Calzone Recipe

by Goodlifeeats.com

As much as I love eating healthy pizzas, I also love calzones. Here is a yummy calzone recipe, a tasty alternative to pizza, which merges the flavor of ricotta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach!


Spinach Calzone Recipe with Ricotta and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Ingredients:

*Makes 8 calzones

No Rise Calzone or Pizza Crust

• 1 1/3 cup warm water

• 2 packets Fleischmann’s Pizza Crust Yeast

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning

• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup whole wheat flour

• 2 - 3 cups all-purpose flour

Spinach Calzones

• 1 recipe no-rise calzone or crust

• 1 1/4 cup ricotta cheese

• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 egg, beaten

• 2 - 2 1/2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, optional

• 3/4 - 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes

• 48 slices pepperoni (6 per calzone), cut into quarters


Preparation

Calzone Crust:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the warm water and yeast. Let stand for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, whisk in the olive oil.

• Meanwhile, combine sugar, Italian seasoning, salt, whole wheat, and 2 cups of all purpose flour in a bowl. Reserve the remaining 1 cup all-purpose in a separate bowl. Add the flour mixture to the water 1 cup at a time while mixing with the stand mixer's dough hook until a soft dough is formed.

• If dough is still sticky, add the reserved flour 1/4 cup at a time (while still mixing) until desired consistency is reached. Dough should be soft and moist, but not sticky.

• Dough does not need to rise, but keep it covered while you mix up the filling.

Calzones:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

• Combine the ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, pepper, salt, garlic powder, and beaten egg. Stir well. Fold in the spinach, basil (optional), and sun-dried tomatoes.


• Divide dough into 8 equal portions and roll them into balls. It helps if you have a kitchen scale.

• Roll each ball into an 8 inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Top each circle with approximately 1/2 cup of ricotta mixture. Then add 6 slices pepperoni (cut into quarters) to each calzone. Pull edge of lower crust over top to form a half circle. Press the layers together to seal.

• Transfer calzones to a greased baking sheet or a parchment lined pizza stone. If desired, brush with olive oil or an egg wash (1 egg + 1 tablespoon water, beaten). Bake at 450 degrees F for 10-20 minutes, until browned and puffy. Transfer to cooling rack to keep bottom crust crisp to sit until cool enough to handle. Serve with marinara sauce or other sauce for dipping.


*After this tasty calzone recipe, I'd like to tell you about my favorite diet program that uses a lot of the healthy lower GI foods: Isabel de los Rios' 'The Diet Solution Program'.

The Diet Solution Program favours a long term health orientated approach to fat loss, but not offering anyone a quick fix to their weight troubles. It has loads of valuable data and research to support its approach. I personally investigated the program thoroughly and my mum has been using it for a while now. I have to say she got some great results.

The nutrition plan is one of the healthiest we have seen, a strong core focus on vegetables, fruits, vitamin dense foods, lean proteins, select dairy produce and a clear approach to not expecting one diet to work for all body types. So give it a try and let me know how you’re doing.*

Original Spinach Ricotta Calzone Recipe