Protein Packed Skinny Calzone
Think eating protein has to be time consuming, think again!
Do you ever come home from a long day at work, look into the refrigerator, and just stare blankly at the food inside having no idea what to make? Yup- that sounds like my evening at least a few times per week. I feel like so many times I make the same few meals over and over again because I am short on time and they are quick and easy. I want a meal that provides my family with a variety of nutrients all while appealing to each of their specific tastes. In my house, anything with cheese is typically a winner. My husband would live on pizza daily if I allowed it. However, the typical pizzeria pizza is packed full of saturated fat and refined grains, not exactly something I want my family filling up on regularly. Keeping their love for cheese and pizza in mind, I decided to create a nutrient rich meal I could whip up in minutes that I knew they would love – and that’s how my Protein Packed Skinny Calzone recipe was born!
Do you love calzones? I do! Somewhere I have an old picture of myself digging into a calzone that was so large I think it was actually taller than me! Am I ashamed? Of course not! It tasted amazing and all foods in moderation is fine. As long as you don’t live on calzones daily, there’s no harm in enjoying them every once in a while. But if you do want to enjoy them more than just a few times per year as a special treat, you will love this recipe. I teamed up with Flatout Flatbread to create a calzone that’s easy to make, tastes amazing, and is healthy enough for the whole family to enjoy day after day. In just 10 minutes, you can have a nutritious, warm dinner ready to go for the whole family and know that they will actually love eating it!
Fun calzone facts: Did you know a typical calzone contain as much as 2000 calories and uses the same amount of dough as an entire pizza crust! Shocking I know! By making a few simple swaps, you can slash the calories and saturated fat in a typical calzone recipe while boosting the fiber and whole grain content. The secret ingredient? Swap out the pizza dough for a ProteinUP Flatout Flatbread instead. This flatbread offers 12 grams of protein and 10 grams of fiber per wrap with only 130 calories. It makes the perfect addition to my calzone recipe. Want to find the retailers by you who carry Flatout? Check out FlatoutFinder.com to find the closest place to grab yours today.
Protein Packed Skinny Calzone
INGREDIENTS
- 2- ProteinUp Flatout Flatbreads
- 2/3 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
- 1/3 cup part skim ricotta cheese
- 1 cup fresh spinach
- 1/3 cup diced tomatoes
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, mix together mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, spinach, tomato, garlic, basil, pepper, and salt.
Place one ProteinUp Flatout Flatbread on a lightly greased baking sheet. Using a spoon, scoop cheese mixture onto the flatbread and spread out evenly across the middle. Place the remaining flatbread on top of the cheese mixture.
Using a fork, press down on the sides of the flatbread to create a ‘crust’ to hold the calzone together. Using a sharp knife, create a small slit in the middle of the calzone before baking.
Lightly spray the top of the flatbread with an olive oil spray if desired. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the flatbread browns slightly and the cheese has melted. Slice in half and serve warm. Makes 2 servings.
NUTRITION FACTS (per serving)
Calories: 306 Carbohydrates: 22gm Fiber: 11 gm Protein: 27gm Fat: 13gm Saturated Fat: 6 gm
Disclaimer: This post has been sponsored by Flatout Flatbread. All opinions are my own.