Puff Pastry Spanakopita Recipes

SPANAKOPITA PINWHEELS

Steps:

• In a small skillet, saute onion in oil until tender. Add oregano and garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add spinach; cook 3 minutes longer or until liquid is evaporated. Transfer to a large bowl; cool., Add feta cheese and eggs to spinach mixture; mix well. Unfold puff pastry. Spread each sheet with half the spinach mixture to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style. Cut each into twelve 3/4-in. slices. Place cut side down on greased baking sheets., Bake at 400° for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

SPANAKOPITA, GREEK APPETIZER WITH PUFF PASTRY

Steps:

• In a pan over medium heat, sauté onions until fragrant then add garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds.
• Add spinach, parsley, cilantro, dill, salt and pepper mixing them all well together. Cook for 3 minutes then remove from heat and let it cool down for 10 minutes.
• Stir in one beaten egg and feta cheese.
• Preheat oven to 400F. Beat remaining egg in a small bowl.
• Cut pastry sheet into 12 equal parts.
• Lightly brush the cups of a mini muffin tin with butter or oil, this step is optional just to make sure that the puff pastry will not be stuck.
• Press each puff square into the bottom of one muffin tin, fill with the spinach filling and fold pastry over brushing the top with the beaten egg.
• Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
• Let it cool slightly before serving.

SPINACH PIE IN PUFF PASTRY (SPANAKOPITA)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment (preferable) but you can use aluminum foil with a light spray of cooking oil.
• Melt butter and cook onions for a few minutes, until soft. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
• Beat eggs in medium bowl. Add cooked onion, spinach, feta, parmesan, bread crumbs. Add salt, pepper, & nutmeg. Mix well with fork.
• Place one unfolded sheet of puff pastry on the parchment or sprayed aluminum foil. Spread the spinach mixture over the pastry, leaving a border of one inch all around the edges. Keep the spinach flat; do not pile high.
• Brush the edges with the egg wash made with the last egg. Cover with the second sheet of pastry that has been slightly flattened with a rolling pin to one inch bigger than the first sheet. (This ensures all the spinach will be covered). Press edges together with fingertips or fork, making sure mixture is sealed well. Brush just the top with egg wash, careful not to drip any down the sides. Cut a few slits in the top with a sharp knife to allow steam to escape.
• Bake 30-40 minutes, until golden brown. Can be served hot or at room temperature.

MAMA VOULA'S SPANAKOPITA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and coat with the 3 tablespoons of oil. When the oil is hazy, add the leeks and garlic; cook and stir until fragrant and very soft, about 4 minutes. Add the spinach in handfuls, folding the leaves under with a spoon as you add each batch. Let the spinach wilt and cook down before adding more. Once all the spinach is in the pan, season with the pepper.
• Remove from the heat and transfer the spinach mixture to a colander over the sink. Using the back of a spoon, gently press out all of the excess liquid. Set aside to cool; the filling needs to cool down a bit to prevent the dough from becoming soggy. Once the mixture is cool, add the feta, dill, mint, and eggs. Fold the ingredients together until well combined.
• Brush the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with oil. Working with 1 sheet at a time, lay the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it out slightly to fit the pan. Line the bottom of the dish with the first piece of dough, pressing into the corners. Trim off any excess with a paring knife. Spread the spinach filling evenly over the dough. Cover with the second sheet of dough, trimming around the edges of the dish. Brush the top with oil.
• Bake until the top is puffed and golden brown, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting into squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.

SPANAKOPITA PUFFS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 375°F. Lightly spray 2 baking sheets with vegetable cooking spray.
• Heat the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it's tender. Add the spinach and cook for 2 minutes or until the liquid evaporates, stirring constantly. Remove the skillet from the heat. Beat 1 egg in a small bowl with a fork. Stir the beaten egg, cream cheese and garlic powder in the skillet.
• Unfold 1 pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry into a 9 x12-inch rectangle. Cut the rectangle into 4 (4 1/2 x 6-inch) rectangles. Repeat with the remaining pastry sheet, making 8 rectangles in all. Beat the remaining egg and water in a small bowl with a fork. Brush the edges of rectangles with the egg mixture.
• Spoon about 1/4 cup spinach mixture onto the center of each rectangle. Top each with 1 tablespoon feta cheese. Fold the pastry in half over the filling and crimp the edges with a fork to seal. Brush the pastries with the egg mixture.
• Bake the pastries for 25 minutes or until they're golden brown. Let the pastries stand for 10 minutes.

PUFF PASTRY SPANAKOPITA

Steps:

• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F.
• Heat 2 tsp. of the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add a batch of spinach and toss with tongs until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Transfer with tongs to a colander set over a bowl, and let drain. Repeat with the remaining spinach (don't add more oil).
• Wipe the pan dry, reduce the heat to medium, and add the remaining 2 Tbs. oil. Add the onion and scallions and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• In a large bowl, lightly beat the 3 whole eggs. Season with 1/2 tsp. salt, a generous grind of black pepper, and the nutmeg. Stir in the dill, parsley, and pecorino. Gently stir in the feta.
• Squeeze handfuls of the spinach to release as much liquid as possible; then pull apart the clumps with your fingers. Add the spinach and the onion mixture to the eggs and stir gently to combine.
• Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Without unfolding, cut one pastry sheet crosswise into thirds (refrigerate the other sheet). On a lightly floured work surface, unfold a third of the pastry, cut it into thirds, and roll each piece into a 4-inch square. Transfer the squares to the baking sheets. Repeat with the 2 remaining thirds to yield 9 squares. Spread about 1/2 cup of the filling over each square in an even layer, leaving a 3/4-inch border on all sides.
• In a small bowl, whisk the 2 egg yolks and 2 tsp. water. Lightly brush the egg wash over the pastry borders. Cut the other pastry sheet as above, but roll each piece into a 5-inch square. Place the squares over the filling and press the top and bottom edges of the pastries together to seal.
• Brush the top of each with the remaining egg wash and cut a small vent to allow steam to escape. Bake, swapping and rotating the baking sheets' positions halfway through baking, until a knife inserted into the filling comes out clean and the pastry is puffed and deep golden, about 20 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes, cut each square in half on the diagonal, and serve.

PUFF PASTRY SPANAKOPITA BRAID

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C / 360F. Prepare your spinach. First, defrost it. Either leave it out to thaw for a few hours at room temperature, or use your microwave's defrost setting for a few minutes. It doesn't need to be warm or completely thawed, you just want to loosen up the blocks of spinach enough to be able to squeeze out moisture. To do this, I like to put all the spinach into a sieve or colander and use a heavy bowl to press down and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
• Place the spinach into a large bowl and set aside.
• Heat a little oil in a frying pan and saute the onion until soft.
• Add the onion into the bowl with the spinach and mix in the feta, cream cheese, lemon juice and mint. Add a little extra cream cheese if needed to bind everything together into a nice creamy filling.
• Time to prepare the braid. There are images of process in the blog post above. Unroll your puff pastry to lay flat on a baking tray lined with baking paper (your pastry may come rolled in baking paper that you can use).
• Use kitchen scissors or a knife to cut slices (just under 1/3rd of the way in) on either side. Scoop your filling (1/2 per braid) in the middle and bring the pastry strips on either side up to cover the filling, allowing them to overlap in the middle.
• Whisk an egg thoroughly in a small bowl and brush over the top of the spanakopita braids.
• Bake for 25 minutes or until the top is crisp and golden.

EASY SPANAKOPITA TRIANGLES

Steps:

• break up the frozen spinach, rinse with cool water and squeeze out the water, leave to drain while you cook the onions
• in a skillet over medium heat melt the butter and cook the onions until soft and translucent
• while the onions cook mix the feta and the egg yolks in a mixing bowl
• mix the remaining egg and egg whites together to make an egg wash and set aside
• when the onions are done mix them with the cold spinach to cool them off
• then mix them into feta and eggs
• roll out one Puff Pastry sheet to roughly 12 inches square, score the sheet into 16 squares approximately 3x3 inches
• divide the filling in half in the bowl and then split one of those halves between the 16 squares
• fold each square over to form a triangle and then use a folk to crimp the edge
• transfer the hand pies to a baking sheet, brush lightly with the egg wash and bake in a 350˚ oven for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked through
• repeat with the remaining puff pastry and filling
• makes 32

SPANAKOPITA PUFF PASTRY BITES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375F.
• Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to about a 12- by 14-inch rectangle. Make 6 cuts across the pastry at equal intervals the long way, then make 4 cuts across the pastry the short way (you end up with 24 pieces of dough).
• Press each piece into a mini muffin cup. Cover the muffin tray with plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge to chill while you make the filling.
• Whisk the eggs and egg yolk together, then measure out 1 tablespoon to reserve for the eggwash.
• Heat the oil in a large lidded skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender and starting to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat up to medium-high, add the kale and water, cover the skillet, and cook until the liquid is evaporated and the kale is almost tender, about 8 minutes. (If the skillet gets too dry before the kale is almost tender, add a splash more water as needed.)
• Stir in the garlic, dill, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper, and cook (uncovered) until very tender, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in lemon juice and turn off heat.
• Cool slightly, then stir in the eggs (except the reserved egg for eggwash) along with the feta and pine nuts.
• Fill the pastries with the kale mixture, using your finger to pack it down lightly. Lightly brush the dough with eggwash and bake until the pastries are puffed and golden, about 24 minutes.
• Serve hot, warm, or room temperature along with chunky tomato sauce, if desired.

SPANAKOPITA HAND PIES

Steps:

• Thaw puff pastry according to package directions.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft. Stir in garlic and cook an additional minute.
• Add spinach to skillet, season with salt, basil, and oregano. Stir. Continue to cook spinach until soft and wilted. Remove skillet from heat and allow spinach to cool.
• When spinach has cooled, combined cooked spinach with cottage cheese and crumbled feta.
• Place puff pastry on a floured work space. Roll puff pastry to a 10 x13 in rectangle (approximately).
• Cut each puff pastry sheet into squares (24 total).
• Place a tablespoon of filling on half of the squares and cover with remaining puff pastry squares.
• Press sheets together, wetting fingers if necessary.
• Crimp edges of hand pies with a fork.
• Whisk together the egg and the water and brush egg wash over each pastry. Place tiny slits into each puff pastry top to allow steam to escape.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Refrigerate hand pies for while oven heats.
• Bake hand pies for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

SPANAKOPITA IN PASTRY CUPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400º.
• Bake the pastry shells according to package directions.
• Meanwhile, place the spinach in a microwave-safe bowl and microcook 15 minutes, covered on HIGH, until defrosted and hot.
• Melt the margarine in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add onion to skillet and cook until soft, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• When onion is soft, reduce heat to medium. Sprinkle flour over onion and cook for 1 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add the milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly. Cook stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens, 3-5 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to low. Add feat, dill, lemon uice, pepper and salt.
• Stir to melt cheese, about 1 minute.
• Remove from heat.
• Drain spinach well and add to skillet along with turkey. Return to heat and stir well to mix and heat thru.
• Remove tops from puff pastry shells. Remove the uncooked portions from inside of shells and discard.
• Fill each shell with 3/4 cup spinach mixture. Replace the tops and serve.

SPANAKOPITA PUFF PASTRY BRAID

Steps:

• ​Preheat the oven to 400 °F, 200 °C.
• ​Begin by preparing the spinach filling. In a large bowl, combine the spinach, feta, ricotta cheese, dill, salt, pepper, and scallions. Mix well until the spinach is completely coated with the cheeses and all of the ingredients are well incorporated.
• Taste and check for seasoning. Add more salt and pepper if needed.
• Beat the egg and add to the spinach mixture. Mix well until incorporated and set aside.
• ​
• Lightly dust your work surface with some all-purpose flour. Roll out each sheet of puff pastry to a 12" by 15" rectangle. Place the puff pastry sheet on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
• Make an even number of diagonal cuts down each side (approx. 1 inch apart) of the rectangle.
• Divide the spinach filling into 2 portions.
• Spread the spinach and cheese mixture down the center of the prepared puff pastry.
• Fold the diagonal strips of dough in a criss-cross pattern over the filling, forming a braid.
• Press the ends together to seal the top and bottom.
• Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.
• Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes or in the refrigerator for 25 minutes.
• Bake in the center rack of the oven until puffed and golden brown. About 30-35 minutes.
• Allow to cool completely before serving.
• Serve with tzaztiki sauce.
• Make ahead tips:
• The puff pastry braid can be assembled, chilled in the freezer until firm then wrapped with parchment paper and foil until ready to bake.
• The frozen (uncooked) braid can be store in the freezer up to 3 weeks.
• When ready to bake, brush with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar and bake until puffed and golden. About 45-50 minutes.