Calzones can be made with just about anything that you have in the refrigerator. One of my favorites if this Swiss Chard calzone. It uses Swiss Chard, raisins, pine nuts, and a little feta cheese, as well as a few other ingredients. For the crust, sometimes I’ll use a pie crust and sometimes a pizza crust. When I feel lazy or just short on time, I’ll use a ready-made pie crust. When I have time, I like making a thin crust pizza dough.
Below is the recipe for a quick and easy weekday meal; therefore, it calls for a ready-made pie crust. However, be my guest and use whatever type of crust you like. For a lighter crust you could even use phyllo as I did with this phyllo-crusted Swiss Chard pie.
Be sure to read the Kitchen Notes for other filling ideas and ingredient substitutions.
A hearty vegetarian meal with Swiss chard and an assortment of healthy ingredients wrapped in a pie crust and baked.
- 1 bunch Swiss chard, reserve enough of the stems for 1/2 cup of chopped stems
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 cup onion, minced
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp. raisins or dried cranberries
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted*
- ½ tsp. oregano
- ½ cup feta
- 1 egg, beaten
- A sprinkling of salt and pepper
- 1 ready-made pie crust The rolled ones work great. Do NOT use the ones that are already formed in a pan.
- Preheat oven to 400° F (204° C).
- Rinse chard thoroughly. Remove the stems from the leaves. Chop enough of the stems to make ½ cup.
- Coarsely chop the chard leaves and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and onion. Sauté 3 minutes. Add the stems. Sauté another 3 minutes.
- Add the chard leaves, oregano and raisins. Cover. Cook 4 minutes.
- Remove the cover. Increase heat to medium-high. Stir ingredients, cooking for 1 minute or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and add the toasted pine nuts.
- Unroll the pie crust and place on a baking sheet or in a rectangular casserole dish.
- Sprinkle a little more than half of the cheese on half of the pie crust leaving the outer 1 inch (25 mm) of the edge clean.
- Add the beaten egg and the remaining cheese to the vegetables and toss quickly to keep the egg from cooking.
- Scoop the Swiss chard mixture on top of the pie crust and feta cheese.
- Fold the other half of the pie crust over the filling, join edges, and seal with a fold (as shown in the picture).
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until crust is a golden brown.
- Remove from oven and let sit 5 minutes. Cut into 2 to 4 pieces and serve.
Additional Notes
I use to make a Swiss chard pie – a double crusted pie filled with two bunches of Swiss chard and lots of other ingredients. I found the recipe in a magazine over 10 years ago. Which magazine, I have no idea. What I do remember is that the first time I made it and every time after, it was absolutely delicious. Unfortunately, for just the two of us, it yielded way too many leftovers. We always had at least 2 meals from it plus a lunch which doesn’t sound so bad. However, the problem was, it was one of those dishes that just didn’t taste as good the second time and definitely not the third time. The crust would become soft and the Swiss chard filling would dry out. So I altered the original recipe and changed some of the ingredients to better suit our taste and to fit into one pie crust – thus the Swiss Chard Calzone. Now we can finish off the whole thing in one sitting. The only side that I might include is a small fruit salad or just a couple of pieces of fruit, but most of the time, it’s a meal in itself.
If you want to make this for 4, then make a Swiss Chard Pie. Use two pie crusts and double the recipe. Increase the cooking time to 45 to 50 minutes.
Other Ingredients for Calzones
Below are a few ideas. If you come up with some of your own, please share with us.
Artichoke and Bratwurst Calzone – 1 cup artichoke hearts, chopped, 1 bratwurst (or your favorite sausage), a little onion and garlic, mozzarella and/or Parmesan cheese.
Chicken and Mushroom Calzone – Saute’ 1 cup leftover cooked chicken with a few sliced mushrooms, garlic and onion (of course), and one or two other vegetables such as bell pepper, corn, or carrots. Place a little mozzarella or cheddar cheese between the crust and the filling – top and bottom. (Sounds a little like chicken pot pie – doesn’t it?)
Leftover Calzone – Take the vegetables and/or meat leftovers from a previous meal or meals, chop it all up, add a little cheese, stuff it in the pie crust and cook.
Another Vegetarian Calzone – Saute a sliced yellow squash and zucchini with some chopped onion and garlic and sliced mushrooms. Remove from the heat and add fresh basil or rosemary (a little of both), some salt and pepper. Stuff the calzone with the veggies and mozzarella cheese or fresh mozzarella slices. Bake and serve with a marinara or pizza sauce of your choosing.
Here are a few of other meals made with Swiss chard that you’ll enjoy:
hi, this looks so tasty! thanks for the recipe. my farmers market has had it the last two times so ive been looking for yummy recipes. my question is about the raisins….can i ask what the thinking is behind using them? it just sounds an odd addition to a savory dish, yet i noticed you did it on another one too. please enlighten me!!!
