Calzones just went from being incredibly fattening Italian classics to completely guilt-free HG classics. Sure this recipe may be a little more involved than some HG creations, but the results are BEYOND worth it. Have fun... Get messy... Make our Pepperoni-Poppin' Veggie Calzones!

Ingredients:
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes (with basil, if available)
Dash Italian seasoning, or more to taste
2 sticks light string cheese
2 cups chopped brown mushrooms
1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
2 cups roughly chopped spinach leaves
1/2 tbsp. chopped garlic
1 1/2 oz. (about 25 pieces) turkey pepperoni, chopped 
1 package Pillsbury Classic Pizza Crust refrigerated dough 
Whole-wheat flour, for dusting
5 tsp. reduced-fat Parmesan-style grated topping
Optional: garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a microwave-safe bowl, season tomatoes with Italian seasoning and any optional spices. Set aside.

Break string cheese sticks into 3rds, place in a food processor/blender, and blend at high speed until shredded/grated. (Or just tear into pieces and roughly chop.) Set aside.

Bring a large skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat on the stove. Add mushrooms and onion. Stirring occasionally, cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl lined with paper towels to absorb moisture. Set aside.

Add spinach and garlic to the skillet. Stirring frequently, cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Add to the bowl with mushrooms and onion. Remove paper towels. Blot veggies with more towels to remove excess liquid.

Add pepperoni and half of seasoned tomatoes to veggies. Mix well. This is your filling. Set aside. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Set aside. Unroll dough sheet, and make sure it's even in thickness. Slice into 5 strips, each about 3" X 9".

Sprinkle workspace with flour, and place one dough strip in the center. Fold strip in half twice, and flatten with your palm. Use a rolling pin dusted with flour to roll dough into a large oval-ish shape, with longer sides on top and bottom. Place 1/5th of filling in the center. Top with 1/5th of grated/shredded cheese and 1 tsp. Parm. Stretch and pull the top of dough over filling to meet the bottom, forming a crescent. Use your fingers or a fork to firmly seal edges. (Doesn't need to look perfect!) Carefully transfer to baking sheet. Repeat 4 times with remaining ingredients, re-sprinkling space with flour, if needed.

Poke a few slits in each calzone, to let steam escape. Bake 16 - 18 minutes, until golden brown. Meanwhile, heat remaining tomatoes in the microwave. Let calzones cool slightly; serve with tomatoes for dipping!

MAKES 5 SERVINGS

Calzones are typically off-limits. We see them at pizza shops and Italian delis and walk right by... sometimes allowing our eyes to linger for a few extra seconds. We know the facts: They're large (TOO large!), doughy (TOO doughy!), and filled with fatty items (TOO MANY fatty items!). Even freezer-aisle versions typically have too-high calorie and fat counts. We LOVE the taste of calzones but not those stats. So we crafted these incredibly delicious mega-pockets of cheesy goodness, loaded with veggies and turkey pepperoni. Ours are a great replacement for the fatty originals, full of guilt-free swaps and featuring our favorite pizza dough. Life is too short to not get what you want. And, um, WE WANT CALZONES!!!