bite sized brie and caramelized mushroom calzones
Bruh.
Bruh.
I know, highly eloquent introduction, but I don’t think I need to be pinkies up when discussing mini calzones. We certainly were not graceful in their consumption. After a quick salad we dove right in and they evaporated into our digestive tracts in approximately 20 minutes. These are like a grown-up’s Totino’s. Elevated with creamy brie and red wine braised mushrooms sauteed with garlic and warming thyme, then baked crispy and gooey in a hot oven. They’re ridiculous.
I will shamelessly recommend you make your own pizza dough – I have a super simple recipe that does the trick for these calzones. This particular batch I infused with some garlic powder and oregano powder, just a whisper of each to emphasize the filling, but you can keep things classic and let the pizza dough be pizza dough.
Second, let the filling cool a bit before adding to the squares of dough you will create with your beautiful batch of flour and yeast. The mushrooms sop up more of their own moisture and, though the final product won’t be soggy any extra liquid will make the bites more volatile to handle.
Third, make or buy marinara to dip. These would also taste lovely with a French dip-type gravy. Whatever you do, get something to swirl these cheesy calzones into.
Like this recipe? Leave a comment below with your thoughts! Don’t forget to say hi on Instagram, I’m always around and ready for a chat!
Want more pizza ideas?
Black Fig, Goat Cheese & Caramelized Onion Pizza
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb pizza dough, homemade or store-bought
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 shallots, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 10 oz baby portobello mushrooms, diced
- 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 2 cups spinach, chopped
- kosher salt and pepper, to taste
- 6-8 oz brie
Instructions
- If you are making your own pizza dough, plan for an extra hour for the dough to rise. If this is your preference (it was mine!) you can definitely multitask and work on the filling while you wait for the yeast to go poof. No harm will come if the filling cools a bit – in fact, that is preferable.
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add shallots, garlic, mushrooms, thyme sprigs, salt and pepper and cook until mushrooms begin to release their juices, about 5-8 minutes. Add red wine and bring to a simmer. Let it cook off, about 5 minutes more. Once mushrooms are thick and most of the liquid is gone from the pan, throw in spinach and salt and pepper to your taste preference. When the spinach wilts and incorporates, remove pan from heat and pick out the thyme sprigs.
- Preheat oven to 425 and line two baking sheets with parchment, spraying each with oil. Slice brie into 12-14 equal sized pieces depending on how many balls you make of your dough.
- Break your pizza dough into 12-14 balls. Cover dough with a towel while you work with one ball. Roll the ball into about a 4 x 6 inch rectangle. Add a portion of brie to the outer third of your dough rectangle, leaving about 1/2 inch border. Spoon about 1 tbsp worth of filling atop. Fold the unfilled side of the rectangle overtop the filling and press edges together firmly. Seal the edges with the flat side of a fork. Place finished calzone atop prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough balls, filling, and brie.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes on one side, then flip carefully and bake about 8 minutes more. Turn broiler to HIGH and finish with 2-3 minutes under the broiler for a super crispy, golden brown crust. Some of your brie may leak out of the calzone, that is a-ok and certainly happened to me. It always finds a way to escape. Remove from oven, plate, and serve!
- I whipped up a quick marinara sauce to dip the bites in. You can purchase a pre-made version if you wish as well.
