Spinach & Red Pepper Puffs
Puff pastry appetizers are a staple during the holidays. These Spinach & Red Pepper Puffs are full of delicious vegetables and feta cheese. This is a great vegetarian appetizer to serve this holiday season!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup shallots finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove finely chopped
- 1 pound fresh spinach leaves
- 1/2 cup roasted red bell pepper finely chopped
- 3/4 cup feta cheese
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 puff pastry sheet rolled to 8x10 inches
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
Instructions
- Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the olive oil and shallots. Fry for 2-3 minutes until the shallots begin to soften and turn translucent. Add the garlic to the pan and cook for another 30 seconds. Transfer the shallots and garlic to a large mixing bowl and set aside.
- Add the spinach to the hot pan. Stir the spinach often so that it wilts down but does not burn. Once the spinach has cooked, transfer to a strainer lined with paper towel. Place the strainer and spinach in the refrigerator to cool for 20 minutes.
- While the spinach is cooling, add the roasted red pepper, feta and ground black pepper to the shallot mixture. Also, whisk the egg and water together to create an egg wash and set aside.
- After 20 minutes, the spinach should be cooled. Drain any excess water from the spinach by pressing the spinach firmly in your hands. You want to get out as much water as possible so that the puff pastry doesn't get soggy.
- Once most of the water has been removed from the spinach, roughly chop it into smaller pieces using a sharp knife and add it into the mixing bowl with the rest of the ingredients and mix to combine. Set aside for now.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
- Unroll the puff pastry onto a flat work surface and use a rolling pin to roll the pastry into a 8x10 inch rectangle. Use a sharp knife to cut the puff pastry in half lengthwise so that you have two long rectangular panels.
- Place the spinach filling down the centre of the panels, dividing the filling evenly between the two panels of puff pastry. Gently press the filling together to hold it's shape.
- Brush the long edges of the puff pastry with the egg wash to help seal the puff pastry. Then gently roll up the puff pastry to create a long log. Gently press to seal the edges. Repeat for the other puff pastry panel.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the puff pastry on an angle into 1-inch slices. Place each puff pastry on the parchment-lined baking tray about 1 inch apart. Brush the tops and sides with the egg wash and sprinkle over the black and white sesame seeds.
- Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the puff pastry has turned golden brown on the top and on the bottom. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving and enjoy!
Notes
You can assemble these Spinach & Red Pepper Puffs (up to Step 10) and freeze them. It is best to freeze them while they are spaced out on the parchment-lined baking tray so that they freeze individually and don't stick together. Once frozen solid, store these puffs in a freezer bag until you are ready to bake, and then just cook from frozen!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!