Spinach Calzones Recipes

SPINACH CALZONES

Steps:

• Cook spinach according to package directions; drain well. In a bowl, combine the spinach, Swiss cheese, ricotta cheese, onion, basil, salt, garlic powder and pepper. , Roll pizza dough into a 15x10-in. rectangle; cut into six 5-in. squares. Spoon 1/3 cup spinach mixture onto the center of each square; brush edges of dough with water. Fold one corner over filling to the opposite corner, forming a triangle. Using a fork, crimp edges to seal., Place in a 15x10x1-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray. Prick tops with a fork. Lightly beat egg white and water; brush over dough. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 425° for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes. Serve with pizza sauce if desired.

UNBELIEVABLE SPINACH CALZONES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, eggs, Italian seasoning, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and spinach. Set aside.
• Divide the bread dough into 8 pieces and roll each piece out to about an 8 inch circle. Spoon about 1/2 cup of the ricotta filling onto each circle, fold over and seal the edges. Place onto a greased cookie sheet.
• Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until nicely browned on the tops and bottoms.

CHICKEN-SPINACH CALZONES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450˚. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the chicken, mozzarella, spinach, roasted red peppers, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl.
• Divide the pizza dough into 4 pieces; keep covered with plastic wrap until ready to use. Working with 1 piece at a time, roll the dough into a ball and dust with flour, then roll into a 7-inch round on a lightly floured surface. Spoon one-quarter of the chicken mixture on one side of the dough round, then fold the dough over the filling and crimp the edges with a fork to seal. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
• Brush the calzones with the beaten egg and make a few slits in the top of each with a paring knife. Bake until the calzones are golden and puffed, about 25 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes. Serve with marinara sauce.

SPINACH AND RICOTTA CALZONE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• Lightly dust the work surface and rolling pin with flour. Roll the dough out into an 8 by 11-inch oval.
• In a medium bowl, mix the spinach, ricotta, and mozzarella and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Place all the filling on 1 half of the dough leaving a 3/4-inch border along the edge.
• Fold the remaining dough over the filling until the edges line up and pinch the edges together to seal. Gently roll the pinched edges under to form a decorative rim.
• Place the calzone on a baking sheet dusted with cornmeal and brush the top with olive oil.
• Bake until golden brown and the center is hot and melted, 25 minutes, rotating midway through cooking.
• Basic Pizza Dough:
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup warm water, about 110 degrees F
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
• 1 teaspoon salt
• In a small mixing bowl, whisk together yeast, warm water, sugar and olive oil. Let sit for about 3 minutes to fully dissolve and activate the yeast.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour and salt.
• With a rubber spatula, gradually mix the yeast mixture into the flour until just combined and dough barely holds together. Turn the dough out onto a clean counter surface dusted with flour.
• Knead the dough with flour-dusted hands until the dough has become smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. The surface should be tight and silky and bounce back slightly when pressed. Lightly grease a large mixing bowl with olive oil and place the dough in it.
• Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.
• Once doubled, punch the dough down and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Knead each 1 slightly to form a uniform ball. Set aside and cover them with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap to rest for 30 minutes.
• Cook's Note: Dough can be made the day before and refrigerated overnight once it is divided. Keep covered tightly in plastic wrap or in a sealed food storage bag.
• Yield: 2 dough balls

SPINACH CALZONE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Spray baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
• In large bowl, mix cheeses, spinach, basil oregano and pepper.
• Divide bread dough into 5 equal pieces.
• Using 1 tsp flour for each, roll each piece into a 5- 6 inch circle.
• Place 1/5 of the spinach filling over half of each circle.
• Fold dough over filling, and use a bit of water to pinch and stick edges together.
• Brush tops with egg white.
• Bake until golden and puffed, 20-25 minutes.
• Serve with your favorite spaghetti sauce.

SPINACH ARTICHOKE CALZONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Combine first 7 ingredients in a bowl. Roll each pizza dough out on a cookie sheet, and halve each cross-wise. Spread 1/2 cup mozzarella and up to 1/4 of filling on each rectangle. Work on just half of the surface of each rectangle of dough, then fold dough over top of filling and pinch edges firmly to seal. For a half-moon "pizza parlor" look to your calzones, mound filling into a half-moon shape, fold dough over top trim edges of dough to follow the rounded shape, then seal edges.
• Tie strips of dough scraps in knots, brush with garlic oil and sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake knots with calzones.
• If your dough tears, remove a little of the filling and repair. Repeat the process, spacing the calzones evenly on baking sheet. Bake the calzones for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown all over. Serve calzones with warm tomato or pizza sauce for dunking.
• Cook's Note: Freeze any remaining filling in a small plastic container and use it to stuff a chicken breast on another day.
• Add olive oil to medium saucepan over moderate heat. Add garlic and crushed pepper to the heated olive oil; when pepper snaps and garlic sizzles, stir in crushed tomatoes. Season sauce with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Cook for five minutes and stir in parsley. Serve.
• Yield: 4 servings

