Spanakopita Puff Pastry Pinwheels

These Spanakopita Puff Pastry Pinwheels are a delicious party appetizer to make if you want to wow your guests. Spanakopita is one of my favorite Greek dishes but it can be a bit time consuming because of the phyllo dough. Using puff pastry and rolling them into pinwheels simplifies the recipe while still being able to enjoy the delicious flavors of feta cheese, spinach, and lemon in a flaky, buttery crust.

What is Spanakopita?

Spanakopita is a traditional Greek Dish that combines spinach and feta in flaky crust. It is normally made with phyllo dough, but phyllo dough can be time consuming to use because it is very delicate and you must add a layer of butter between each of the 7 layers of dough. It is much easier to make spanakopita in puff pastry, although it is not traditional. I am using puff pastry in this recipe because it is so much easier to use and it tastes absolutely delicious.

If you love spanakopita, you will love my Baked Feta Spanakopita Pasta. It is a play on the viral baked feta pasta except that I used all of the delicious flavors of spanakopita instead of feta and tomatoes.

Spanakopita in Puff Pastry

Typically spanakopita should be made with phyllo dough. Phyllo dough is a super delicate dough that comes in very thin sheets. You use about 7 sheets of phyllo dough and you must gently brush a thin layer of butter in between each sheet. It comes out so delicious, but it is definitely time consuming and gets a little messy. These flaky spinach and feta pinwheels are made with puff pastry instead.

I like using puff pastry instead of the phyllo dough because it comes out in one sheet, and it is already super buttery and flaky so it is similar to the phyllo dough in that way. You still get that crispiness when you bite into these pinwheels like you would normally have with spanakopita made with phyllo dough. You definitely have to give this spanakopita with puff pastry a try!

How to Make Spanakopita Puff Pastry Pinwheels

INGREDIENTS  

• 1 sheet Puff Pastry
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 Green Onions
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• 12 oz Frozen Spinach
• 1 tsp Fresh Dill
• 1/2 tsp Oregano Preferably Greek Oregano
• 1 Lemon
• 1/2 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• 6 oz Feta Cheese Crumbles
• 1 Egg
• 1 tbsp Water

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Keep your puff pastry in your refrigerator until you are ready to use it.
• Add your oil to a medium pan on medium low heat. Once it heats up, add your finely diced green onions and minced garlic. Let it cook for about 3-5 minutes stirring occasionally so that it does not burn.
• Add your spinach, fresh dill, and oregano and let the heat soften the spinach. Once most of the water has cooked out of your spinach, turn off the heat and let it cool down.
• Preheat your oven to 375F
• Roll out your puff pastry and add a thin layer of shredded mozzarella on top of it, making sure to not add too much near the edges. Next, add your spinach mixture evenly on top of your sheet of puff pastry.
• Using a microplane or fine grater, zest a lemon over the spinach mixture. You only want to zest the yellow layer, making sure not to grate the white layer. Then, add your feta cheese on top.
• Roll up on the long sides of your puff pastry slowly until you form a tube. Cover in plastic wrap and then stick this in the refrigerator for about twenty minutes to help it firm up before you cut it.
• Slice the puff pastry into 1/2″ slices and then add them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Mix an egg and 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush or basting brush and brush a little bit of the egg mixture over each pinwheel. This will ensure a glossy and golden brown color.
• Bake the pinwheels for about 18 minutes and remove from the oven.

How do you store Puff Pastry Pinwheels?

1. Can I store these pinwheels in the refrigerator? Yes, you can store your pinwheels in the refrigerator and then just pop them in the oven when you are ready to entertain.
2. How long will these puff pastry pinwheels keep in the fridge? You can keep these in the fridge for about 3 or 4 days. Anything longer than that and the dough will be too dried out. When you are ready to enjoy them again, pop them in the oven so that they can crisp back up.
3. How can I reheat these pinwheels? Re-heat them for about 7-10 minutes at 375F. Check on them after 7 minutes and if they are getting too dark, remove them from the oven.

Tips/Tricks

1. Once my spinach mixture is done cooking, I normally use a cheesecloth to strain out any additional water that is in the mixture. If you do not have a cheesecloth you can just keep the mixture on low heat until most of that water has cooked out.
2. Let the spinach mixture cool before you put it on your puff pastry. If the spinach is too warm it will make the dough to soft and in turn make it more difficult to roll.
3. Do not skip the lemon zest. It really adds wonderful bright flavor.
4. Do not skip the egg wash. This will make your pinwheels glossy and golden.