Home · Recipes · Recipes · Main Dishes · Pizza Chicken Sausage and Spinach Calzones Author: Maryanne CabreraPublished: Oct 24, 2014Updated: Nov 2, 2023 View Recipe11 ReviewsThis post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy. Homemade calzones are easy to make with the help of store-bought pizza dough. Have these chicken sausage and spinach calzones ready to eat in about 30 minutes! Table of Contents Sausage Calzone IngredientsAssemblyMore Pizza Dough Dinner RecipesSpicy Chicken Sausage and Spinach CalzonesView moreView less After a certain age, it’s time to give up Hot Pockets. It’s time to move on to calzones. Skip the frozen store-bought calzones. You are capable of making (almost from-scratch) calzones! These chicken spinach calzones are made entirely out of ingredients purchased from Trader Joe’s! This is a quick and simple recipe great for busy weeknights, lazy weekends, or late night eats! It’s also a great way to include children in the kitchen. Kids can help assemble the calzones and add in their choice of fillings and cheese. Sausage Calzone Ingredients I purchased all my ingredients from Trader Joe’s! Here are the ingredients you’ll need: Pizza Dough (store-bought or homemade!) Tomatoes (cherry, grape, or sliced variety of your choice) Sausage (chicken sausage, pork, turkey, tofu, any protein of your choice) Spinach (Or swap in kale or other leafy green of choice) Sauce (you choice of pizza sauce, marinara, pesto, or alfredo) Cheese (any cheese that melts well is a great option) Try homemade pizza dough if you’re feeling fancy. Otherwise, store-bought dough works perfectly. Trader Joe’s carry a whole wheat version as well as an herb dough option. Some pizzerias also sell their dough by the pound. There are so many sausage options to choose from! Many of the sausages are already pre-cooked. It’s a good idea to still heat it up and brown it in a pan before adding to the calzone. Browning the precooked sausage helps to add more flavor. Assembly This recipe calls for one pound of pizza dough. It makes four handheld sized calzones. If you want large sharable calzones, split the dough into two portions. Roll the dough into small circles about 7-inches in diameter. Pile on all the topping on half of the circle. Season with kosher salt and a touch of red pepper flakes. Then fold up the other half of the circle and pinch the edges together to close the seams. Sprinkle grated parmesan and additional shredded mozzarella over the formed calzones. The more cheese, the better! After 20 minutes of baking, you’ll get these wonderful pillows of tomato cheesy goodness. Let the calzones rest for a couple minutes before digging in. The filling will be super hot. I like to split the calzones in half and dip it in the roasted garlic spaghetti sauce. And because you can’t have enough cheese, I also add just a little more grated parmesan on top. More Pizza Dough Dinner Recipes French Onion Pizza Mushroom Kale Pesto Pizza Cast Iron Skillet Pizza Summer Vegetable Pizza Spicy Chicken Sausage and Spinach Calzones No ratings yet Quick homemade meal using store bought pizza dough and ingredients from Trader Joe's! These chicken sausage and spinach calzones can easily be customized to your liking. Switch up the fillings with your choice of proteins and vegetables. Prep Time: 15 minutes minutesCook Time: 20 minutes minutesTotal Time: 35 minutes minutes Servings: 4 Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe Ingredients▢ 1 pound pizza dough, homemade or store-bought▢ 8 oz cherry or grape tomatoes, halved▢ 9 oz spicy Italian chicken sausage, sliced and quartered (or your choice of protein) ▢ 6 oz spinach▢ ½ Tablespoon olive oil▢ 1 cup pizza sauce or marinara (or sauce of choice)▢ 1 ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese▢ ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese▢ kosher salt, to taste▢ crushed red pepper flakes, as desired Instructions Preheat oven to 450℉. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until heated. Remove sausage and set aside. Add spinach to skillet. Cook until just wilted, about 1 minute. Remove and place in another bowl. Set side.Divide pizza dough into four equal parts. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a circle about 7-inches in diameter. Spoon about 1 ½tablespoons of sauce onto half of dough. Top with sausage, tomatoes, and spinach. Season with salt and red pepper flakes, if desired. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese. Fold plain half of dough up over filling. Pinch edges together to seal. Place on prepared baking sheet.Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese and shredded mozzarella cheese over calzones. Bake for 18-20 minutes until dough is brown and cheese has melted. Serve warm with additional sauce for dipping. NutritionCalories: 618kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 2212mg | Potassium: 590mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 5111IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 343mg | Iron: 6mg Author: Maryanne Cabrera Course: Main CourseCuisine: American, Italian Did you make this recipe?Show us on Instagram! Tag @littleepicurean and hashtag #littleepicurean.
Jen @ Baked by an Introvert says: October 24, 2014 The calzones are just what I’d love to have in my fridge waiting for me. And the petite portions are just the right size. Pinning! Reply
Maryanne Cabrera says: October 27, 2014 Thanks Jen! I’m going to have make another batch to see if they freeze well! :)
Sarah @ SnixyKitchen says: October 25, 2014 You are totally the most responsible friend there is. I love how you simplified these with ingredients from Trader Joe’s – you would never know; That sprinkling of browned cheese makes it look so fancy. Reply
Maryanne Cabrera says: October 27, 2014 Thanks Sarah! I love Trader Joe’s. Initially, I didn’t plan on adding the cheese on top. But as I was making the last calzone, it burst open because I overfilled it. I had to cover the hole up with cheese. And voila! :)
Thalia @ butter and brioche says: October 28, 2014 Oh god these calzones look crazy delicious.. especially craving one right now! Pinned! Reply