Looking for a hearty, cheesy meal but trying to avoid the carbs and grains? These tomato basil and spinach calzones are delicious and healthy! Low-carb, vegetarian, gluten-free, grain-free.
Ready for some ooey-gooey cheesy goodness?
I don’t eat too much cheese these days, but sometimes I do really enjoy a delicious bite of salty, stringy, melted cheese. Plus who can refuse a bread-wrapped pocket filled with happiness?
Yup, I went there. Calzones are magical, and these low-carb, gluten-free ones are no different! They’re a delicious mix of bready and cheesy. I assume you agree, since you are here, after all 🙂
So if you are like me and have been avoiding calzones for quite awhile for fear of the dreaded gluten inflammation, then you don’t have to worry anymore!
I’ve been experimenting for some time and finally found a great dough recipe that works well in so many different scenarios. It also works incredibly well for these calzones. What I like about the crust is that it really stands up to everything.
I can pick up the calzone on one corner and it doesn’t sag or break or crumble, it stays together perfectly! As for the filling, you can really use whatever your heart desires! I added tomato, basil, mozzarella and spinach, and it was wonderful!
Let’s make some calzones!
To make these bad boys, you will need to make the dough first, which requires blanched almond flour, cassava flour or tapioca starch, coconut flour and eggs.
Mix them all together in a bowl. You will need to really get in there and knead the dough with your hands. If your dough is a bit sticky, you can add in another sprinkle of coconut flour.
Remix. If you need to, you can add a little more until it is no longer sticky. Be careful that it doesn’t start to get crumbly though!
Split the dough into two evenly-sized balls. Between two sheets of parchment paper, roll out the dough with a rolling pin to approximately 1/4″ thick. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper.
Add whatever fillings you want on top of half the filling, then flip the other half of the dough on top of the fillings. Press down the edges of the dough to join the top and bottom halves.
You can also fold over the bottom layer of dough over top, to get a nice edge like you see in the photos. Either approach works! Gently move the calzones (a spatula helps) onto a baking sheet. Toss into the oven until the edges begin to brown.
Does the almond flour need to be blanched?
I have only tried this recipe myself with blanched almond flour, and I do believe it works best for this recipe. With that being said, I think any almond flour would work fine here.
Just know that the non-blanched almond flour has the skins left in, which will change the appearance of your calzone. There is also almond meal, which is a more coarse version of almond flour. Using this may yield a calzone with a grittier texture.
Can I substitute one flour for another?
I have only made this recipe with the three types of flour as stated in the instructions. I do not recommend using another type of flour, unless you know for sure it can be substituted 1-to-1 with almond flour, tapioca/cassava or coconut flour.
If you’d like me to experiment with a specific type of flour, please let me know in the comments below!
If you give these tomato basil and spinach calzones a try, please let me know what you think in the comments below. Also be sure to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest so you don’t miss a recipe!
You may also enjoy these other cheesy low-carb recipes:
Tomato Basil and Spinach Calzones (Vegetarian, Low-Carb)
Ingredients
For Crust
- 1/2 cup blanched almond flour (60 g) I like the Nature's Eats brand
- 6 tablespoons cassava flour or tapioca starch
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- 2 large eggs
For Filling
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded 133 g
- 2 handfuls fresh spinach
- 10 cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- 4 fresh basil leaves chopped finely
- salt, pepper, garlic powder and oregano to taste
- precooked meat, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- To make the crust: Mix almond flour, cassava/tapioca flour, coconut flour and eggs together in a bowl. Knead with hands until a firm ball has formed. It should not be overly sticky. If it is, add in a small amount of coconut flour and knead again.
- Split into two balls and roll each out into a circle with a rolling pin. Rolling the dough out between two layers of parchment paper works the best for easy release and cleanup! Roll out to approximately 1/4 inch thick (6 mm).
- Add filling ingredients to one half of each circle of dough. If you are using meat, make sure it is precooked! Flip the other half of the dough over the top of the filling, to form a half moon, calzone shape. Push dough down around the edges, and fold the bottom edges up over the top layer, to form the shape you see in the photos.
- Move calzones to a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before handling.
- One serving is half a calzone. Store leftovers in an air-tight container for 3-4 days.