SPINACH CALZONES

Steps:

• Filling:.
• If using fresh spinach, wash, stem and finely chop, steam it quickly on medium high heat, adding no additional water. When wilted and deep green, remove to a bowl with a slotted spoon. (if using frozen - thaw and squeeze out as much moisture as you can).
• Saute onion and garlic in butter till translucent and soft.
• Combine all ingredients, mix well, salt and pepper to taste.
• Dough:.
• Soften together yeast, water and honey.
• Add salt and flour to make a soft dough. Knead 10 minutes, or till smooth and elastic, adding flour if necessary to keep from being sticky.
• Cover and let rise till doubled (about 1 hour - less if using rapid rise yeast).
• Punch down. Divide into six sections and roll out in rounds 1/4 inch thick.
• Fill with 1/2-3/4 cup filling, placing filling on one half of the circle, leaving a 1/2 inch rim.
• Moisten the rim with a little water, fold the empty side over, and crimp the edges.
• Prick here and there with a fork to allow steam to escape.
• Bake on an oiled tray (I use a baking stone) in a preheated 450 oven for 15-20 minutes or till crisp and lightly browned.
• Brush each pastry with a little butter as it comes from the oven.

SPINACH AND THREE CHEESE CALZONE

Steps:

• For Dough: In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook, bloom the yeast by combining it with warm water and sugar. Stir gently to dissolve, then let stand 5 minutes until foam appears. Turn mixer on low and slowly add the flour, 1 cup at a time. Pour in 1/4 cup olive oil and add salt. When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium. Stop the machine periodically to scrape the dough off the hook. Mix until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and fold over itself a few times. Form dough into a round and place in an oiled bowl, turn to coat the entire ball with oil so it doesn't form a skin. Cover with plastic wrap or damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Test the dough by pressing 2 fingers into it. If indents remain, the dough is adequately risen. When ready, knead the dough gently and divide in 4 balls. Sprinkle the rounds lightly with flour, cover, and let rest for 15 minutes. This will relax the dough, making it easier to stretch. In the meantime prepare filling.
• For Calzones: Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. If you don't have a stone, simply grease a baking pan. Roll or spread the dough discs into 10-inch circles, leave the dough slightly thick so that the filling will not ooze out. Spoon a quarter of the filling onto 1 side of the dough round and brush the outer edge with egg wash to help form a seal. Fold dough over to enclose the filling and form a large turnover. Roll up the edges with your fingers to close tightly and prevent leaking. Cut a few slashes in the top to allow steam to escape during baking and brush with egg wash. Repeat with remaining rounds. Sprinkle a pizza peel (or prepared baking pan) with cornmeal and carefully transfer the calzones. Bake directly on pizza stone for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Let the calzones rest 10 minutes before cutting to allow the cheese to set. Serve with basic tomato sauce if desired.
• For Filling: In a saute pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes until lightly browned. Add the spinach, season, and continue to cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a colander and squeeze out the excess liquid. If necessary, drain the ricotta in a sieve to remove excess moisture also. Calzone filling should be fairly dry, because it may leak out or make the dough mushy. Combine spinach, cheeses, egg, and pepper in a large bowl.

THREE-CHEESE SPINACH CALZONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, combine first seven ingredients. On a lightly floured surface, unroll pizza crust into an 11-in. square. Cut into four squares. Transfer to a greased baking sheet. Spoon spinach mixture diagonally over half of each square to within 1/2 in. of edges., For each calzone, fold one corner over filling to the opposite corner, forming a triangle; press edges with a fork to seal. Cut slits in top. Combine egg and water; brush over calzones. , Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with spaghetti sauce.

SPINACH & CHEESE CALZONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• If making Pizza Dough start the dough first so it can rise while you make the filling.
• Heat oil in a large skillet and cook onion, covered, over medium-low for about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook, uncovered, for 1 minute. Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes.
• Transfer vegetables to a mixing bowl and stir in the ricotta, nutmeg, salt and cayenne. Then stir in egg yolk and feta until mixed.
• Sprinkle a large baking sheet with the cornmeal (you may need 2 baking sheets for all 4 calzones). On a flat surface, roll or pat the pizza dough to a rough 12- or 14-inch square. Use a sharp knife or pizza wheel to cut the dough into 4 equal squares. Divide the filling among the dough squares, spooning it onto one diagonal half of each square and leaving about a 1/2-inch margin all around.
• Fold the top over to make a triangle and seal the edges by pressing with a fork. Use a knife to make 3 slashes on the top of each calzone (Don't forget this step - unless you like the exploding kind of calzone).
• Place calzones on the baking sheet and bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve with heated marinara sauce for dipping.