Broccoli-Cheese Calzones

Like most busy home cooks, I like to keep weeknight meals simple. Meanwhile, I’m trying to appeal to the semi-limited palate of a young child, while not boring myself into a stupor. These calzones are a great solution: delicious, easy, quick, nutritious, and kid-friendly.  And to make them more interesting, I use two kinds of cheese and lightly char the onions in a skillet before adding the garlic and broccoli, which adds some complexity.

Broccoli-Cheese Calzones with Charred Onions

Total time: 50 minutes

Hands-on time: 25 minutes

Yield: 5 servings

• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 medium red onion, diced
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 medium head broccoli, chopped
• Flour for rolling the dough
• 1 pound pizza dough, at room temperature.
• 1 ball (about 12 ounces) fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat an oven to 475° and set a rack to the lower position. Set a medium skillet over high heat and add 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent in the center and dark brown at the edges. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium and add the garlic and broccoli. Cook, stirring, until the broccoli is softened but not fully cooked, 3 to 4 minutes.

Lightly dust your work surface with flour. Divide the pizza dough into 5 portions. Roll out each portion to a 6-inch circle, then lay a couple of mozzarella slices in the center of each. Top with the Cheddar and equal portions of the broccoli filling. Fold the dough over the filling, pinch the seam together, and roll the edges up to seal. Brush each with the remaining olive oil, transfer to a baking sheet, and bake until nicely browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve hot.