Veggies Meet Calzone

Another weekend away has come and gone and I'm actually looking forward to spending a little time at home in the District before the traveling starts up again in a few weeks. Before taking off for my weekend in Cleveland, I offered to make my parents dinner. They've been doing a lot of shuffling of me and my luggage (and Bax dog) to and from the airport at all hours of the day, so I figured it was the least I could do. Selfishly, my offer to make dinner also allowed me to add another recipe to my repertoire, and use up the extra bag of spinach that was taunting me from the fridge.


In the years leading up to becoming a vegetarian, I parted with different meats at different times. The first to go was pepperoni. Pepperoni and my stomach were not made to be together and in the 10 or so years we've been apart, there is only one time that I miss it: when a calzone crosses my path. I used to love a good calzone more than anything. I also used to be able to put food away like no other and (in hindsight) shamefully could eat an entire calzone ring (a la my beloved Mazzios) by myself. I have yet to find a cheese or veggie calzone that mirrors the pepperoni version I grew up with and, consequently, haven't had one in years. When looking for a fun way to use up my spinach, I discovered a recipe that satisfied both my quest for calzone and desire to cook with spinach. Double win.

Spinach Mushroom Calzones

Adapted from Cooking Light


Ingredients

• 1 (10-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust
• 4 garlic cloves, minced 
• 4 cups spinach leaves
• 8 (1/8-inch-thick) slices red onion
• 1 1/3 cups sliced cremini or button mushrooms
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Italian cheese blend

Prepped and awaiting cheese topping

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425°F
2. Unroll dough onto a baking and cut into 4 quarters
3. Pat each quarter into a 6 x 5-inch rectangle
4. Sprinkle garlic evenly over rectangles. Top each rectangle with 1 cup spinach, 2 onion slices, 1/3 cup mushrooms, and 3 tablespoons cheese
5. Bring 2 opposite corners to center, pinching points to seal. Bring remaining 2 corners to center, pinching all points together to seal
6. Bake at 425° for 12 minutes or until golden
7. Serve alone or with a side salad for added color :) 

Ready to bake

And scene.