Looking for scary Halloween food? These Lung Calzones are sure to creep out your Halloween party guests. The look gross but taste amazing!
I had so much fun creating creepy food for my Dead Man's Diner Party including these lung-shaped calzones.
I am very squeamish but I find creating gross Halloween food to be an exciting challenge. I love seeing how my Halloween party guests react to the delicious-tasting yet gross-looking food.
Our Halloween party guests have had the pleasure (or painful experience) of eating Hand-Burgers (hand-shaped hamburgers), Open Face Sandwiches (mashed potato faces), Cake Ball Brains oozing with Blood (brain-shaped cake balls with raspberry sauce), Stuffed Pizza Skulls, and these Lung Calzone.
Are you ready to make some creepy calzones? Let me show you how.
Ingredients
Pillsbury Recipe Creations Crescent Seamless Dough Sheet or pizza dough
filling - I used mushrooms, pancetta, shallots, garlic, roasted red peppers, Madeira Wine, beef broth, and balsamic vinegar. You could use a traditional calzone filling made using ricotta cheese, eggs, Parmesan, and mozzarella.
Supplies
skillet - To cook the mushroom filling.
parchment paper-lined baking sheet or pizza pan
Instructions
Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Remove stems from Shiitaki mushrooms. Slice and set aside.
Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat. Chop Pancetta into small pieces and sprinkle into the hot pan.
Cook, stirring often, until crisp.
You could use bacon if you prefer.
Use a slotted spoon to remove the crispy Pancetta from the skillet. Drain it on a piece of paper towel. Set aside.
In the same hot skillet add 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan. As soon as it melts add 4 ounces of sliced mushrooms (¼ of your total.)
Don't crowd the pan and you will get beautifully caramelized mushrooms. Once mushrooms are brown, remove from pan.
Add 1-3 tsp. olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter to the pan.
Add 4 ounces of mushrooms. Brown. Repeat until all mushrooms are browned.
Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in the pan. Add shallot and saute until translucent. Add garlic and heat for 30 seconds. Add roasted red peppers and browned mushrooms. Stir, then add Madeira wine, beef broth, and balsamic vinegar.
Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer until all of the liquid evaporates. Remove from pan and let cool slightly.
Unroll Pillsbury (R) Recipe Creations (R) Crescent Seamless Dough Sheet onto a lightly floured work surface.
Spread ½ of the mushroom mixture onto the dough in the shape of a lung. (I cut out a piece of parchment paper in the shape of a lung to use as a guide.)
Fold the dough up and over the filling and press to seal the edges, removing any excess dough.
Lightly beat egg with about a teaspoon of water.
Use a pastry brush to brush egg wash over the seams. Let egg wash dry.
Repeat the process, ensuring you reverse the shape, so you have a left and right lung.
This is where the parchment paper lung shape really helps to make sure you have similar-sized lungs.
Turn a baking sheet upside down and place a piece of parchment paper on top. Use the excess dough to create a long tube.
Lay the lungs on the pan leaving room in between for the dough to expand. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Place a baking sheet turned upside down in your oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. You can also use a baking stone. The hot pan will create a nice crisp crust on the underside of your calzones.
Use the parchment paper to help you carefully slide your lungs off of one baking sheet onto the one in the oven.
Bake for 6-8 minutes until golden brown.
Serve immediately.
Once baked, carefully slide parchment paper from the hot baking sheet in the oven to a cool one. I use the R.S.V.P Endurance Oven and Pizza Spatula to remove my lungs from the parchment-lined baking sheet. You can also use two large spatulas to lift the lungs to transfer them to a serving platter.
You can make your lung-shaped calzones before your party. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Bake just before your party guests arrive.
Variations
You can make a Stuffed Pizza Brain to go along with the Lung Calzones.
Be sure to check out all the Halloween recipes here on Hungry Happenings.
You can find more gross Halloween food ideas in my Hungry Halloween cookbook. You'll find recipes for Stubbed Toe Subs, Grilled Feet, Skull Soup Bowls, and more.
Recipe
Lung-shaped calzones filled with a delicious Madeira mushroom filling.
- 8 ounces Cremini mushrooms
- 8 ounces Shiitake mushrooms
- 3 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 ounces Pancetta
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 shallot diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 roasted red peppers diced
- ¾ cup Madeira Wine
- ¼ cup beef broth
- ½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 tubes Pillsbury Recipe Creations Crescent Seamless Dough Sheet
- dusting of flour
- 1 egg
-
Clean the mushrooms by wiping them with a damp paper towel. Remove the stems from Shiitaki mushrooms. Slice and set aside.
-
Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat. Chop the Pancetta into small pieces and sprinkle into the hot pan. Cook, stirring often, until crisp.
-
Use a slotted spoon to remove the crispy Pancetta from the skillet. Drain it on a piece of paper towel. Set aside.
-
In the same hot skillet add 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan. As soon as it melts add 4 ounces of sliced mushrooms (¼ of your total.)
-
Don't crowd the pan and you will get beautifully caramelized mushrooms. Once mushrooms are brown, remove from pan.
-
Add 1-3 tsp. olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter to the pan.
-
Add 4 ounces of mushrooms. Brown. Repeat until all mushrooms are browned.
-
Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in the pan. Add the chopped shallot and saute until translucent. Add the minced garlic and heat for 30 seconds.
-
Add the roasted red peppers and browned mushrooms. Stir, then add Madeira wine, beef broth, and balsamic vinegar.
-
Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer until all of the liquid evaporates. Remove from pan and let cool slightly.
-
Unroll Pillsbury (R) Recipe Creations (R) Crescent Seamless Dough Sheet onto a lightly floured work surface.
-
Spread ½ of the mushroom mixture onto the dough in the shape of a lung. (I cut out a piece of parchment paper in the shape of a lung to use as a guide.)
-
Fold the dough up and over the filling and press to seal the edges, removing any excess dough. Lightly beat egg with about a teaspoon of water. Use a pastry brush to brush egg wash over the seams. Let egg wash dry.
-
Now repeat the process making sure you reverse the shape, so you have a left and right lung. This is where the parchment paper lung shape really helps to make sure you have similar-sized lungs.
-
Turn a baking sheet upside down and place a piece of parchment paper on top. Use the excess dough to create a long tube. Lay lungs on pan leaving room in between for dough to expand. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
-
Place a baking sheet turned upside down in your oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. You can also use a baking stone. The hot pan will create a nice crisp crust on the underside of your calzones.
-
Use the parchment paper to help you carefully slide your lungs off of one baking sheet onto the one in the oven. Bake for 6-8 minutes un
This is best served hot immediately after it is made but can be reheated if needed. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
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Pete S.
The cleaver in the picture is a hoot! How about stuffing them with trout and calling them Lungfish? There really is such an animal -- almost as unusual-looking as your edible lungs. Question: for this particular recipe when you open the madeira do you have to let it breathe?