A delicious ham and cheese filling wrapped in a buttery almond flour crust. A low carb, gluten-free version of a classic! This post is sponsored by Smithfield.
I find ham kind of intimidating and I know I can’t be alone. Don’t get me wrong, it tastes great and it’s ridiculously easy to cook at home. But your typical ham is absolutely enormous and enough to feed an army. I do not have an army in my house, although I do have three children who like to battle with each other daily and sometimes I actually feel like I am in a war zone. But their little bellies can only hold so much, even if it’s something they really love to eat. And we are rarely entertaining enough people to consume the majority of a large ham in one evening. So it’s the vast amounts of leftovers that intimidate me. I am a creative person with my L.O.’s (my husband’s pet name for leftovers) but a ham can really stretch the limits of my creativity.
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The folks at Smithfield have come up with a solution for us ham-loving small families. They call these small boneless hams “Anytime Favorites” and I’ve started to see them popping up in my local grocery stores. They are only a few pounds each, and are pre-sliced and ready to be warmed up and served. Even a small family could eat the majority of one in a single meal. It makes ham a much more accessible meal option than saving them exclusively for holidays and special occasions. And depending on the size of your family, you may still have a few, manageable L.O.’s to play with.
Because I do like ham leftovers and I do like to find ways to incorporate them into some fun recipes. This time I decided to get really creative and see if I could make low carb, gluten-free calzones. Because who doesn’t love a good crusty calzone? And ham and cheese just seemed like a delicious calzone filling. I thought the dough from my Bacon & Brie Tartlets might be just the right thing and hold together enough to be folded over the filling and crimped together. I increased it by 50% because I wanted BIG hearty calzones, stuffed with lots of cheese and ham. I made mine with a mix of cheddar and Swiss because that’s what I had on hand, but you can make yours with whatever cheese you love best.
And if you want a delicious marinara sauce to dip your calzones into, check out my 15 Minute Tomato Sauce on the Swerve website. It’s perfect for the cheesy, hammy goodness and the buttery crust of these low carb, gluten-free calzones.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Smithfield. All recipes, photography, thoughts, opinions, random tangents and incoherent ramblings are my own.
- 2 1/4 cups Honeyville almond flour
- 6 tbsp coconut flour I used Bob's Red Mill
- 1/3 cup unflavoured whey protein powder
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 3 large eggs
- 6 tbsp butter melted
- 3 cups shredded cheese of choice Swiss, Cheddar, Mozzarella or a combination
- 1 & 1/2 cups chopped Smithfield ham
- 1 egg yolk
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Preheat oven to 325F.
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In a large bowl, combine almond flour, whey protein, coconut flour, baking powder, garlic and xanthan gum.
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Add eggs and melted butter and mix until dough comes together.
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Divide dough in half. Turn out first half onto a large piece of parchment paper and pat into a rough circle. Top with another piece of parchment paper and roll out into a large circle, about 12 inches in diameter (roll it out quite thinly). Remove top piece of parchment.
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Sprinkle one half of the circle with about 1 & 1/2 cups of shredded cheese and 3/4 cup of chopped ham, leaving a 3/4 inch border for sealing the calzone.
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Use the parchment paper to lift and gently fold the other half of the dough over the cheese and ham filling. Pinch the edges to seal and crimp it with your fingers to create a nice edge.
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Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Transfer calzones, still on the parchment on to baking sheets (or one large one, if you have it).
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Mix egg yolk in a small bowl and brush over the calzones.
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Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.
Serves 8. Each serving has 15 g of carbs and 8 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 7 g.
573 Calories; 46g Fat (70.5% calories from fat); 29g Protein; 15g Carbohydrate; 8g Dietary Fiber; 159mg Cholesterol; 877mg Sodium
Christine from Cook the Story says
I love how you’ve turned ordinary ham into something so delicious!
Bredna@SuagrFreeMom says
Amazing job girlfriend!! Bet the family loved them!
Carolyn says
Yep, they were a hit!
Kate @ Diethood says
I want this for lunch!! It looks amazing!!
Susan the farm quilter says
Sounds lovely! Now I wish you could come up with a gluten-free pastry shell for my Cheesy Chicken and Ham Bundles!!! I’ll share the recipe if you are interested 🙂
Carolyn says
Sure!
Maureen says
These look absolutely delicious!! What do you think of dividing the dough into 4? Then I could split each one between two and everybody gets some of the yummy corner section 🙂 . Would you change the bake time?
Thanks
Carolyn says
Yes, you could make them smaller without a problem. I think the bake time would be close to the same, actually. I’d start at 18 minutes or so and keep checking to see when it’s nicely browned. It’s possible you can pack more filling in too!
Arthur in the Garden! says
Yummy!
charlotte says
How did you DO this?!
Carolyn says
Um…do what? Is that a good question or a bad question???
charlotte says
How did you create this recipe; it looks so good!
(It was in a good way)
Sarah G says
So, do two calzones feed 8 very hungry people or are these more fitting for a light lunch for 8 moderately hungry people? Weird question, I know.
They look awesomely delicious and I’m so excited!
Carolyn says
Well, it’s pretty filling stuff. My 6’7″ hungry husband had two sections and was surprised find himself quite full afterward. It’s a lot of calories and fat per serving. You could do 8 with a salad as a “light” lunch (I put quotes because I don’t think it’s very light!) or 6 larger servings as a heavier dinner.
Sarah G says
Got it. Thanks! Just got a ham so will be trying it out next week!
Regan @ Cabot Creamery says
No more leftover ham sandwiches after Easter… this would be SO much better!
Louanne says
Wow! Just wow! Do you think the dough would hold up to traditional fillings, ie, tomato sauce, Italian sausage, etc?
