I’m always looking for delicious and easy freezer meals. There are so many nights that we want to eat a healthy and inexpensive meal, but just don’t have the time to start from scratch. Usually, we end up eating takeout. 

Dinners that can be cooked from frozen are absolutely ideal in those situations, because you can stock up on them ahead of time and not much forethought is necessary- not even to take them out in the morning to defrost! This may be why our nation has become dependent on storebought frozen meals (guilty, as per this cauliflower rice). But, id much prefer to prep a few freezer-friendly meals when we have a little bit of extra time, and then reap the benefits later (both health and money wise) when we are strapped for time.

The frozen pizza dough I buy from Stop and Shop comes in packs of two. A few Sundays ago, I defrosted both doughs and decided to make a bunch of calzones, then freeze any extras. We ate two of them immediately for dinner, and then froze two. Tonight, we took one out to share because we had a big, late lunch and weren’t very hungry for dinner. It was the perfect meal to have on reserve, and to my surprise, it cooked up beautifully in the oven. These photos are of the cooked from frozen calzone.

Here’s the scoop:

Enough frozen pizza dough for two large pizzas

mushrooms, red bell peppers, spinach, artichokes, veggie crumbles, or whatever stuffings you want for the inside of your calzones

2 cups daiya mozzarella shreds

Oregano

Crushed red pepper

Olive oil

Red pasta sauce for dipping

Defrost pizza dough. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out dough on floured surface until it is about 1/2 inch thick. Cut the dough into 4 squares. Fill one half of the squares with desired toppings and 1/2 cup of mozz shreds, leaving a one inch border. Fold other half on top, creating a triangle, and pinch the edges to seal. Place calzone on a cookie sheet. Brush the top with olive oil and sprinkle with oregano and crushed red pepper. Bake for 20-25 min or until bottom is crusty and deep brown and top is golden. Let cool down for a few minutes, and then serve with warmed pasta sauce and more olive oil. 

To freeze, let cool completely, place in a freezer safe plastic bag, removing as much air as possible. Freeze for up to 3 months. 

To cook from frozen, place on a cookie sheet and brush with a little bit of olive oil. Bake in preheated oven at 375 for 20minutes or until inside is warmed through. Cut open to test. Serve as directed above. 

Enjoy!

Makes 4 calzones for eating or freezing