You will love these irresistible spinach and ricotta rolls! Featuring flaky, buttery puff pastry filled to the brim with a juicy spinach, ricotta and feta filling, they are the perfect finger food for entertaining or popping into lunchboxes. Make them in your air fryer or oven – just be sure to make a double batch, because it will be hard to stop at just one!
I love simple recipes that are quick, easy and versatile – and these addictive spinach and ricotta pastries tick all of those boxes! Packed full of savoury flavour, they are perfect for serving as appetisers or keeping in the freezer for an easy lunchbox snack.
We try to skip meat in our house a few times a week. And it is so easy to do. Especially when you can switch meat for tasty, flavour-packed recipes like tortellini soup, vegetarian chilli, spinach and ricotta cannelloni and halloumi burgers!
Like these vegetarian mushroom and lentil sausage rolls, these spinach and ricotta rolls make a great vegetarian option. They are similar to sausage rolls without the meat filling, but loaded with savoury, umami flavour that everyone will love. Even meat-lovers will be reaching for seconds!
Serve them warm with salad or veggies for the perfect meat-free meal.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Quick and easy.
- Versatile. Make them large or small, depending on the occasion. Serve them as an appetiser at parties, pop them into lunchboxes or use them for a quick and easy lunch or dinner option.
- Vegetarian. This recipe is suitable for vegetarians.
- Can be easily multiplied. Make a double (or triple) batch, perfect for feeding a hungry crowd.
- Freezer friendly. They freeze well for up to 3 months, so you can store a batch for easy snacking. Freeze any leftovers, ready to heat up for a quick dinner any time.
Ingredients you will need
** This post contains tips and instructions to achieve the best possible results. The photo above is a great guide for when you are in the supermarket, but for full ingredient quantities and methods, please scroll down to the detailed recipe card below!
- Spinach – fresh spinach is sauteed with garlic to add loads of flavour to the filling. Baby spinach or larger spinach leaves can be used. Frozen spinach can be used in a pinch, however the flavour won’t be quite the same. If using frozen spinach, you will need to thaw and squeeze out any excess liquid first.
- Puff pastry – in Australia, puff pastry comes in 25cm x 25cm (10 x 10”) squares that can be found in the freezer section of supermarkets and grocers. For this recipe, the squares are cut in half, making 4 rectangles. For best results, the pastry needs to be fully thawed before rolling, to avoid cracks.
- Breadcrumbs – made using fresh white bread, breadcrumbs are used to help hold the mixture together. Use 1-2 pieces of fresh bread (weights included below) and blitz them in a food processor until fine.
- Cheese – smooth ricotta, parmesan and feta combine to make the creamy, oozy savoury cheese filling. Use a tub of regular, full-fat smooth ricotta for best results. Don’t use fresh deli ricotta, as it will be too wet for the mixture. The parmesan should be grated fresh, as store-bought pre-grated cheese contains an anti-caking agent which means they won’t melt into the mixture as nicely. Make sure you use a vegetarian version of parmesan if needed, or swap for nutritional yeast.
- Sesame seeds – or poppy seeds are sprinkled over the top to add extra taste and texture.
- Egg – is used to glaze the pastry and make it lovely and golden.
Step by step guide
Step 1. Wilt the spinach;
Fry the oil and garlic together over low heat until soft and fragrant and then add the spinach leaves. Stir until wilted.
The spinach leaves need to have the liquid squeezed from them to avoid soggy rolls (once they have cooled slightly, to avoid burning your hands!). Squeeze the cooled leaves and discard the excess liquid.
Step 2. Make the breadcrumbs;
I make my breadcrumbs in a food processor, but if you don’t have one, you can tear the bread into very small pieces.
Blitz the bread in a food processor until it breaks down into fine crumbs.
Step 3. Make the spinach and ricotta filling;
Mix the spinach, breadcrumbs and the other filling ingredients into a large bowl and stir to combine.
Step 4. Make the rolls;
Using a sharp knife, cut the puff pastry square in half, making a total of 4 rectangles.
Divide the mixture evenly between the rectangles and shape it along the middle.
Brush the long edge with a little egg and then roll up, finishing with the seam-side down. Be sure not to roll them too tightly or too full, or the rolls will spill during baking.
Brush the tops with egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Refrigerate the rolls for 20-30 minutes before cutting. This step is important and helps to firm up the filling. The pastry will also firm up slightly, making it easier to cut the rolls without tearing the pastry.
Step 5. Bake;
Cut the rolls into your desired size and bake according to the recipe card instructions below.
When ready, the rolls will be puffed, flaky and golden.
Allow the rolls to cool slightly on a wire rack before serving them with your favourite sauce.
Expert tips
- Thaw the puff pastry fully before rolling. If the pastry is still cold, it will crack.
- Place the rolls back into the fridge for 20-30 minutes before cutting them into portions. The pastry will firm up again in the fridge (as well as the filling) and is less likely to tear when slicing.
- Bake seam side down and avoid over-filling the rolls to avoid them breaking open or oozing out from the casing while baking. Divide the mixture evenly between each pastry rectangle and make sure there is enough pastry to seal firmly.
- Season the filling generously with salt and pepper for best results.
- You can substitute fresh spinach for frozen spinach. Just make sure you squeeze the excess liquid from the spinach first, or the rolls will be soggy.
- You can customise the size of the rolls to suit, depending on your needs. Cut them into larger portions if they are for dinner or lunch, or make smaller rolls for finger food or to fit into lunchboxes. Please note that the cooking times are for the rolls being cut into 12 pieces and will vary if making larger or smaller rolls.
