Spinach Spanokopita-style Roll Ups

It's Monday with Jan, the Mid-Westerner!

Today I'm sharing a recipe that I love, but the rest of my family doesn't share my passion.

It isn't that they don't appreciate spinach. They do. In very small portions. (Like non-existent!) And this recipe has spinach at the very heart of its being.

We can blame this on Ruthy. A couple weeks ago she shared her Baklava recipe (go read that post here.) Last Wednesday I made her Baklava for a ladies' fellowship at church.

Yes, we do make each other's recipes! And it was as easy and delicious as she promised!

Well, the problem is that the package of phyllo dough has enough dough sheets for two Baklavas, and I only made one.

I could have kept the second roll in the freezer until the next time I made Baklava - but then I remembered this recipe.

Spinach Spanokopita-style Roll Ups

filling ingredients:

10 oz. (or about 3 cups) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/4 cup onion, minced (I used sweet white onions)
1 egg
8 oz. package cream cheese, softened (I used a tub of spreadable cream cheese I had purchased by mistake)
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons dried parsley

Other ingredients:
9 sheets phyllo dough, thawed
1/3 cup butter, melted

Mix the filling ingredients together in a medium bowl, then set aside while you prepare the pastry.

I like to use a sheet of parchment paper as a base when I'm working with phyllo dough sheets. They are very fragile and dry out easily.

The box has directions on how to handle the pastry sheets. Basically, you need to keep the sheets you're not working on covered with plastic so they don't dry out.

Line a baking sheet with a second piece of parchment paper. If you haven't used parchment paper before, you'll love this stuff. It's perfect for this kind of work, and even better when you're baking cookies or brownies!

So here we go - the assembly.

Lay your first sheet of pastry on your parchment paper.

Starting with the edges, brush some melted butter on the pastry sheet with light, quick strokes. Do the edges first and then the center - you'll thank me later. :) Lay a second sheet of pastry on top of that one and repeat with the butter. Do it again with a third sheet of pastry.

Now, spoon 1/3 of your filling mixture onto one end of your pastry layers.

Fold over about an inch of the end, and then about an inch along each side, and then carefully roll up the pastry with the filling in the center.

Lay the first log on your baking sheet, and make two more logs with the rest of the pastry sheets and filling.

Slice the top layers of the logs with a sharp knife.

Bake at 375° for 25 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.

Let's look at that first picture again:

Do you see how the filling has burst through the phyllo dough? Part of the reason is that I forgot to put the egg in the filling.

I mean, what difference can one egg make?

Well, plenty. As the egg cooks, it firms up the filling, making it un-soupy. Soupy filling weakens the dough and makes a mess.

No problem! It was still delicious!

When the roll ups are done, take them out of the oven and let them cool for about 15 minutes. You can cut each roll into 5 slices for appetizers, or have a whole one for a main dish.

Enjoy!