Yield: 1 calzone (2 servings)

Calzones are the perfect little pouches for turning leftovers into a whole new meal. And with the dough such a breeze to make, there’s no reason not to add these savory and portable meals-in-one to your weekly repertoire.

For the calzone in the photo, I mixed some leftover Spaghetti Squash with Caramelized Onions, Greens and Dried Cranberries with a little of my Vegan Swiss “Cheese” and my vegan Veggie Marinara Sauce, tucked it into my go-to pizza dough, and brushed the surface with woodsy Rosemary Olive Oil before baking it to a golden brown.

I happened to have all of those ingredients on hand, and that’s the point: you don’t need to make anything special to stuff in a calzone. Just get creative with what you have so that these little packages don’t become big burdens.

However, if you want to make my version, just click on the links below to go to the recipes. Once there, you may need to scroll down to find the specific recipe or part of a recipe you’re looking for, e.g. Veggie Marinara Sauce in a stuffed shells recipe.

My recommendation, though, is to just use my method (below) to make your fabulous creation.

1/2 cup Vegan Spaghetti squash with Caramelized Onions, Greens and Dried Cranberries
(without the croutons)
approximately 2 tablespoons Vegan Swiss “Cheese”
approximately 2 tablespoons vegan Veggie Marinara Sauce
coarse sea or kosher salt if needed
1/2 recipe CPK’s Pizza Dough
Rosemary Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place pizza stone inside to heat for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, combine squash mixture with vegan “cheese” and marinara sauce to make a thick filling that holds together well. Add more vegan “cheese” or sauce as needed. Taste and add salt if desired.

Tear off a piece of foil about six inches wide, shiny side down. Spray lightly with non-stick spray. With fingers lightly dusted with flour, shape dough into a ball and place in the center of the foil. Beginning in the center and working your way to the edges, use your fingertips to gently press the dough into a circle approximately 1/4-inch thick. (If the dough is too thin, it will tear; if too thick it will unappealingly heavy.) Spread dough with a thin layer of “cheese,” leaving a generous 1/4 inch border. Mound up the filling on top of the vegan “cheese” on one half of the circle, again leaving a generous 1/4-inch margin. Fold plain half of dough over filling and press edges together to seal. Crimp with a fork and prick top a few times. Brush with Rosemary Olive Oil.

Carefully remove hot stone from oven. Slide calzone onto the stone, foil and all, and bake for 11-15 minutes or until golden brown. When calzone develops a little bit of color, brush top again with oil, sprinkle with salt if desired and finish baking. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 10-15 minutes. Slice calzone in half and serve one half per person. Serve warm with heated marinara sauce for dipping if desired.

Reheat any leftovers on a seasoned pizza stone in a preheated 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes.