Simply Delicious Smokey Spinach Calzone Food

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 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.

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.

SMOKY PORK CALZONES

Steps:

• Put a baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into quarters; cover with a towel.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons paprika and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Stir in the bell pepper and cook until slightly softened, about 2 more minutes. Transfer to a bowl and stir once or twice to cool slightly.
• Pat and stretch each portion of dough into a rough 8-inch round. Pile the pork mixture and mozzarella on one side of the rounds, leaving a 1/2-inch border, then fold the dough over the filling. Pinch and crimp the edges to seal. Mix 1/2 tablespoon olive oil with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon paprika; brush over the calzones. Cut a 1-inch vent in each.
• Remove the baking sheet from the oven and add the calzones. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, toss the greens with the vinegar and the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Serve with the calzones.

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.

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

SIMPLY DELICIOUS SMOKEY SPINACH CALZONE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• Place the Simply Potatoes Traditional Mashed Potatoes, green onions, 1 cup shredded mozzarella, 2 cloves finely grated garlic, and crumbled bacon into a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix the ingredients together for 1-2 minutes until well combined and fluffy. Set aside.
• Place the olive oil, garlic salt, and baby spinach into a large skillet. Cook over medium-low heat until the spinach wilts and the volume reduces by 3/4, about 2-3 minutes. Be sure to stir the spinach frequently.
• Slice each pie crust sheet in half, for a total of four halves. Evenly distribute the spinach over each dough half. When spreading the spinach on each dough piece, use only half of each piece, leaving the other half empty, as it will be folded over. You should also leave a border of clear dough in order to seal the crust later. Top the spinach with 1/4 cup mozzarella and a half cup of the potato mixture. Fold the crust over the filling. Press the edges together, then crimp the edges as you would when making a traditional pie. Place each calzone onto the prepared baking dish. Brush the tops with melted butter.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.

SPINACH ARTICHOKE CALZONE

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. If your dough tears, remove a little of the filling and repair.
• Bake the calzones for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown all over.
• Serve calzones with warm tomato or pizza sauce for dunking.

TOFU SPINACH CALZONES (VEGAN OR VEGETARIAN)

Steps:

• Mix water with yeast and sugar in a large mixing bowl, set aside for 5 minutes to let it bloom.
• Add the garlic, oil, salt and herbs.
• Add about 1 1/2-2 cups flour, mix well.
• Pour onto a floured board, add remaining flour as needed, and knead for about 5 minutes (this dough is really soft).
• Cover with the mixing bowl.
• Let rise about 20-30 minutes or until doubled in bulk.
• Punch dough down, knead on lightly floured board, set aside.
• Place the tofu, drained in a bowl and blend until smooth with hand blender.
• Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
• Divide your pizza dough into 4 equal pieces.
• Roll out one piece of dough and place a fourth of the filling in the middle of the pizza dough.
• Fold dough over the filling and seal.
• Repeat with remaining ingredients.
• Spray the calzones with cooking spray or and place on oiled baking sheet.
• Bake at 400 degree F until brown on bottom, spray tops of calzones with cooking spray or rub with olive oil and flip, cooking until browned on other side.
• Serve with warmed Hunt's Tomato Basil Oregano Sauce or your favorite.
• If you are not a vegan, I have made another variation of this recipe, here are the changes: Instead of the vegan cheese 1 cup Veggie Mozzarella Shreds or 1/2 cup Veggie Shreds and 1/2 cup Low Fat Shredded Mozzarella 1/4 cup or so Reduced Fat Parmesan These are guestimates on the measurements, I made these today with stuff around the house and Mark and I loved them.