Roasted Butternut Squash and Mushroom Calzones

I love when I find dinner inspiration in unexpected places. This recipe for roasted butternut squash and mushroom calzones, for example, came from paging through a catalog. Others have come from a commercials on TV, overheard conversations at the grocery store, and forgotten items from the back of the freezer. No matter where the idea comes from, I’m always happy when dinner inspiration strikes.

As I mentioned, these calzones were inspired by a catalog – the Williams-Sonoma catalog.  I had just told my hubby not to throw away the catalog.  No, I didn’t really need anything from Williams-Sonoma, but I wanted to page through it just to see what they had in the fall catalog.  I especially love fall catalogs. As I paged through, I admired some lovely baked goods, commented on the price of the gummy candies they were selling for Thanksgiving, and then I saw it. There was a slow cooker recipe for a gorgeous looking lasagna made with their jarred pumpkin parmesan pasta sauce. Sure, the sauce sounds tasty, and I do like lasagna, but what caught my eye was a photo of some beautiful mushrooms that were being added to the dish. Mushrooms are often a forgotten ingredient in my kitchen, so I was happy for a reminder to add them to something.  After seeing the recipe, I couldn’t get the pumpkin and mushroom pairing out of my head.

A few days later, I had some leftover pizza dough in the fridge that I needed to put to good use. Then I remembered the mushrooms.  Of course, I didn’t have jarred pumpkin sauce on hand.  But, I had some butternut squash from the garden sitting on my counter, so I decided to make butternut squash and mushroom calzones. I roasted the veggies with some fresh sage and added a bit of cheese for a simple and tasty dinner.  Both the hubby and I agreed that the recipe was a winner. It’s perfect for a chilly fall evening!

If you’re participating in October Unprocessed, you’ll be happy to know that this recipe fits the bill pretty well.  If you make your own pizza dough with 100% whole grain flours (which is pretty simple to do) and use good quality cheeses (not the processed cheese-like stuff you can sometimes find at the store), you’re good to go!

Roasted Butternut Squash and Mushroom Calzones
Makes 2 large calzones, serves 4

• 10 ounces peeled and cubed butternut squash
• 10 ounces cremini mushrooms, tough stems removed and quartered
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 3 – 4 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Pizza dough for one large pizza
  (Here’s my go-to recipe, which is not unprocessed. You can make it unprocessed by using all whole wheat flour, skipping the pizza dough flavor, and using honey in place of sugar.)
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded provolone cheese

Start by roasting the squash and mushrooms (this can be done ahead of time, if you like).  Preheat the oven to 400°F.  Toss the squash and mushrooms together with the olive oil and chopped sage in a large mixing bowl. Transfer to a baking dish or baking sheet and season with salt and pepper.  Roast for about 50 – 60 minutes, until the veggies are tender and slightly caramelized.

When you are ready to bake the calzones, preheat the oven (with your pizza stone on the bottom rack, if you have one) to 425°F and let the pizza dough come to room tempreature.  Divide the dough in half and use your hands to press it out into two circles (about 9 inches in diameter) on a sheet of parchment paper.

On each circle of pizza dough, spread 1/4 cup of ricotta cheese on half of the circle, leaving space at the edge.  Divide the roasted squash and mushrooms between the two calzones, piling them on top of the ricotta cheese.  Sprinkle 1/4 cup of provolone cheese on top of the veggies on each calzone.  Fold the circle of dough in half, covering up the toppings, to form a half-moon shape. Pinch to seal the edge of the calzone.  Sprinkle the top with additional cheese, if desired.

Use a pizza peel to transfer the parchment paper with the assembled calzones to your pizza stone in the oven. (If you don’t have a pizza stone, you can simply place the parchment paper on a baking sheet.)  Bake the calzones for about 25 minutes, until the crust is golden.