This week’s recipe post comes to the Mushroom Channel from Paula of the positively bellissima blog bell’alimento. If your family is looking for tasty ways to cut down on meat during the week, this recipe would be an excellent choice for Meatless Monday (or Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday…you get the idea).

Vegetarian Mushroom Calzones are a quick and easy meal that you can pull together in about 30 minutes tops. It’s quick because we’ve taken a short cut and used refrigerated pizza dough. If you want to make your own pizza dough, you can find my pizza dough recipe HERE.

The filling is a classic mushroom mixture that starts by sautéing the mushrooms with butter, garlic, and parsley. A quick note: you’ll want to be sure your mushroom mixture is cool before adding it to the dough and topping with the cheese mixture. Then the assembly comes together in a snap: dough, cheeses, mushrooms, fold, seal and pop into the oven!

You can serve this with pizza sauce for dipping if desired. This recipe makes 2 very generous calzones, but can easily be doubled if necessary!

Vegetarian Mushroom Calzones
Ingredients: {Makes 2 large calzones}

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 8 ounces mushrooms – sliced
• 1 tablespoon fresh flat leaf Italian Parsley – roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic – minced
• cornmeal
• 13.08 ounces of refrigerated classic pizza crust
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese – divided
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese – divided
• salt/pepper
• extra virgin olive oil – enough to brush on calzones

Directions:
1. Place your pizza stone {or upside down rimmed baking sheet} into oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. WHILE the oven is preheating, into a sauté pan, add: butter and melt over medium heat. Add: mushrooms, garlic and parsley and sauté for approximately 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

3. Sprinkle a small amount of cornmeal onto your clean work surface {so pizza does not stick} Unroll the pizza dough and cut it in half.

4. To assemble: Place 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese about 1″ from the bottom of the dough in a straight line. Top with 1/2 of the ricotta mixture. Top with 1/2 of the cooled mushroom mixture. Season with salt pepper. Using your finger, or pastry brush, LIGHTLY dab water onto the edges of the dough. CAREFULLY fold the dough over itself sealing the edges. Use the tines of a fork to crimp the edges. Continue with other piece of dough.

5. Transfer your calzones to the oven {A pizza peel is recommended but if you don’t have a pizza peel, a large grill spatula will work in a pinch} and onto pizza stone {or upside down baking sheet}. Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes or until golden.

6. Carefully remove calzones from oven. Lightly brush the tops with olive oil. Allow calzones to cool slightly prior to serving.