I went to the grocery the other day in search of inspiration. I picked up a package of mild chicken sausage and went home to ponder what to make with it.

It’s been sitting in my fridge for a couple of days now because nothing seemed worthy of making anything with it.

Until…

My very best friend, Kala, suggested this:

Easy Spanikopita Calzones

Ingredients (Dough)

adapted from BakingBites

• 1 pkg 5/16oz active dry yeast (Hodgson Mill for whole grains)
• 1/4 cup water (100°-should feel like warm bath water)
• 1/2 cup skim milk (100°)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 cups whole wheat bread flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

Ingredients (Filling)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound chicken sausage
• 1 package of sliced mushrooms
• 1 medium sweet onion
• 2 cloves of garlic (grated with a Microplane Grater or the smallest side of your grater)
• 4 ounces fresh spinach
• fresh ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons Greek Seasoning
• 4 ounces reduced fat feta cheese

How-To

1. First, prepare the dough: Using the dough hook in a stand mixer, mix the yeast, water, milk and sugar and let sit for 5 minutes.
2. Add the bread flour and salt and mix.
3. On a plate or cutting board, cut up the butter into small cubes (6-9 cubes per tablespoon).
4. Add the butter to the dough and knead for about 2 minutes.
5. Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes.
6. Once risen, turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface.
7. Press the dough out into a circle, score and divide the dough into 8 equal parts.
8. With each section of dough, roll into a ball and flatten until about 1/4″-1/8″ in thickness.
9. Lay each section out on a baking sheet covered with foil and cover with plastic wrap, letting it rise for another 20 minutes.
10. In the meantime, prepare the filling.
11. In a saucepan with the olive oil, brown the sausage, onions and mushrooms.
12. Once light brown, add the grated garlic, salt, pepper, and spinach.
13. Preheat oven to 350°.
14. On one half of each circle, place about 1/2 cup of filling (try to visualize how much 1/8th of the filling looks like) and top with about 2 tablespoons of feta cheese. Note: Be sure not to include any liquid.
15. Fold over the other side (creating a half circle) and with a fork close the circle around it’s edge.
16. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Servings: 8 calzones