October 5, 2010 // By : amybites // Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

So remember my resolution to cook a week’s worth of dinners on the weekend so I’d have no excuse to avoid cooking during the week? Well I totally did it! It’s worked out super well so far. I had a cooking marathon on Sunday and prepared and froze five meals for the week—enough for both dinner and leftover lunches. It was actually really fun (it would probably be less fun if you don’t like cooking, but I enjoyed it). I’m loving having dinner ready when I get home from work.
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Over the next week or two, I’ll be posting the freezer-friendly recipes I used. I’ll also do a post at the end with some more general “how-to”s on freezer-friendly cooking. Please note that the pictures from this series won’t be fantastic, since I was cooking five meals simultaneously and couldn’t be bothered with things like “Cast of Characters” shots. Let’s get down to business!
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Since yesterday was Monday, I chose one of the vegetarian dishes I made for the week. I absolutely loved these calzones! They’re like healthy gourmet Hot Pockets. Three cheeses: ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan, with sweet red onions, garlic, spicy red pepper, and tasty broccoli—all stuffed inside a golden-brown, crunchy whole grain crust. Perfect! Here’s how to do it:
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First, you need pizza dough. You can buy fresh pizza dough at the store or use your favorite recipe. I used Martha’s recipe and I liked it a lot. If you’re making it yourself, make sure you plan enough in advance to allow time for it to rise. I halved the calzone recipe so I needed 1 lb. of dough. Divide the pound of dough into four balls. Each of these dough balls will be a calzone.

Please ignore my messy stove. There were ingredients flying everywhere!
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For the filling, heat your oil in a skillet and add your onions. Cook until softened (semi-translucent), 4 or 5 minutes. Then add your broccoli, garlic, and red pepper flakes. You can use fresh broccoli, but I think in this case, using frozen (and thawed) broccoli aids the texture since it’s a lot softer. If you use fresh, I’d steam it first. Cook 5 to 7 minutes.

Take that off the heat and let it cool for a few minutes while you prepare the cheese. Combine your three cheeses in a bowl, then add your broccoli mixture and stir until combined.

Now we prepare the calzones.

On a floured surface, roll and stretch out each dough ball into an approximate 6 by 8 inch oval. Then scoop about a half cup of filling into each one. Then fold it over and crimp the edges with a finger.

I also folded over the edge to create a thicker, rolled crust, like so:

Cut two slits in the top with a paring knife. Cute, no? I had enough filling to make five calzones—thank goodness I had extra dough!

At this point, you could bake them fresh at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. But if you’re freezing them like I did, stick them in the freezer just like this for a few hours or until frozen solid (the crust should be hard). This ensures that they won’t stick together and they will freeze evenly and completely. Then pile them all in a large freezer bag and stash ‘em until you’re ready to bake them.

Speaking of which, when it’s time to bake, take them directly from the freezer onto a cookie sheet (sprayed with nonstick spray). Give ‘em each a quick bath in egg whites (or a beaten egg, or melted butter—whatever suits your fancy. I use egg whites because they add insignificant calories but still give the dough a beautiful crisp, golden brown crust). Then pop them in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes. No defrosting necessary!

Serve with tomato sauce for dipping and a salad on the side. Delicious!

These are so tasty! And super easy, especially if you make them ahead of time.

I baked four and I still have one in the freezer. We had two leftover and each had one for lunch today and it was just as delicious! I’m a huge fan of broccoli so these were perfect for me, but if you’re not into broccoli, feel free to substitute your favorite veggies. I’m definitely already thinking of other fillings—the broccoli and cheese was fantastic, but there are so many possibilities! Enjoy—more freezer-friendly recipes are on their way.
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Broccoli Calzones
From Martha Stewart
Serves 8 (I halved the recipe)
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  • 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 (optional)
  • 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
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    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.
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    Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 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.)
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    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.
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    Using a wide metal spatula with a thin blade, transfer calzones to 2 baking sheets lined with parchment or waxed paper; reshape if needed.
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    Bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Serve with tomato sauce, if desired.
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    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.
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