Freezer Calzone Food

WHOLE WHEAT CALZONES

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine warm water, yeast, and sugar. Stir and let sit until the yeast starts to foam and bubble, about 10 minutes.
• Using the dough hook, turn the mixer on low and slowly olive oil, honey, salt and the flour in 1 cup increments until all is added. Once dough starts to form, increase speed to medium. Mix for 5 minutes, until dough is well combined.
• Dust the counter with flour. Remove the dough and knead on counter a few times to form a ball. Place dough in a well-greased bowl, cover loosely with a towel, and let rise for 30 minutes in a warm place. At this point, dough is ready to use for calzones or to freeze to use later.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, Parmesan, mozzarella, eggs, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper. If using pre-cooked Italian sausage or pepperoni, stir in now. Set aside.
• Grab a pinch of dough and roll into about a 2 inch ball (or desired size of calzone.) Roll out very thin, about 1/4 of an inch thick.
• Spoon 3-4 tablespoons (approximately) filling onto half of the dough circle, leaving a little room around the edges. (Do not overfill the calzone or it will split open while baking.) Fold half of the dough over itself, then press edges to seal. Use the back of a fork to make sure it's sealed well. Then, poke a few holes with the fork in the top of each calzone.
• Brush surface of calzone with beaten egg, then bake on a parchment or foiled-lined baking sheet for 10-13 minutes, or until nice and golden brown. Serve with warm marinara sauce.

BIG-BATCH HEALTHY BEEF, MUSHROOM AND SPINACH CALZONES

Steps:

• Set a pizza stone or baking sheet on an oven rack in the bottom third of the oven, and preheat to 425 degrees F.
• Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, 3/4 teaspoon salt and half the pepper flakes, and cook, breaking the beef up into large chunks with a wooden spoon, until the beef is browned all over, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, 2/3 of the garlic and 3/4 teaspoon salt, and cook for 3 minutes more. Fold in the spinach, and cook until wilted, about 1 minute (the mixture should be relatively dry). Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, and let cool completely.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining oil, garlic and pepper flakes to the skillet, and cook, stirring, to lightly brown the garlic, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and 3/4 teaspoon salt, and simmer the sauce until thick, about 6 minutes; set aside.
• Divide the pizza dough into 12 balls. Spray 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. On a well-floured surface, roll out each ball into a 6- or 7-inch circle 1/8 inch thick. On the bottom half of each circle, mound 1/4 cup of the cooled beef mixture and top with 3 tablespoons of the mozzarella. Fold over the top half of the dough to form a semicircle, and pinch the edges to seal. Carefully transfer the calzones with a spatula to the prepared baking sheets. Lightly brush with the beaten egg. Cut 2 small slits on top of each to vent steam.
• Refrigerate half the calzones. With a spatula, transfer the rest of the calzones to the hot pizza stone or baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 22 minutes. Repeat with the remaining calzones. Reheat the tomato sauce, and serve on the side.
• To freeze: Let the baked calzones cool completely, then wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Place them in freezer bags, and freeze for up to a month. The sauce can be frozen in 12 small freezer bags for up to a month.
• To reheat: Thaw the frozen calzones in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours. Unwrap the calzones, then microwave them on a microwave-safe plate in 1-minute increments, rotating them after each, until heated through, 2 to 4 minutes. To reheat the sauce, microwave it in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until the sauce is hot.

ITALIAN HERO CALZONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Lightly grease a very large baking sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal, set aside.
• Drain tomatoes well, reserving oil.
• In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, turkey and/or pepperoni, and olives.
• Stir in the mozzarella cheese.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll each package of pizza dough to a 12 x 9 rectangle.
• Using a 3 inch round cutter, cut each rectangle into ten 3 inch circles.
• Place about 1 tablespoon of the meat/cheese mix slightly off centre on each dough circle.
• Fold dough over mixture, forming a semicircle.
• Seal the edge of each semicircle with the tines of a fork.
• Place the calzones on a prepared baking sheet.
• Brush the tops with the reserved oil from tomatoes and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and, if desired, cayenne pepper.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until calzones are golden.
• Serve warm.
• MAKE AHEAD: Prepare and bake calzones as directed.
• Remove to a wire rack and cool completely.
• Place the calzones in a freezer container or freezer bag.
• Seal, label and freeze for up to 2 months.
• To reheat, preheat oven to 350°F.
• Place the frozen calzones on an ungreased baking sheet.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until heated through.
• If necessary, cover loosely with foil to prevent overbrowning.

