Crispy Spanakopita Spring Rolls
These crispy baked spanakopita spring rolls are a fun twist on this vegetarian classic. You all know how much I love spanakopita and when I saw this recipe on olivemagazine.com I thought genius!!! I had to try them. I used my own filling recipe and I also changed the method of cooking the filling too.
These are addictive, they have that extra special crunch that spring rolls do with a very delicious creamy spinach leek and feta filling. When my mom makes pita with her homemade phyllo recipe I always go for the corner pieces - the crunchiest ones. I know I’m not alone - we all love those buttery crispy edges. Well each bite of these rolls is like that corner piece - irresistibly good.
No need to make your own phyllo or even fuss with buttering layers of store-bought phyllo pastry - just stuff these wonton or spring roll wrappers with the yummy filling - roll - egg wash- bake. Easy and sooooo darn good! Don’t get me wrong I have nothing against the traditional methods of making spanakopita, but I do love a good twist on a classic recipe and this is just such a smart one - I couldn’t pass up trying it and sharing it with you.
These make for a perfect appetizer. I warn you though - they will be gone before you set them down onto your table - they are that good. Make a double batch for sure and it’s even ok to use the smaller wrappers to make them bite size. You can easily make double the amount with the smaller wrappers. Or make the same size but and double the filling amounts and wrappers to make a larger batch of them. The texture of the wrapper may be different according to the type and brand of wrapper you use, but one things will stay consistent - all of them crisp up nicely in the oven. Deep frying them will obviously get them even crunchier but if you know me you know I don’t typically deep fry anything so this baked version is right up my alley.
My mom loved these and put an order in for 50 of them to be made for a party she is invited too - they will be a cinch to whip up and as long as you don’t cover them when they are warm they will stay nice and crisp for a few hours. They are perfect with tzatziki on the side to dip these babies in. I have linked my homemade tzatziki recipe below but feel free to use store bought to keep this super simple and breezy for entertaining. You are going to love this version - give it a try and let me know what you think!
Recipe
Ingredients
- 400 grams of spinach, chopped
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- 1 leek white parts only cleaned and thinly sliced (alternatively 6 spring onions)
- 300 grams of crumbled feta
- 1 eggs, plus 1 beaten to for egg wash
- 1 small bunch of dill, finely chopped
- ¼ tsp of freshly grated nutmeg
- Zest of one small lemon
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ tsp of pepper
- 8-10 spring roll wrappers 8-10
- Sesame seeds for sprinkling over rolls
- Add 1 clove of garlic minced
Directions
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Heat the oven to 400°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan at Medium heat and cook the leeks, garlic and spinach for 8-10 minutes until spinach is cooked down and most of the moisture from it has cooked off. (If there is still a lot of moisture in the spinach feel free to squeeze some out of it with a paper towel as soon as it’s cool enough to handle) Remove from heat and place in a medium size bowl and allow to cool slightly. Add the feta, egg, dill, nutmeg and lemon zest, salt and pepper and mix really well.
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Lay a spring roll wrapper on a clean surface with one of the corners facing towards you. Put 2-3 tbsp of filling in a short, thick line parallel to you on the wrapper, 3cm from the bottom edge. Fold up the bottom corner, then fold both sides in and roll the wrapper until it is fully enclosed, using a little beaten egg to seal. Place on prepared baking sheet, then repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers.
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Brush all over with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake for 20-25 minutes or until crisp and golden. Once done allow to cool a few minutes and then serve with tzatziki.
Adapted from Olive Magazine
