|

Easy Spinach Calzones

Easy Spinach Calzones are super simple to make using ready-made pizza dough. This fast and easy recipe is kid-friendly and great for a busy weeknight meal.
picture of spinach calzone sliced on a cutting board with font overlay for Pinterest
 
I love this meatless version dipped in marinara sauce. I make my own sauce or heat up a jar of organic marinara to serve on the side for convenience. You can make the filling a day ahead and assemble these easy spinach calzones very quickly before dinnertime.
 

 How To Make Spinach Calzones With Premade Dough

 

Ingredients:

8 oz low-fat ricotta cheese
1 egg
3 cups (packed) fresh spinach
1 tbsp dried Italian seasoning
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ cup chopped, fresh mushrooms
1/3 sweet onion, finely chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
14.1 oz package refrigerated pizza dough 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and mushrooms. Then cook until soft. Add spinach and garlic and cook until all spinach is wilted. Drain, cool, and set aside.

Method

 In a large bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, egg, Italian seasoning, Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper. I LOVE my salad shooter for shredding cheese! It takes only a few seconds to shred a whole block of cheese with this thing and my arm doesn’t get tired (like the old fashion graters). This is one of my favorite kitchen gadgets. Add cooled spinach mixture to cheese mixture and blend. Spread a tablespoon of flour onto a large cutting board. Unfold the pizza dough on the cutting board to form a large rectangle (it should be about 16″x10″). You can use a rolling pin to smooth it out, if necessary. Cut the dough into 6 even slices with a pizza cutter. Spoon about ½ cup filling into each square.
 Scooping filling onto sliced pizza dough
Fold over and seal the edges. Place onto a greased cookie sheet or pizza pan sprayed with cooking spray.
 Calzones on a baking sheet
Cut a few small slits in each calzone to vent and brush with a little olive oil. Next, bake calzones for 25-30 minutes or until nicely browned on tops and bottoms.
 
 close up of spinach calzone sliced in half and stacked on cutting board
Serve with your favorite marinara sauce for dipping. Kids love to eat their spinach this way!

Recipe Tip

Make sure that you get the refrigerated pizza dough that comes in the sheet, not the ball of dough that you have to roll out. It’s MUCH easier to work with when making these calzones since it’s already precut in the size that you need to slice the squares of dough. This is the dough that I use with fantastic results.

Wewalka pizza dough for recipe

 I don’t recommend the pizza dough that comes in the can because it doesn’t hold up well when shaping the calzones. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @ameessavorydish if you make them!!

calzones on a cutting board with fresh basil and marinara

spinach calzone on a cutting board with marinara sauce

Easy Spinach Calzones

Fresh spinach, mushrooms, and two kinds of cheese are baked inside of French bread dough to create this quick and easy vegetarian calzone recipe.
4.75 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 294kcal
Author: Amee

Ingredients

  • 8 oz low-fat ricotta cheese
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tbsp dried Italian seasoning
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 cups packed fresh spinach
  • ½ cup chopped fresh mushrooms
  • 1/3 sweet onion finely chopped
  • 2 cloves fresh garlic minced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 14.1 oz package refrigerated pizza dough *I use Wewalka European bakery-style pizza crust in the refrigerated section of the grocery store

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  
  • In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onions and mushrooms and cook until soft.  Add spinach and garlic and cook until all spinach is wilted.  Drain, cool and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, mix together ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, egg, Italian seasoning, Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper.  Add cooled spinach mixture to cheese mixture and blend.  
  • Flour a large cutting board and unroll the pizza dough to form a large rectangle. Use a rolling pin to smooth it out, if necessary. Cut into 6 even slices with a pizza cutter. Spoon about ½ cup filling into each square. Fold over and seal the edges with a fork.
  • Place calzones onto a greased cookie sheet or pizza pan sprayed with cooking spray. Cut a few small slits in each calzone to vent, and brush with a little olive oil.  
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes or until nicely browned on tops and bottoms.
  • Serve with your favorite marinara sauce for dipping.

Nutrition

Calories: 294kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 642mg | Potassium: 173mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1400IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 281mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @ameecooks or tag #ameecooks!
 
Amee Livingston
Follow me
Latest posts by Amee Livingston (see all)

7 Comments

  1. I am not even sure that they still sell Salad Shooters, but it is awesome! My mother-in-law gave it to me because she never used it. Funny, because it is one of my favorite gadgets!! I am glad she didn’t want it. Artichokes would be yummy in these calzones…

  2. This looks so good, especially for Lent. I don’t like mushrooms, do you think I could sub artichoke hearts? I have some in my pantry I need to use up.

  3. so glad you liked them!! I will have to try freezing them, too. They got eaten too fast in my house! I love artichokes. I bet that was yummy:)

  4. I made the calzones and thought they were great! I did sub the artichokes for mushrooms and that worked really well. I also froze them individually to take to work for lunch and you wouldn’t even know I had reheated it, it was so good.

4.75 from 4 votes (4 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating