This is simplicity at its best. There are seriously so few ingredients in this recipe, but it is so good! Fresh spinach, the finest feta cheese and just a few spices. The key here is to use really good quality puff pastry sheets. And to be quite honest, I have yet to come across another puff pastry brand other than Pepperidge Farm that can give an end result like this-buttery, flaky, evenly cooked layers that can be molded into pretty little packages. Perfect for a tea party, a snack, or for last minute guests with seasoned palates. When you bake a batch of these truly puffed up pastries, they will be devoured in no time. I personally love feta cheese, but I can attest to the fact that even those who don’t have a palate for feta, will love these just the same. That first bite will leave you speechless, or shall I say spinachless.
Spinach and Feta Puff Pastries
Ingredients
- 1 box puff pastry sheets *Pepperidge Farm
- 1 bag fresh baby spinach leaves *16 oz
- 6 oz good feta cheese block *cut into chunks
- pinch of Nutmeg
- 1/4 cup crushed fried onions *homemade
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tbsp grapeseed oil
- 1 egg *for egg wash
Instructions
For the Spinach and Feta Filling
- Heat saute pan on medium high heat. Add 1 tbsp grapeseed oil. Once oil is hot, turn heat to medium and add fresh baby spinach leaves. Mix well and saute for about 4-5 minutes until spinach wilts and cooks down. Now add the black pepper, pinch of Nutmeg and crushed fried onions. Continue to cook for additional 3-4 minutes. Add bite size chunks of feta cheese and gently mix until incorporated into spinach mixture. Cook for an additional 1 minute and remove from heat. Place mixture in a colander with bowl underneath and let all excess moisture strain out. At this point, add the freshly squeezed lemon juice (while the mixture is in the colander), take a fork and gently mix and let filing rest for an additional 15-20 minutes until cool. Then spoon mixture into a bowl and set aside.
For the Puff Pastry Sheets
- Semi-thaw 1 package of Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheets. You want to start making these pastries while the sheets are still cold (if the sheets come to room temperature, you cannot work well with them). Each sheet can make 6 pastries. I cut them into three equal vertical sections and two equal horizontal sections. Fill the individual pastries with the cooled spinach mixture (about 1 heaping tablespoon) and use a fork to seal and create a design around the edges. If the pastry sheet is still a little cold, you can easily do this. You can make both sheets (total of 12 pastries) or use just one sheet (6 pastries).
- Once the pastries are filled (I work rather quickly when I am doing this as I do not want the puff pastries to get soft), place the filled pastries on a sheet pan and put in fridge for about 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 360 degrees. I know that the instructions say Preheat oven to 400 degrees but I find that this temperature does not allow even baking. I also figured out that the best way to bake these puff pastries is in a disposable foil pan greased with a little Pam cooking spray.
- Remove the pastries from the fridge, place in greased foil pan and brush the tops with an egg/water mixture (one egg and a few drops of water, using a pastry brush). Then bake them for about 16 minutes. Please do not crowd your foil pan. I place 4-5 pastries in one pan. This allows room for them to puff up. Then check for even baking of layers and a golden top, and continue to bake for an additional 4-5 minutes. I would say the total cooking time is about 20-22 minutes, but each oven is different so keep an eye out and please do not leave the kitchen. I literally hang around the kitchen the entire time when I am baking puff pastries! Once you see a golden top layer (and I carefully check the bottom layer), remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Delicious Spinach and Feta Puff Pastries are ready to serve. Nosh Farma'aiye. Enjoy!