Feeling some hearty Italian food with a healthy twist? Try this Spinach and Vegetable Calzone for your next round of cooking. Get in the kitchen and get those hands to work with this fun recipe.
Stuff your calzone with as many vegetables as you would like. Try to use the veggies you have on hand or the best in season. You can use spinach, onion, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, mushrooms, or anything else you want! It is recommended that half of your plate should be filled with vegetables and recipes like this are an excellent way to get that fix. Plus, veggies offer vitamins, minerals, and fiber that we need to keep our cells functioning properly. Ricotta cheese also does not get quite enough credit. Ricotta can be a great, high protein cheese option. Try to get a part-skim version for all that protein with less fat.
Begin by preheating the oven to 400F degrees. Saute those veggies in olive oil. Add in your chopped garlic and basil toward the end to make sure you get the most flavor. Season the veggies with Italian herbs like basil, oregano, and garlic powder. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into multiple squares or circles about 8 inches in diameter. Spread one tablespoon of tomato paste over each piece of dough and then fill each calzone with one cup of veggies and cheese. Fold the top of the calzone crust over the bottom into a half-moon shape. Poke small holes in the top of the calzone with a fork to ventilate. Brush the top of each calzone with olive oil. Place a layer of foil over a baking sheet and grease with olive oil. Place the calzones on the baking sheet and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is brown.
Have you ever made your own calzones? Tell us what veggies you chose in the comments below!
- 1 lb pizza crust
- 4 cups of your favorite veggies (I used spinach, onion, basil and tomatoes)
- 1 teaspoon of olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning
- 4 tablespoons of tomato paste
- Mozzarella or ricotta cheese
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Preheat oven to 400F degrees
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Sauté chopped veggies in olive oil (add chopped garlic and basil last for more flavor)
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Season veggies with Italian herbs (basil, oregano, garlic powder)
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Using a rolling pin, roll dough and cut into multiple squares or circles about 8 inches in diameter
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Spread 1 tablespoon of tomato paste over each piece of dough (optional)
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Fill each calzone with about 1 cup of veggies (and cheese if desired)
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Fold the top of the calzone crust over the bottom into a half-moon shape
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Poke holes on the top of calzone with fork
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Brush the top of each calzone with olive oil
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Cover a baking sheet with foil
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Rub foil with a bit of olive oil, then place calzones on sheet and put in oven
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Cook for 15-20 minutes or until crust is brown
Melissa
November 18, 2012 at 3:07 pm (8 years ago)Wow! This looks delicious!! 🙂
tina
April 4, 2013 at 11:11 am (8 years ago)Hi Jess & Wendy,
I made this for my family and they absolutely LOVED,LOVED, LOVED it! It was better than pizza!!! I used pilsbury crossiants instead of pizza crust. So much more convenient! We will be adding this to our rotation of monthly meals. Much Love and THANK you!
Jess
April 10, 2013 at 12:10 pm (8 years ago)That’s awesome!!! YAY so glad you like it =)
Emily
July 28, 2016 at 4:03 am (4 years ago)This was my first real vegetarian undertaking and oh my goodness, it was amazing! I made these for my meat-loving dad and he said that he’d definitely eat them again! I call that a victory!
I got the pizza dough at Trader Joe’s for convenience but next time I’m going to attempt the homemade dough 🙂
Thank you for such a yummy recipe! Can’t wait to try more.
Geri
April 17, 2018 at 4:42 pm (3 years ago)where is the pizza dough recipe?
Wendy
April 18, 2018 at 10:18 pm (3 years ago)You can either buy crust in the store or use our fabulous homemade recipe: https://foodheavenmadeeasy.com/whole-wheat-kale-roasted-tomato-thin-crusted-pizza/