TACO CALZONES

Steps:

• Line small baking sheet with waxed paper; set aside.
• Cook ground beef in 10 inch skillet over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is browned. Drain off fat. Stir in 2 tablespoons taco seasoning and 1/4 cup water. Continue cooking 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Combine crust mix, 1/3 cup cheese and remaining 1 tablespoon taco seasoning in a small bowl; stir to mix well. Add remaining 1/2 cup hot water. Stir until moistened. Cover; let stand 5 minutes.
• Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough on lightly floured surface into a 6 inch circle. Place about 1/4 cup beef mixture on bottom half of each circle of dough to within 1/4 inch of edge. Top with 1 teaspoon cilantro and 1/4 cup cheese.
• Fold other half of dough over filling; press edges to seal. Place each calzone onto prepared baking sheet. Freeze 30 minutes or until set. Remove calzones from freezer. Wrap each calzone in plastic food wrap; then wrap in aluminum foil. Store in freezer container or resealable plastic freezer bag. Freeze 8 hours or up to 3 months.
• To thaw; place desired number of calzones in refrigerator for 24 hours or until thawed.
• Heat oven to 375*. Unwrap calzones. Place onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until crust is light golden brown. Serve topped with lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream.

REHEAT-AND-EAT BREAKFAST CALZONES

Steps:

• Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and add the chorizo. Cook until seared on the first side, about 2 minutes; the chorizo will release its own fat to cook in, but if your skillet is dry, add a splash of oil. Use a wooden spoon to break up the chorizo into smaller pieces and continue to cook until browned all over and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined baking sheet.
• Add 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet and reduce the heat to medium-low. When the oil is hot, add the potatoes, bell peppers, onions and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until the potatoes are almost cooked through and the peppers and onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water to deglaze the skillet and continue to cook until the water evaporates and the potatoes are tender but still hold their shape, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley and reserved chorizo. Season the hash with more salt to taste. Reserve half of the mixture for breakfast with fried or scrambled eggs and use the remaining mixture to make the calzones. The extra hash can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days and reheated in a skillet over medium heat.
• Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in an 8-inch skillet over medium-high heat, swirling the oil to coat the bottom and sides of the skillet. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. When the skillet is hot, pour in the eggs; you should hear a loud sizzle as the eggs hit the hot oil. Cook the eggs for 1 minute, then use a rubber spatula to push the cooked eggs towards the center. You want to cook the eggs more like an omelet rather than breaking them into pieces like scrambled eggs. Continue to gently push the cooked eggs towards the center and allow the liquid eggs to flow underneath to cook through, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the eggs to a plate and let cool. Once cool, divide into 8 pieces.
• Lightly flour a clean work surface. Divide the dough into eight 2-ounce pieces. Roll each with a rolling pin into a round measuring about 5 inches. To the center of each round, add 2 tablespoons of the chorizo hash, 1 piece of the egg and 1 tablespoon of the Cheddar. Lift the top of each dough round up and over the filling to create a half-moon shape. It's OK if the top of the dough doesn't meet the bottom edge completely; simply press them together where they meet and then roll the bottom dough over the top to create a seal. Continue to roll the edges together until they are tightly sealed so it looks almost like a rope around the outer edge of each calzone.
• Transfer the calzones to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Place in the freezer until frozen, about 2 hours. Store the frozen calzones in a resealable freezer bag for up to 2 to 3 months.
• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a second baking sheet with parchment.
• Remove the calzones from the freezer, place directly on the lined baking sheet and lightly brush with oil. Bake from frozen until the dough is cooked through and golden brown (the Yogurt Flatbread Dough will brown all over whereas pizza dough will brown more in spots, like a pizza crust), 23 to 25 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.