Vegetarian Calzoni with Broccoli, Red Bell Pepper, and Mushrooms
These homemade calzoni are packed with veggies, cheese, and lots of flavor. For the tastiest results, serve them with marinara dipping sauce.
Makes: 4 personal-size calzoni
Cost: $10
Equipment
- Cutting board and knife
- Large skillet
- Rolling Pin
- parchment paper
- large rimmed baking sheet
- pastry brush
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- 1 small head broccoli, cut into small florets
- 4 to 6 cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, stemmed and chopped
- 1 small (or ½ large) red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 8 ounces low-moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded (2 cups)
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1½ teaspoons dried Italian herb blend (or 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil and/or parsley)
- 1 (14- to 16-ounce) ball pizza dough (1-Hour Dough, Overnight Dough, Sourdough Pizza Dough, Neapolitan Dough, and Whole Wheat Dough will all work great), at room temperature
- 1 egg
- Super-easy marinara sauce or your favorite store-bought pizza sauce, for dipping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and let it sizzle for 30 seconds, then add the broccoli, mushrooms, red bell pepper, a big pinch of salt, and a grind or two of black pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and let it cool slightly; if the mixture looks wet, blot it with paper towels to get rid of the extra liquid.
- In a medium bowl, combine the mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan, herbs, and cooked vegetables. Season with a pinch or two of salt and a grind or two of black pepper, and mix well.
- Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Use a bench scraper or knife to cut the dough into four equal-size pieces, then roll out each piece into an 8-inch round.
- Crack the egg into a small bowl or ramekin, add 1 tablespoon of cool water, and beat it with a fork until frothy. Using a pastry brush, coat the edges of each dough circle with the egg wash. (Do not dump the egg wash when you're done—you'll also need it for brushing the filled dough before baking.)
- Spoon one-fourth of the veggie-cheese filling onto each dough round, nudging the filling to one side (you don't want it in the middle). Fold the naked dough over the filling to make a half circle; press down on the edges to seal. Transfer the filled dough pouches to the parchment-lined baking sheet.
- To make sure your filling doesn't ooze out during baking, press/crimp the edges of the calzoni one more time (check out the video below to see how I do this). Brush the tops of the dough with egg wash, and use a sharp paring knife to cut 2 to 3 slits in the top of each calzone so steam can escape during baking.
- Transfer the baking sheet to the oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the calzoni are deep golden brown on top and evenly browned on the bottom.
- Remove the calzoni from the oven. Let them cool for 5 minutes or so, then cut them in half and serve with marinara sauce for dipping.