This calzone recipe with ricotta Italian sausage and spinach is a great combination
Prep Time
45 mins
Dificult
Medium
Servings
4
Ingredients
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Make dough: Combine 1 cup flour
yeast
sugar
and salt in a large bowl. Add very warm water and oil; mix until well blended
about 1 minute. Gradually add enough remaining flour to make a soft
slightly sticky dough ball. Knead on a floured surface
adding more flour if needed
until smooth and elastic
about 4 minutes. Cover and let rest on the floured surface.
While dough rests
make filling: Cook and stir sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crumbly and browned
5 to 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove sausage to a paper towel-lined plate to drain; discard grease from the skillet. Add spinach and water to the skillet; sauté over medium heat until spinach is wilted
1 to 2 minutes; drain liquid. Return sausage to the skillet with spinach. Set aside.
Combine ricotta
mozzarella
and egg in a mixing bowl. Stir in Italian seasoning
crushed red pepper
and garlic salt; set aside.
Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll 1 dough piece into an 8-inch circle on a floured surface. Spread about 1/3 cup ricotta mixture over the bottom half of dough
leaving a 1/2-inch border. Top with heaping 1/3 cup sausage-spinach mixture. Fold the top half of dough over filling. Pull the edge of the lower crust over the top; fold and press layers together to seal. Transfer to a greased baking sheet; cut 3 to 4 vents on top. Repeat with remaining dough.
Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned
15 to 20 minutes. Transfer calzones to a wire rack to keep the bottom crust crisp while cooling slightly. Serve with pizza sauce for dipping.
Tips
For a crispier crust
lightly brush calzones with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt before baking.
How to knead dough: Add just enough flour to the dough and your hands to keep the dough from sticking. Flatten the dough and fold it toward you. Using the heels of your hands
push the dough away with a rolling motion. Rotate the dough a quarter turn and repeat folding
pushing
and turning the dough until it is smooth and elastic. Use a little more flour if the dough becomes too sticky