- Storage; store these rolls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze them for up to 2 months. To reheat, place them in the oven at 180C/356F for around 10 minutes, or an air fryer at 200 C/392 F for 5 minutes, or until crispy and heated through. If reheating from frozen, add an extra 5 minutes to the cooking time.
- Freezing; allow the rolls to completely cool to room temperature before placing them in an airtight container. Separate any layers with baking paper or paper towels. Freeze for up to 2 months.
FAQs
Yes! The ingredients can easily be multiplied for bulk-baking. This makes them perfect for serving to a hungry crowd or keeping the freezer stocked for lunchboxes or a quick lunch/dinner.
The spinach and ricotta filling can be frozen to add to rolls at a later date. To use, let the mixture thaw in a fridge overnight, give it a stir and then add it to the pastry as per the instructions below.
Spinach and ricotta rolls can be made in the oven or air fryer, depending on preference. To air fry, place them into the air fryer basket (leave a little space between each one to allow for expansion) and cook at 200C/392F for around 15-20 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Depending on the size of your air fryer basket, you may need to cook in batches. Cooking times will vary depending on the type of air fryer you use.
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Spinach and Ricotta Rolls
Ingredients
For the spinach and ricotta filling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 200 grams baby spinach leaves
- 450 grams ricotta use a tub of regular, full-fat ricotta.
- ½ cup parmesan cheese grated. Use a vegetarian version of parmesan cheese, if required.
- ¼ cup Greek feta crumbled
- 60 grams white bread 1-2 slices, broken into small pieces
- salt and pepper
- 1 large pinch ground nutmeg
To make the rolls
- 2 sheets puff pastry thawed at room temperature for at least 10 minutes
- 1 egg whisked
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Heat the oil and garlic together in a large frying pan over low heat and cook for around 1 minute, until soft.
- Add the spinach and continue to stir over low heat until the spinach has wilted.
- Transfer the spinach to a bowl and set aside to cool slightly. Once cooled, use your hands to squeeze the excess liquid from the spinach. Discard the liquid.
- In a food processor, place the torn bread and blitz until you have fine breadcrumbs.
- Place the spinach, breadcrumbs and all of the other filling ingredients into a large bowl and stir until completely combined.
- Take the thawed puff pastry sheets and slice them in half through the middle, making 4 rectangular pieces.
- Divide the filling evenly between the four pieces and shape the filling in a line along the middle of each piece.
- Brush the long edge with a little egg and then roll up, finishing with the seam-side down.
- Brush the tops with egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Refrigerate the rolls for at least 20 minutes before cutting.
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 °C/356 F. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper and spray with a little oil spray.
- Cut the rolls into pieces (3 pieces per roll for 12 medium rolls, or 4-5 pieces per roll for smaller rolls).
- Place the rolls seam-side down on the prepared trays. Leave a little space between each roll for them to expand a little.
- Bake for around 35 minutes, or until the pasty is golden and flaky. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.
For Air Fryer
- To cook in the air fryer, follow the steps 1-9 and 11 above to make the rolls.
- Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook in batches. Place the rolls into your air fryer basket, leaving enough space between each roll so that they are not touching.
- Cook at 200C/392F for 15-20 minutes, until the pastry is puffed, flaky and golden. Allow to cool slightly on a wire rack before serving.
Notes
- Puff pastry – in Australia, puff pastry comes in 25cm x 25cm (10 x 10”) squares that can be found in the freezer section of supermarkets and grocers. For this recipe, the squares are cut in half, making 4 rectangles. For best results, the pastry needs to be fully thawed before rolling, to avoid cracks.
- Thaw the puff pastry fully before rolling. If the pastry is still cold, it will crack.
- Place the rolls back into the fridge for 20 minutes before cutting them into portions. The pastry will firm up a little more in the fridge and is less likely to tear when slicing.
- Bake seam side down and avoid over-filling the rolls to avoid them breaking open or oozing out from the casing while baking. Divide the mixture evenly between each pastry rectangle and make sure there is enough pastry to seal firmly.
- Season the filling generously with salt and pepper for best results.
- Make sure you really squeeze the spinach to remove all of the excess liquid. Otherwise the filling will become wet.
- You can substitute fresh spinach for frozen spinach. Just make sure you squeeze the excess liquid from the spinach first, or the rolls will be soggy.
- You can customise the size of the rolls to suit, depending on your needs. Cut them into larger portions if they are for dinner or lunch, or make smaller rolls for finger food or to fit into lunchboxes. Please note that the cooking times above are for the rolls to be cut into 12 pieces. The cooking times will vary if making larger or smaller rolls.
- Storage; store these rolls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze them for up to 3 months. To reheat, place them in the oven at 180C/356F for around 10 minutes, or an air fryer at 200 C/392 F for 5 minutes, or until crispy and heated through. If reheating from frozen, add an extra 5 minutes to the cooking time.
- The quantities in this recipe can be easily multiplied for batch-baking. This makes them perfect for serving to larger crowds or keeping in the freezer for lunchboxes.
- Freezing; Allow the rolls to completely cool to room temperature before placing them in an airtight container. Separate any layers with baking paper or paper towels. Freeze for up to 2 months.
- Please note that the nutrition information is based on the rolls being cut into 12 pieces, with one roll being one serve. The nutritional information is an estimate only and does not take into account any additional sides served with the rolls. Depending on the sizes you cut the rolls into, nutritional values will vary.
- This recipe is made using Australian cups and spoon measurements. Due to cup sizes varying from country to country, I advise adjusting if necessary.
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