Carolyn says
Yes, I think it would. Just make sure your tomato sauce is not too watery. Should be thick, like pizza sauce.
Dominique says
Hi Louanne, I just tried it with tomato sauce (and sea food instead of ham) and the dough passed the test.
Carolyn, thank you so much for this recipe! My quest for a nice pizza dough is now over. From now on, I will use this recipe as a base for any type of pizzas. The dough is simply delicious. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Dominique says
Carolyn, I did not know my last name would appear and I am not comfortable with that.
As my comment to you and Louanne is awaiting moderation, could you rectify it for me and only show «Dominique» instead of the «full monty»?
Thank you!
Carolyn says
All set. 🙂
Sean says
Very nice. But what does the whey powder do, and are there any substitutes? If I use Cabot cheddar and find a way around the whey (Uhm, sorry…) this would also be lactose free and my wife could enjoy it.
Thanks!
Carolyn says
Whey protein helps the dough rise a bit, like real pizza or calzone dough (since gluten is a protein, you need something to make up for it. But you can use other protein powders, like hemp or even powdered egg white (found in the baking aisle in many grocery stores).
Sean says
Thank you! I know what’s in store for the poor unsuspecting Easter ham leftovers!
Sean says
Please go ahead and delete one of the two posts – I originally tried to post from my iPad and it didn’t give me the “comment awaiting moderation” response. Only saw that when I tried again from my PC.
Thank you!
Cassandra says
Just removed our calzone from the oven and I can confirm it is ridiculously delicious. OMG. Easy, too, even with my not-good-at-fractions attempt to halve the recipe. A+, will nom again.
Sean says
Definitely as good as it looks! Made this for the family last night. Substituting powdered egg whites for the whey and using Cabot sharp cheddar, with just a touch of the 15 minute tomato sauce on the inside as well, it came in as low carb, lactose free, gluten free… are rare combination for such a tasty dish. Less than a day later and I’m already getting asked what other fillings I will try next.
Thank you VERY much for the great recipe!
Carolyn says
So glad it worked and that you could make a lactose free version!
Rochelle says
Hi there, I would just like to know if you have to add the coconut flour?
Carolyn says
Yes, the recipe is tested for this particular mix of almond and coconut flours.
A. Marie says
Firstly, thank you so much for creating this site. You make living LC seem doable!
I have a substantial amount of weight to lose, and have opted for the LCHF approach. I recently ordered my flours, and protein powder and tried this recipe out as soon as they came. Can I say, I wasn’t too thrilled with the calzone crust at first. It did grow on me though! But after using the whey protein in another recipe, I realized that it was the taste of the protein that wasn’t really meshing with my palate. I bought the non organic version that you recommended on here. Do you know if there is a powder that doesn’t have as strong as a taste?
Carolyn says
I don’t find it has a strong taste (I don’t taste it at all) but every palate is different. Other people recommend Designer Whey or Jay Robb. You might try those ones.
Sean says
I had good luck with powdered egg whites – both my wife (gluten intolerant) and son (basic omnivore) liked the recipe a lot and want me to do it again. No whey taste there.
Carolyn says
Great tip, Sean. Thanks!
Holli says
Carolyn,
I can’t wait to make this, I was reading the comments and want to ask you: Does the egg white powder really work in place of the protein powder? And I was going to try to use what I have which is Bob’s Red Mill almond/ meal/flour. Do you think it will work out ok? Oh yah, where can one find egg white powder? I’ve never heard of it. Thanks for your help!
Carolyn says
Egg white powder can be found in the baking aisle in many stores (make sure the brand is not sweetened). I got mine at Whole Foods. But I don’t think Bob’s will work in this case, you really need a finer grind for this recipe.
Holli says
Hi Carolyn,
me again! Looked up egg white powder online, sounds good but what I want to ask you is if this can be substituted anywhere you use the whey protein powder in your recipes? Has anyone ever found egg white powder at a grocery store or is it just online?
Carolyn says
I found mine at Whole Foods but I’ve also seen it in one of my local regular grocery chains. And yes, you should be able to sub it whenever I use whey protein as they contain about the same amount of protein per serving. The brand I use is Deb El.
Karen Franco says
question: A lot of recipes call for whey protein powder. Is that the one that makes a drink, or just bulk powder? I cannot tolerate whey, so, I would just get a plant -based protein powder, but, I need to know which type to get. Also, is it important to the recipe, or is it just to add protein?
Carolyn says
It is important to the recipe, as it replaced the protein in gluten and helps things rise and hold their shape. But you can use any kind of dry protein, even powdered egg whites.
Ann says
I made these tonight for the family and everyone loved it!! Thank you!
Milenka says
Thanks so much for the recipe!!! it is extra yum 🙂
Elena says
Hi!
Can these be made the night before and baked the next day?
Jennifer says
Hi there! I was wondering if I could use whole eggs instead of the whey protein? Or does it have to be a powdered protein? Thanks!
Carolyn says
It needs to be a dry powdered protein. Eggs will make the batter too wet.
Jennifer says
Thanks for the quick response! 🙂
christie says
Baking 4 small ones now. Waiting to have a calzone–haven’t had one since going low carb.
Made mine with broccoli, mozzarella and ricotta.
christie says
They are delish! Thank you for this great recipe!
Holli says
HI Carolyn,
I was looking for a pizza sauce recipe on your website but couldn’t find one. How do you make your pizza sauce? Thanks.
rivka says
hey, I really like your recipes
Can I make the dough with vegetarian cheese?
Carolyn says
I really can’t be sure it will work but it’s worth a try.
rivka says
Thanks