Vegetarian Calzones: the recipe for crispy and creamy veggie calzones

These vegetarian calzones are perfect for a meat-free midweek meal. They’re quick to prepare, and very tasty. To make these veggie calzones, dough is filled with a creamy, vegetable filling, and fried to a crispy. You end up with turnovers that are crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. Of course, they’re also easy to change up and add your favorite ingredients. Even your meat-loving friends will love this recipe!

What is a Calzone?

A calzone is traditionally an oven-baked, filled pizza. Pizza dough is filled with your choice of ingredients, folded over and sealed, and then baked to perfection. For this recipe, we wanted extra crunch, so we fried them!

What is the difference between a Calzone and a Stromboli?

You might be wondering what the difference is between a Stromboli and a calzone? Well, not much. The dough (and often times, the filling too), are the same, but they’re made differently. A calzone is folded over and can easily be eaten with the hands, whereas the Stromboli is usually rolled with the filling and the sliced after baking.

How to make Vegetarian Calzones

To make the dough, sift flour into a large mixing bowl. Add salt, water and oil, and gently mix through until a dough forms. You might need to knead the dough a bit until smooth. The dough is then placed in the refrigerator to rest. While the dough is resting, you can start making the filling. Chop the spring onion, add the feta and seasoning and mix through.

Once your dough is fully rested, you can divide it into eight equal pieces. Rolling each piece into a ball will help you to create a neat circle when flattening it. Add the filling to one part of the circle and fold over. Use a fork to pinch the edges—this seals the dough, preventing the contents from leaking out. You need enough oil for deep frying. Heat the oil until medium hot, carefully add the veggie calzones and fry until crispy and golden brown. Enjoy!

Can I use pizza dough for Veggie Calzones?

Yes! Pizza dough will work perfect for this recipe. You can either prepare your own, or buy premade pizza dough from the supermarket. Follow the recipe instructions as normal.

Tips for making Vegetarian Calzones

– Veggie Calzones are easy to modify according to your taste and preference. As mentioned you can use pizza dough, but you can also fill it with other ingredients, whether vegetarian or meaty. Just make sure that you cooked all meat beforehand, and if you want to add any watery veggies like spinach or mushrooms, it’s best to sauté them until dry. Otherwise, you can try this calzone recipe with onions.

– You can also add other cheeses—mozzarella and ricotta work great.

– Leftovers will stay good to eat if your store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the calzones for about a month. Just note that not all cheeses will freeze well (especially in the case of ricotta).

– These vegetarian calzones can also be baked. Simply place the folded and sealed calzones on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 425°F/220°C until golden.

Can I store and freeze Vegetarian Calzones?

Store the baked veggie calzones in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the calzones for about a month. Just note that not all cheeses will freeze well (especially in the case of ricotta).

Instructions

First make the dough. Place a sieve over a large mixing bowl, and use it to sift the flour and salt.

Add the oil and water, and use a spatula to gently mix the ingredients.

Knead the dough until a smooth dough forms. Leave to rest for 30 minutes.

In the meanwhile, prepare the filling. Chop the spring onion.

Grate the feta cheese into a small bowl.

Add chopped spring onion and pepper and mix through.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator and divide into eight equal pieces.

Roll the dough into balls, and then spread into a circle. Add the veggie filling to the bottom half of the circle.

Fold the dough in half and use a fork to close the sides.

Fry in a pan with oil. Serve and enjoy!