These calzones are made with my 5 ingredient healthy pizza dough. They are filled with creamy cheddar and ricotta cheeses, garlicky flavors and a hearty amount of broccoli and shredded chicken. I like a packed calzone- you'll see when you go to stuff the dough but hey if you can't get it all in there I guess you'll just have to lick the bowl! Don't worry if there's a will there's a way with these pockets of heaven. Serve them alongside your favorite marinara sauce and a light salad and you are set.
I love this dough because it's just a few ingredients, it comes together in minutes and requires no yeast- something our stores are completely sold out of these days.
The dough gets crispy on the outside and stays doughy on the inside. I like to add some extra parmesan before AND after cooking to ensure maximum flavor. I also love how the cheese cooks into the top of the crust. There's nothing better than some crispy cheese.
This dough is so versatile. I first made it for bagels and rolls and then tried it's hand at pizza. I just tweak the spices and add ins for each recipe but the yogurt, flour, baking powder and salt are always the same.
For this recipe, I turned my healthy pizza dough into healthy calzone dough!!
Aka I folded it in half...groundbreaking! While the ingredients are similar the end results is a luxury experience let me tell you.
These calzones are BIG. They can make for two hearty servings. If serving them as a main for two people, I would pair them with just a simple side salad. For this I did Caesar salad with avocado croutons. These would also be good sliced up and served as an appetizer for about 4 people.
They are perfect finger food and delicious for dipping.
How you serve them is up to you but you can't forget a good quality marinara on the side. I used some leftover sauce I had made for spaghetti and meatballs earlier in the week but jarred works just as well. When I use jarred marinara I always reach for #RaosHomemade. I like to use a sauce that has only good ingredients and is really homemade and Raos is that for me.
Now let's focus on the star here- that filling.
I chose cheddar and ricotta here because the ricotta binds the broccoli and chicken and the cheddar adds the creaminess and touch of melted cheese that we all love. You can sub the cheddar for mozzarella or any other favorite cheese. The cheese melts into the pockets of broccoli and shredded chicken. I used frozen broccoli florets that I defrosted in the microwave and premade shredded chicken, so easy! Rotisserie chicken would be perfect in this recipe.
Having the ingredients pre made makes dinner a breeze and it also means that filling if fair game for eating straight from the bowl, YUM!
Broccoli Chicken and Cheese Calzones with Healthy No Yeast Dough
2-4 servings | Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
Calzone Dough:
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano
2 tbsp parmesan cheese, divided
6 oz plain greek yogurt
Calzone filling:
2 cups broccoli florets, lightly steamed and chopped (I used frozen and microwaved them until just defrosted)
1 cup cooked, shredded chicken (I cooked about 6oz raw chicken in my instant pot with water, salt and pepper)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 reduced fat cheddar cheese
1/4-1/2 cup ricotta cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tbsp egg whites
~1 cup marinara sauce, extra grated parmesan and chopped parsley, for serving
Directions:
Prepare the dough:
Sift the flour into a large bowl (I don’t always do this but I find the dough is lighter when I do). Whisk in the baking powder, salt, oregano and 1 tbsp parmesan.
Add the plain greek yogurt to the bowl. Use a fork to sort of mash the yogurt into the dry ingredients until loosely combined into a dough, it will be partially crumbly still. Dump the crumbly dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it about 15 times until combined into a dough. Don’t knead it too much or the dough will get sticky.
Divide the dough in half and return it to a bowl.
Cover it with a damp paper towel and set aside.
Prepare the filling:
Combine cheddar cheese, ricotta cheese, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl. I used a hand mixer to whip them together but it’s not necessary.
Fold in the broccoli florets and shredded chicken.
Assemble the calzones:
Preheat the oven to 475 and spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.
Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Often I will use the remaining parmesan cheese as my “flour” I also lightly grease my rolling pin with nonstick spray.
Roll the dough out into an oval shape until its about 1/4” thick.
Divide the filling into half onto half of each of the rolled out doughs.
Fold the top half of the dough over the bottom half and seal with a fork or by pinching with your fingers.
Lightly brush the edges and top with egg white wash to help seal and aid in browning. Use a sharp knife to make 2 slits in the top of each calzone.
Sprinkle with a little extra parmesan.
Place the formed calzones on the baking sheet and place in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the dough is nicely browned.
Serve topped with extra parmesan, chopped parsley and alongside warm marinara sauce.
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Nutrition Facts are provided as a guideline only. Exact nutrition will depend on quantity, brand and ingredients used.
