Name: Arugula and Ricotta Calzones
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: Makes 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 large garlic clove, minced; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 5 oz baby arugula (8 cups packed); 6 oz whole-milk ricotta (2/3 cup); 3 oz whole-milk mozzarella, coarsely grated; 2 tablespoonsfinely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano; 1 large egg yolk; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/8 teaspoon black pepper; 1 lb frozen pizza dough, thawed; an oiled 17- by 12-inch heavy baking sheet

Active Time
25 min
Total Time
45 min

Using prepared pizza dough, you can make these homemade cheese-filled calzones just as fast as your favorite pizzeria could deliver them.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

1 large garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

5 oz baby arugula (8 cups packed)

6 oz whole-milk ricotta (2/3 cup)

3 oz whole-milk mozzarella, coarsely grated

2 tablespoonsfinely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1 large egg yolk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 lb frozen pizza dough, thawed

Special Equipment

an oiled 17- by 12-inch heavy baking sheet

Preparation

Step 1
Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 450°F.
Step 2
Cook garlic in oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add arugula and cook, stirring frequently, until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a sieve and press hard on arugula to squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible, then coarsely chop.
Step 3
Stir together ricotta, mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano, yolk, salt, and pepper until blended, then stir in arugula.
Step 4
Quarter dough, then roll out each piece into an 8-inch round with a rolling pin. Put one fourth of cheese filling (about 1/3 cup) in center of 1 round and fold dough in half to enclose filling and form a semicircle. Press edges together to seal. Beginning at 1 end and working toward the other, stretch sealed edge outward, pinching and rolling edge to form a rope. Transfer to baking sheet. Make 3 more calzones in same manner, transferring to baking sheet.
Step 5
Bake calzones until golden and puffed, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes before serving.

Leave a Review

Reviews (14)

This was easy to make and was very good. My neighbor said it was the best calzone she ever ate. I rated it a little lower because I used whole wheat flour for the crust. That turned out to be a little heavy in texture and flavor for the filling. Although I prefer to use whole wheat, if I make this again I may use half whole wheat and half white flour, or perhaps try a puff pastry. The filling is excellent. I used baby arugula from my garden, and baked the calzones on a pizza stone.
- artgil
- California
- 11/18/2012
I agree that frozen puff pastry is the way to go. I used fresh buffalo mozrella instead of regular which makes it creamy. Pine nuts and a pinch red pepper flakes add a lot. Increased the Parmesan too. Very easy and delicious.
- trent63124
- St Louis
- 6/21/2009
It is wonderful. I barbecue chicken and add to mixture. It is a family favorite.
- snit
- Bakersfield, CA
- 5/19/2008
This is fantastic. I followed the recipe, except I used puff pastry for the crust and it came out soooo good. I will definitely make this again. I highly recommend the puff pastry.
- jh382
- Ithaca, NY
- 4/27/2008
This was unbelievably simple to make. It turned out to be much better than I had expected. Even my 4 yo even ate it, and he hates anything green!
- badtzmaru_jp
- los angeles, ca
- 8/20/2007
Made this with milk turkey italian sausage (also TJ's herbed dough) and it was terrific!
- lisa_w
- Eugene, OR
- 7/23/2007
Sauteed garlic, prociutto in olive oil, added steamed broccolini instead of arugula. Used more mozzarella & parmesan. Brushed with olive oil prior to baking. Used Trader Joes herbed dough. Serve with spaghetti sauce.
- Anonymous
- Northern California
- 12/26/2006
As expected, made several modifications: I made my own pizza dough, put a smear of homemade pesto in the calzones, added some proscuitto. Very good, but not superb. Pesto really added a lot to the flavors. Served with a green salad and a glass of red--easy, casual meal.
- Anonymous
- Bainbridge Island, WA
- 5/24/2006
Delicious! We added some chopped sun-dried tomatoes, used the whole darned egg, and ramped up the ricotta and parm-reg while using less Jack cheese (no mozzarella on hand). And our arugula was mature. One suggestion: for a shinier crust, brush with something ... maybe oil or egg?
- zg
- Marshalltown, IA
- 4/28/2006
I thought this recipe was easy to make. I used the Trader Joes pizza dough and added Prossciutto and that was good. I think that pinenuts might make a good addition and some kind of sauce because it is a bit dry.
- Anonymous
- Santa Cruz, CA
- 2/23/2006
I followed the recipe but added a few slices of proscuitto but something was still lacking. I think they needed more cheese. Will try again adding more ricotta.
- Anonymous
- Concord, CA
- 2/19/2006
These calzone were a big hit. Using Trader Joe's pizza dough made it very easy. I do agree some type of meat could make a nice addition. Maybe some prosciutto sauteed a bit or as the other reviewer suggested pancetta. Will definately make these again.
- Anonymous
- Redondo Beach, CA
- 2/14/2006
kind of bland...we joked that it could use pepperoni, but really, some pancetta would be nice. Might make again as tiny hors d'oeuvres if I can come up with a nice dipping sauce.
- nikkisavickas
- Redwood City, CA
- 2/8/2006
These calzones are wonderful. The blend of cheeses and the arugula were great. Simple to make. I didn't change anything except I used the pizza dough from Trader Joes. We enjoyed making and it was delicious.
- Anonymous
- Bakersfield, CA
- 2/1/2006