Save to your recipe box 
Calzones are pocket-style little pizzas, made with pizza dough and filled with whatever leftovers you might have in the fridge – any combination of cheeses, cooked meat, cooked vegetables and/or herbs will do, keeping in mind that you’ll need about 3 cups of filling to make 8 calzones.
The simplest filling for calzones is to stuff the dough with sliced ham and shredded cheese (details below). It’s delicious. This recipe is a bit more complex, but it’s just a guideline – I had some goat cheese and some basil and wanted to use them up, so this is what I made. For the dough, I used my whole-wheat pizza dough. If you prefer, you can use 1 1/2 pounds of store-bought pizza dough instead.
Makes 8 large calzones
New quantity:
Total time: 3 hours
Prep: 20 minutes
Inactive: 2 hours 15 minutes
Bake: 15 minutes
Cool: 5 minutes
Ingredients
Dough:
1 1/4 cups warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten (helps make the dough soft and elastic)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 envelope rapid rise yeast
–
Filling:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup (4oz) soft goat cheese
1 cup (4oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella
1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
–
Topping:
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon water
Directions
1. In the pan of an electric bread machine, combine the warm water, olive oil, both flours, sugar, salt, and yeast. Set the machine for the dough cycle. After about 10 minutes, check on the dough. It should have formed by now into a smooth, elastic ball that moves freely in the bread machine pan. If it’s too dry, or to sticky, add flour or water, one tablespoon at a time.
2. When dough cycle is done, remove the dough to a floured surface. Lightly knead it (fold it on itself) a few times. Using a sharp knife, divide dough into 8 equal parts, each weighing about 3oz. Roll into balls, place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with a towel and allow to rise 45 minutes.
3. 15 minutes before dough should be ready, heat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. Prepare the filling. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat, about 2 minutes. Add onion. Cook 5 minutes, stirring often, until golden. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 more minute. Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl and allow to cool, about 5 minutes, then stir in the cheeses and the basil, using a fork.
5. On a floured surface, press each dough ball into a flat disk, then use a rolling pin to roll it into a thin 8-inch circle. This is hard work – the dough tends to shrink back – but keep rolling and eventually you’ll get a large, thin circle. Place 1/3 cup filling in the bottom half of each circle, leaving a border around the filling. Lightly brush the edges of the circle with the egg yolk mixture. Fold the top of the dough over the filling and press to seal. Crimp edges, with your fingers or using a fork. Transfer calzones to prepared baking sheet.
6. Brush tops of calzones with the remaining egg yolk mixture. Using a sharp knife, cut three slits on the top to allow steam to escape when they bake. Bake 15 minutes, until the calzones are deep golden brown. Cool 5 minutes on a wire rack before serving. Calzones are excellent warm or at room temperature, so freeze leftovers and use them in lunchboxes – place a frozen calzone in lunchbox in the morning and it will be good to eat by lunchtime. To reheat a frozen calzone at home, microwave on high, about 30 seconds on each side, or until heated through.
Nutrition per calzone
Calories 295.5
Total Fat 11.4 g
Saturated Fat 4.5 g
Cholesterol 40.3 mg
Sodium 411.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate 37.1 g
Dietary Fiber 4.0 g
Sugars 1.7 g
Protein 12.9 g
Weight watchers Points Plus: 8 points
Ham and Cheese Calzones
Make exactly the same way, except that instead of the goat cheese basil filling, after rolling the dough balls into circles, place 2 slices (total 1oz) of ham and 1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar on the bottom half of each circle. Proceed with the remaining steps (brushing edges with yolk, folding etc.).
Nutrition for one ham and cheese calzone:
Calories 352.9
Total Fat 14.5 g
Saturated Fat 6.7 g
Cholesterol 65.4 mg
Sodium 748.6 mg
Total Carbohydrate 37.6 g
Dietary Fiber 3.4 g
Sugars 2.1 g
Protein 18.7 g
Weight watchers Points Plus: 9 points
I'm Vered DeLeeuw, a blogger, a foodie and a mom. Welcome to Healthy Recipes, my food blog and the only cookbook I use. I'm so excited to share it with you. Bon appetit!
