A New Way to Eat Your Vegetables

 

 

 

Above: I like a lot of sauce!

It's fun to find good meatless meals for dinner now and then because it is cheaper, and it is an easy way to get in your veggies for the day. Here is a great one that my sister made in preparation for the birth of her baby (who is now a year old) because it can be frozen ahead of time.

Broccoli Calzones

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
Flour, for rolling dough
2 packages (1 pound each) balls fresh or frozen pizza dough, thawed if frozen
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded (6 ounces) part-skim mozzarella cheese
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Prepared tomato sauce, for serving
1 medium red onion, finely chopped

Directions:

Step 1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium. Add onion; cook until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add broccoli, garlic, and pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl; set aside to cool.

Step 2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Form calzones: Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, stretch each piece out, first to a 3-by-4-inch oval, then stretch again, this time to a 6-by-8-inch oval. (Let dough rest a few minutes if too elastic to work with.)

Step 3. Stir cheeses into cooled broccoli mixture; season generously with salt and pepper. Assemble calzones: Spread a rounded 1/2 cup broccoli mixture over half of each piece of dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border; fold over to form a half-moon. Press edges to seal. With a paring knife, cut 2 slits in the top of each calzone.

Step 4. Using a wide metal spatula with a thin blade, transfer calzones to 2 baking sheets lined with parchment or waxed paper; reshape if needed.

Step 5. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Serve with tomato sauce, if desired.

Freezing instructions:

To freeze: Prepare recipe through step 3. Tightly wrap each calzone in plastic; freeze until firm. Transfer calzones to resealable plastic bags; label and date. Freeze up to 2 months. To serve, unwrap calzones, and place on parchment-lined baking sheets; bake without thawing until golden, 35 to 40 minutes.

Source: Martha Stewart Everyday Food, April 2006. You can find it here.

Notes: These were really good. So flavorful...you won't miss the lack of meat! I promise! I definitely recommend serving these with the marinara sauce. It adds so much. It is a must.