Easy Spinach Calzones

a sliced spinach and cheese calzone with sauce

Fresh spinach, mushrooms, and two kinds of cheese are baked inside of premade rolled pizza dough to create this quick and easy vegetarian calzone recipe.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings

Calories 315kcal

Author Amee

Ingredients

8 oz low-fat ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1 tbsp dried Italian seasoning
8 oz mozzarella cheese or fontina, shredded fresh from the block
½ cup Parmesan cheese finely shredded from the block
1 ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
5 oz fresh baby spinach
½ cup chopped fresh mushrooms
⅓ sweet onion finely chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic minced
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
14.1 oz package refrigerated pizza dough *in the refrigerated section of the grocery store (I've used Wewalka European bakery and Just Rol brands)

For basting on top *optional but recommended

2 tbsp butter melted
½ tsp garlic salt
grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 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. Divide the filling into each square. Fold over, stretching the dough out a bit as you bring the edges together. Roll the edges, and press down with a fork to seal.
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 15-20 minutes or until nicely browned on tops and bottoms.
Stir the melted butter and garlic salt until combined and brush on top of each calzone. Sprinkle with a little grated Parmesan cheese.
Serve with your favorite marinara sauce for dipping.

Notes

Drain off the liquid and let the filling cool slightly. If the mixture is too watery or hot when added to the dough, the steam released can cause the calzones to become soggy. A little patience makes all the difference here.
To prevent leaks during baking, spoon the spinach and cheese mixture into the center of each dough square and spread it out a bit, leaving room around the edges. Fold the dough over carefully in a rectangle or triangle shape, then press the edges firmly with a fork to seal each calzone snugly.
Don’t forget to cut a few small slits in the top before baking! This lets steam escape, preventing the dough from becoming soggy and ensuring a golden, crispy crust.

Nutrition