Lunchbox Calzones

Lunchbox Calzones

Serves 8 45 minute prep time

Sometimes Pizza Friday needs a bit of a shakeup. Enter the calzone. You can use your same trusted pizza dough recipe (or ours) and make everyone in your family their own personalized calzone for a savory lunch or dinner. If you’re into cold pizza leftovers, these are just as good. You can also make them ahead of time and freeze them for a quick weekday reheat in the toaster oven.

Ingredients

  • Pizza dough (enough to make one medium-sized pizza)
  • 1 cup sliced mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced zucchini
  • 1 cup diced red and yellow peppers
  • 1 cup spinach
  • 1/2 cup pesto
  • Handful of basil leaves
  • Vegan cheese, like Daiya (optional, but recommended)
  • Tomato sauce for dipping
  • 1/4 cup olive oil

Preparation

  • Make pizza dough the night before. Place in large bowl, coated with a small amount of olive oil, cover and let rise in refrigerator overnight.

  • When ready to make calzones, heat oven to 375° F.

  • Remove pizza dough from fridge and divide into eight equal balls. Lightly flour your working surface and roll out or hand shape your dough into a circle.

  • Fill the center with your favorite toppings, including pesto, vegan cheese, mushrooms, zucchini, peppers and spinach. Make sure to keep everything away from the edges.

  • Fold the dough edges in half and press down with a fork, ensuring no holes exist.

  • Poke a few holes in top of the dough and brush lightly with olive oil. Place on lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes until calzones are fully browned.

  • Let cool for five minutes and serve with a tangy tomato sauce for dipping.

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