Greek Calzones

I love anything relating to bread, carbohydrates, or flour. Yum.  When my friend Lindsay sent me a link to this new twist on calzones (which are traditionally made with ricotta, mozzarella, and your choice of meat), I couldn't resist.

To "Greek" it up, they've replaced the mozz with feta cheese, which is quite a bit saltier, but don't fear if you're not into what some would consider weird cheeses. The feta is just to give a little saltiness to the otherwise creamy filling of ricotta and spinach. If you don't like feta, consider some of the alternatives I've listed below in my Comments section. 

I love the inclusion of spinach to this recipe, which is surprisingly nutritious but also adds a nice chewy texture that the cheese just can't cover on its own.

Recipe altered slightly from the version on Delish.com

Ingredients

• olive oil for baking sheet
• 1 batch pizza dough
• 10 oz. box frozen spinach, thawed, drained, and patted dry
• 15 oz. ricotta cheese
• 3-6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
• pinch of dried dillweed
  

 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine spinach, ricotta, dill, and as much feta as desired.
3. Split pizza dough into four even pieces. Flatten out into large circles.
4. Spoon equal amounts of cheese mixture onto one half of each circle. Fold dough over and press to close. 
5. Place each calzone on a raised-edge cookie sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden.
6. Let cool at least 5 minutes before eating. Serve with desired sides.

Comments

Even with patting the spinach dry, the filling was still quite wet, presumably from the ricotta. You may choose to cut a slit in the top of the calzone so the moisture can escape there; otherwise it might try to leak out the sides.

We ate our calzones plain but I think I would have enjoyed them more with a side of marinara sauce, even though it wouldn't fit with the Greek theme.

Next time I'd also like to try these with some different additions in the filling: perhaps chunks of artichoke hearts, chopped kalamata olives, or even diced sundried tomatoes. If you choose to add something salty, just reduce the feta a little bit to balance out the flavors.