Every time I hear the words ‘spinach puff’ I think of Kronk from the Emperor’s New Groove. Tell me I’m not the only one! These Greek-inspired spinach puffs are filled with an easy, homemade spinach filling flavored with onions, garlic, crumbled feta, fresh dill, lemon zest, and a hint of nutmeg. Plus, you can make the filling ahead of time. Then when you’re ready to make the puffs, mix in the fresh herbs, feta cheese, and an egg, fill the puff pastry squares with the filling, brush with an egg wash, and bake these until they’re golden and puffy! These little golden puffs are the perfect appetizer to make for the holidays (perfect for a Christmas or a New Year’s Eve party) and you can pretty much make them year-round for other get-togethers too! Each bite has briny feta, buttery puff pastry, a hint of lemon zest, and tender spinach, and to be honest, they remind me of the best spanakopita!
Ingredients for homemade spinach puffs:
Puff Pastry: Is usually in the same aisle as frozen desserts in most grocery stores these days. Keep in mind that puff pastry and phyllo dough are different. Puff pastry is laminated with thin layers of butter in between. Phyllo (or Filo) is virtually fat-free and very delicate, like parchment. Be sure to defrost the pastry according to the package directions. I usually just let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight.Frozen Spinach: Frozen spinach works best for this recipe. All you need to do is thaw it in the refrigerator overnight, or zap it in the microwave until it’s softens. squeeze as much of the water from the spinach as you can before adding it to the filling mixture.Olive oil: Is used to cook the filling in.Onions + Scallions: We’re using both white onions and chopped scallions in this recipe. The onions and scallions give the filling an amazing flavor.Garlic cloves: We’ll flavor the filling with some garlic as well.Spices: just a dash of ground nutmeg and some red pepper flakes work well with the other ingredients. Nutmeg makes it smell amazing and the pepper flakes add just the tiniest bit of heat.Eggs: Are used in two different ways The first is as a binder for the filling. The remaining egg is used for an egg wash on the outside of the puff pastry.Lemon: We’ll use a tablespon of lemon juice and the zest of one lemon to help add a bit of freshness and acid to the filling.Herbs: I use both fresh parsley and fresh dill for the filling. I love the flavor of dill with spinach. I always like to add some to my palak paneer as well! If you aren’t a fan of dill, feel free to up the amount of parsley a bit.Cheeses: You’ll need both fresh crumbled feta and parmesan cheese. I usually buy parmesan cheese in bulk and keep it in my freezer. If you have a high powered blender, it takes seconds to pulse up some parmesan! I usually prefer to buy a chunk of feta that I crumbled myself. My favorite grocery store in town makes feta in store and it’s so good.
How to make spinach puffs:
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