Spinach and Ricotta Rolls
You will love these irresistible spinach and ricotta rolls! Featuring flaky, buttery puff pastry filled to the brim with a juicy spinach, ricotta and fetta filling, they are the perfect finger food for entertaining or popping into lunchboxes. Ready in 60 minutes, they can be made in your air fryer or oven. Just be sure to make a double batch, because it will be hard to stop at just one!
Servings: 12
Calories: 137kcal
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.
Nutrition
Calories: 137kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 181mg | Potassium: 155mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1788IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 172mg | Iron: 1mg