve ever bought. And it’s SUPER cheap! 🙂 I can cut/core a whole pineapple in about a minute or less! Did I mention it’s cheap? Right now it’s only $4.05 + FREE Shipping!
So you have your supplies! Ready to learn how to can pineapple?
I used 8 pineapples and got 10 (pint) jars of pineapples filled.
Begin by sterlizing your jars. Fill your water bath canning pot with water and add in your jars and lids. Bring to a boil while you prep your pineapple.
Cut and core your pineapples. Seriously, you need this pineapple corer. I can’t say enough how happy I am with it!
See? No pineapple wasted!
Once your pineapple is ready begin working on a simple syrup. Combine 1 cup sugar and 3 cups water, let it dissolve and bring to a boil.
Once the syrup is boiling, add a layer of pineapple. You aren’t cooking the pineapple, just warming it up. When you add the pineapple, begin taking out your sertilizied jars (this is where your Ball Utensil Set will come in SUPER handy). After the pineapple has been in the syrup mix for about a minute begin to transfer to a hot jar. Add some syrup.
Leave 1/2 inch space from the top and make sure you get the air bubbles out using your canning utensils. The jars and filling will be hot so be careful. Put the lid on and put back into the hot water in your water bath pot. When the pineapple is all in jars and in your pot bring to a rolling boil. Once the water is at a rolling boil, keep in the water for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the lid and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove from the water and let sit out on the counter for 24 hours.
The next day check the lids. If they pop back up then it didn’t seal properly. If they don’t pop your pineapple is good to go and can get stored in for up to a year.
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