Susan, Thanks for your comments! I think I just like raisins. 🙂 Actually, the raisins do counter the slight bitterness that greens can have at times AND they add a little natural sweetness to a savory dish without adding too much. They also add another texture and I do like different textures in a dish. I gave this recipe to a friend of mine years ago, and she replaced the raisins with dried cranberries because she doesn’t like raisins. She loved it with the cranberries. I hope you enjoy! Personally, my husband and I now love this recipe with the phyllo dough better than the heavy crust – just an FYI. Thanks again!
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Hi MJ,
I love your spin on a traditional calzone. Also the use of ready-made pie crust, it will save me time. It looks so pretty and perfect!
Calzone is one of my favorites that I always order when I am out. Since I am still having trouble making my own yeast dough here with the humidity, I hadn’t ventured in making any calzone and we don’t get ready made doughs here, otherwise I would opt for that. Anyway, I love the filling you used, its a nice change and great weekday meal MJ!
Hey!
If it helps with the humidity maybe use wet yeast? I know when I visited some friends in India and wanted to make them fresh pizzas and calzones you can only get wet yeast there and just need to use it in a good amount!
Another trick is after you roll the dough out just sprinkle a bit of bicarb soda on the upside of pizza dough or outside of calzone dough and it gives it that extra fluffiness/crispiness
I usually just follow the salt yeast sugar flour luke warm water recipe and never really rest the dough. It turns out alright 🙂 hope it helps xo
MJ, I love that you re-posted this recipe with homemade dough. I also get inspired by a lot of foodies and I’m soon going to join dough making… I hope!!! Your calzone looks perfect, and swiss chard filling sounds very lovely~~!
With 5 of us in the family, a Swiss chard pie would be a nice meal! We love chard over here, too, and we have lots of them here in Toronto in October! Time to make this calzone, as I am just drooling over this!
Thanks Jen! Yes, the pie version would definitely be the way to go with 5 people! 🙂 Just double the filling and use two crust. Enjoy!
This sounds wonderful. I was expecting to see tomato sauce but instead I see raisins and lots of ingredients to add flavor and moisture. Very nice recipe.
Timely update! My garden is loaded with Swiss chard and this coming week I have to get serious about using it. Fun recipe, and I haven’t made a calzone in ages. As in at least a decade. Time again, wouldn’t you say? Thanks for this.
Thanks John! I wish I were loaded with Swiss chard! I love that vegetable! Hope you get a chance to make this. It’s delicious!
What a great recipe… I love making Calzone, plus just happens I have a lot of silverbeet in the garden:)
Thank you for this recipe! My wife is going to love it! Allen.
This looks fantastic! It looks easy enough to make too. I’ve never been a fan of swiss chard, but I will give them another try for this recipe. 🙂
This recipe looks divine!
Mj, it looks like a tart in form of a calzone or rather a calzone-shaped tourte! Swiss chard is another vegetable I have never cooked (even though I have eaten and liked it), so I’m very glad you posted this recipe. Whatever the name, this dish sounds fantastic!
That would be ideal for lunch, too. A homemade veggie hot pocket, if you will, to satisfy the noon-time cravings.
Hi MJ,
We have the most beautiful Swiss Chard in our garden, and this is a perfect recipe to try with the fresh Chard, it looks delicious! Hope you have a great weekend and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
I’m so envious of your homegrown Swiss chard! Maybe next year. Thanks for your comments and have a lovely weekend!
Sounds good! I make pizza dough in my bread maker. That would be just as easy to make as using a ready-made pie crust, I think. I will have to try it!
Thanks for linking up with Frugal Food Thursday at Frugal Follies!
Thanks Laura! Next time I make this I’m going to make my own dough but the pre-made do make this a weekday meal,
You did it again, MJ! I love the addition of feta and pine nuts- I am crazy over those! I think I was Greek in a past life…. Thanks for linking up!
Thanks Jessica! The feta and pine nuts to make this special!
Yummy! I love the filling 🙂
I prefer to make my own dough though
I can’t wait to try it. I think these could also be great for a dinner-party
You gave me this recipe (the 1st version) many years ago and we have always loved it. So glad to find it here because suddenly I can’t find my copy and the chard in the garden is getting huge! Hugs!
Yay!!!!! Glad you found it here! It’s a little different than the one I gave you years ago. I do remember that you use cranberries in place of raisins which is just as good! Enjoy all of that Swiss chard!
What a fantastc idea! Our kids would love these.
Mmm! How clever to add the raisins (or cranberries) to break up the earthy assertiveness of the chard. Kind of really just love this recipe!
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Thanks for stopping by! I hope you give these calzones a try. They are really easy and oh so good!
I don’t know why I never thought of making this – especially like the sound of artichoke and italian sausage.
I think the idea of putting swiss chard in a calzone is brilliant. I make mine with whatever excess veggies I have on hand. I’m going to see if I can shoot a little extra traffic to this delicious recipe.
As you know, we love the Swiss Chard Calzone. I can’t wait to try the alternatives you added – the Artichoke and Bratwurst variation sounds especially delicious!