FOODIË:Chicken Spinach Alfredo Calzone

I have to admit leftovers don’t really get me excited but I also don’t like being wasteful! So when I recently made this amazing chicken & spinach calzone! I knew as I made up my “Stuffing” that I had way to much chicken for just one calzone but a repeat the next day wasn’t really on my culinary menu.  Here are a few of my tips on making leftovers exciting!

• Turn it into a snack: Making pasta for dinner? Save some of that penne for a pasta salad for snacking or even a lunch treat!
• Make something that’s freezable: Don’t be pressed to eat those leftovers the next day! Dishes that are time consuming or that you don’t make often could be a great treat on a lazy weekend!

• Be conscious of the seasoning and preparation of your meal: I turned my extra “Stuffing” into Chicken Spring Rolls! Before I added my Alfredo sauce I separated some of the stuffing  and added some feta cheese to it. I rolled it with organic salsa in flour tortillas and grilled them until they browned dolloped on some sour cream and had a super yummy lunch!

Ingredients

1/3 Pizza Dough (Publix Bakery)

Olive Oil

Bell pepper diced

Onion diced

4 Chicken Breast Strips

Garlic Powder

Ground Black Pepper

Spinach ( Frozen or Fresh)

Alfredo Sauce

Oregano

Classico Traditional Pizza Sauce

Basil

Directions
1. Separate the pizza dough into four equal pieces. Each piece makes 1 calzone .( I purchase my dough from the refrigerator section of the Publix grocery bakery.It comes in a ball in a plastic bag. )Depending on how many calzones you intend to make (this recipe makes 2) place the dough in a bowl and cover with saran wrap. Sit out on the counter so that the dough can rise! I usually wait about 30 min - 1 hour.

2. In a skillet heat a tbsp of olive oil. Sauté bell peppers and onions until they begin to soften.

3. Add in your chicken breast strips on top of the bell peppers and onions. Season with ground black pepper and garlic powder to your personal preference. 

4. Add in your spinach(thaw ahead of time  if frozen) and sauté the chicken until done.

5.Punch down your dough and remove from the bowl. Place on your pizza pan and with your fist work the dough out into a  circle  ( you want the dough thin but not too thin so that the stuffing stays in) the circle does not have to be perfect because you will be folding it over to form the calzone.

6. Once you have the dough rolled out spoon out a layer of Alfredo sauce in the center of the dough. Use a circular pattern and leave about a 1/4 of an inch rim  of un-sauced dough so that you have room to seal the edges of the calzone. 

7. Remove your "stuffing" and place on a cutting board. Slice the chicken strips.  I like to chop my chicken into bite sized pieces. Take half of the "stuffing" and place it on the one half of the Alfredo sauce circle that you made on your pizza dough. Spread the stuffing evenly so that you get a taste of the stuffing in each bite!

8. Using the half of the dough circle that you did not put stuffing on fold it over the top of the stuffing half and pinch or twist the dough edges together to seal!

9.  Rub or Brush a little olive oil on top of the calzone. Sprinkle  with oregano and garlic powder to taste. (I also cut  four small slits in the top of the calzone to vent it )

10. Bake your calzone in the oven for about 15- 20 minutes or until your dough is fully cooked!  Remove from the oven and top with fresh basil and a serving of  Pizza Sauce!