Foodstirs

Heart Calzones

Pizza night is always a family favorite! Last month, we shared how to turn your ordinary pizza into festive snowflakes! This time we are flouring our surface, rolling out the dough, and making heart calzones! What better way to show your family love by making hearts filled with gooey cheese and vegetables!

We kept this recipe simple by stuffing the hearts only with mozzarella cheese and holding the sauce on the side for dipping. We know how much kids love to dip! But if you are feeling creative, have bowls of steamed veggies out on the counter so the kids are inspired to stuff their little hearts with goodness.

Below are the recipes to make the whole wheat dough and sauce from scratch, but if you are crunched on time during a weeknight, make your dough ahead of time or purchase fresh dough from a pizzeria or grocery store.

Kids Can Help:

• Make and roll out the dough.
• Cut out heart shapes in the dough and cheese.
• Stuff the calzones.
• Brush olive oil on top and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
• Dip into sauce and eat!

Heart Calzones

Serves: 16

Ingredients:

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 (¼ oz) packet active dry yeast
• 1 ¼ cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup semolina
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 ounce olive oil
• cornmeal for baking sheets
• 1 (16 ounce) mozzarella cheese log, sliced into ¼ inch pieces
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 tablespoons olive oil for brushing on top of finished calzones

Instructions:

1. Dissolve 1 teaspoon sugar in 1 cup warm water. Stir in 1 packet active dry yeast. Let stand until foamy.
2. Add flours and salt to a mixer.
3. Mix together flours and salt. Pour in 1 ounce olive oil and yeast mixture.
4. Mix until dough forms into a ball using a dough hook or your hands.
5. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest until doubled in size.
6. Sprinkle cornmeal onto baking sheets and preheat oven to 400°F.
7. Roll dough out onto a floured surface. Using heart cookie cutters, cut out hearts and place onto cornmeal sprinkled baking sheets.
8. Using a smaller heart cookie cutter, cut out cheese and place on top of heart pizzas.
9. Place a second heart pizza on top of the cheese. Press edges together to seal using your fingers or a fork.
10. Using a pastry brush, brush olive oil on top of all of the calzones. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
11. Bake calzones for 10 minutes or until golden.

Easy Tomato Sauce

Serves: 3 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ medium yellow onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (28 ounce) can chopped tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add ½ of an onion, chopped and 3 cloves of minced garlic. Cook until onions become slightly translucent. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
2. Add 1 (28 ounce) can of tomatoes, 1 teaspoon of dried thyme and basil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered for 10 minutes.
3. Season with 2 teaspoons salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper to taste. Remove from heat, use immediately, or store in the refrigerator up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

~Recipes and photos by Katie Romey, MS, RD, Foodstirs Chef