The calzone – the pinnacle of all mankind’s achievements.
Imitation calzones are an abomination. I’m always intrigued when I see one on the menu at a restaurant. But they all fail to capture the magic of a real calzone made in the comfort of your own home with friends and family. They are too thin, too burnt and crunchy, too conservative with their cheeses and other stuffings. Everywhere you go, another half-assed attempt. It makes me sad to think that these poor imitations might be the only experience some people have with the calzone, the beautiful, better than pizza, gift from the heavens.
I had all but given up on trying calzones when going out to eat. But then one day, it happened. My faith in the restaurant scene and humanity had been restored. While coming back from a camping trip at Yellowstone Lake in Wisconsin, we stopped by Sugar River Pizza. At first I was skeptical, but after camping, I was also starving. So I tried it. And I was amazed. It was *almost* as good as the ones I’ve had at home. It was huge, filled with ricotta and my choice of roasted garlic and spinach. I loved every bite.
So I dedicate this recipe to Sugar River. It’s a simple calzone, stuffed with fresh garlic, onion, spinach, and spoonfuls of ricotta and mozzarella. Like all good things in life, it’s best served up with a big bottle of wine.
Time You Need
- ~10 minutes prep
- ~25 minutes cooking
- Yields: 2 calzones
What You Need
- ~1 pound of pizza dough (homemade or ready-to-bake store bought)
- 3-4 cups of spinach, chopped
- 2 cups ricotta
- 5 cloves minced garlic
- 1 white or yellow onion, diced
- 1 egg
- ~2 cups finely shredded mozzarella
- Garlic salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- Italian seasoning, to taste
- Red pepper flakes, to taste
- Pasta or tomato sauce (for serving)
- Olive oil
What You Do
- Preheat oven to 375.
- In a skillet over medium heat, heat up some olive oil and add chopped spinach, diced onion, and minced garlic. Cook for about 5-7 minutes until onions are soft and spinach shrinks down. Remove from heat and set to the side.
- Take pizza dough and split into two even pieces. Roll each piece out into a flat circle.
- In a large mixing bowl, add ricotta, mozzarella, one beaten egg, spinach, garlic and onion. Then add salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes, to taste. Make sure spinach, onion, and garlic have had time to cool before placing them in the dough, or it will be hard to form into a calzone.
- Stir together evenly.
- Take mixture and place an even amount in the center of each piece of dough. Fold dough over to form a pastry and seal edges with a fork.
- Optional* Season the top of the calzone with olive oil and some garlic powder or salt, and Italian seasoning.
- Place on a greased baking sheet and cook for about 20-30 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove from oven and serve with tomato sauce and a bottle (or two) of wine.