Dairy Free Calzone with Cashew Ricotta
Calzones are one of those comfort foods that feel almost impossible to recreate without a mountain of mozzarella — but this recipe proves otherwise in the most satisfying way. The secret is a cashew ricotta blended with lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and garlic powder until it's thick, creamy, and genuinely spreadable, hitting all the right notes that traditional ricotta would. It gets layered with savory Italian sausage, wilted baby spinach, and marinara sauce inside a from-scratch yeasted dough that bakes up golden and hollow-sounding at the tap. Each of the four calzones gets brushed with olive oil and finished with flaky salt before going into a screaming-hot 475°F oven, so the crust develops that deep, blistered color you'd expect from a proper pizzeria. The whole process is more approachable than it looks — the dough comes together with a quick knead and a 45-minute rise, and the filling cooks in a single skillet. Serve them with extra warm marinara on the side and nobody at the table will be thinking about what's missing.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the cashew ricotta
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 3–4 tbsp water
For the dough
- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 standard packet)
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¾ cup warm water (about 110°f / 43°c)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
For the filling
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ¾ lb italian sausage, casings removed
- 3 cups baby spinach
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- ½ cup marinara sauce, plus more for serving
For assembly
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp flaky salt
Instructions
- 1
Place the cashews in a small bowl, cover with boiling water, and soak for 30 minutes, then drain and rinse.
- 2
In a blender or food processor, combine the drained cashews, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt, and 3 tbsp water. Blend until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as needed, adding the remaining 1 tbsp water if the mixture is too thick to blend. The ricotta should be thick and spreadable, similar in texture to whole-milk ricotta. Set aside.
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