Spinach & Meatball Calzones

One of my favorite food magazines is Everyday Food – I has simple and delicious recipes that almost never fail me.  And I also love that its small enough to carry around in your purse so you have something you read if you are out waiting in line somewhere!  This recipe is another winner from a recent issue of that magazine.  They also have a TV show on PBS that I really enjoy. 

I love using up items in my freezer – and I had some pizza dough and meatballs already made – so this was actually a really easy meal to pull together. 

 

Ingredients

• 10 ounces baby spinach
• 1 lb. pizza dough (homemade or store-bought), cut in four pieces
• 8-10 meatballs, halved
• 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, torn into pieces
• 6-8 fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• extra-virgin olive oil
• dried Italian seasoning

Directions

1. Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. In a 10-inch skillet, add the sliced mushrooms and spinach over medium heat.  Cook until spinach is wilted and liquid is released and mushrooms are softened.  Transfer spinach and mushrooms to a cutting board and roughly chop. 

3. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each piece of dough into a 8-inch circle. 

4.  In a medium bowl, combine meatballs, sauce, cheese, spinach, mushrooms, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. 

5.  Divide mixture evenly among bottom halves of dough rounds, leaving a 1-inch border.  Fold top half of each round over filling and roll and pinch edges to seal. 

6.  Brush tops of calzones with olive oil and sprinkle some dried Italian seasoning on top.

7. Carefully transfer calzones to baking stone and bake until golden brown, approximately 15 to 18 minutes.

 

Source: adapted from Everyday Food , May 2010

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