A large serving of healthy calzones with beef, mushrooms and spinach

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 450 g lean ground beef
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 220 g cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced ​​(about 1 cup)
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 6 cups tightly packed baby spinach (about 150 g)
• 1 can (800 g) of canned crushed tomatoes
• 1.3 kg regular or whole wheat pizza dough
• Whole grain flour or premium flour, for working
• 2 1/4 cups shredded semi-skimmed mozzarella
• 1 large egg, beaten

Preparation:

1. Place a pizza stone or baking sheet on a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 220°C.
2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and half the red pepper flakes and cook, breaking the ground beef into large chunks with a wooden spoon, until the beef is browned throughout, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, two-thirds of the garlic, and 3/4 teaspoon salt and cook for another 3 minutes. Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute (the mixture should be relatively dry). Transfer the meat mixture to a large bowl and let cool completely.
3. Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining olive oil, garlic, and pepper to the skillet and cook, stirring, until the garlic is lightly browned, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and 3/4 teaspoon of salt and simmer the sauce until thickened, about 6 minutes; set aside.
4. Divide the pizza dough into 12 balls. Spray 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. On a well-floured work surface, roll each ball into a circle 6-7 inches in diameter and 1/4 inch thick. Spread 1/4 cup of the cooled meat filling on the bottom half of each circle and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of mozzarella. Fold the top half of the dough to form a semicircle and pinch the edges to seal. Carefully transfer the calzones with a spatula to the prepared baking sheets. Lightly brush with a beaten egg. Cut 2 small slits in the surface of each calzone to allow steam to escape.
5. Refrigerate half the calzones. Using a spatula, transfer the remaining calzones to a hot pizza stone or baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 22 minutes. Repeat with the remaining calzones. Reheat the tomato sauce and serve with the calzones for dipping.

6. Freeze:

   
   Let the cooked calzones cool completely, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil. Place them in freezer bags and freeze for up to a month. The sauce can be frozen in 12 small bags for up to a month.
   

7. Heat up:

   
   Thaw frozen calzones in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. Unwrap the calzones, then microwave them in 1-minute intervals, turning them over, until heated through, 2-4 minutes total. To reheat the sauce, microwave it in 30-second intervals, stirring occasionally, until hot.