Sarra Ina Garten’s spinach puff pastry is a savory spinach and cheese pie baked between two sheets of flaky puff pastry. The filling mixes spinach with Gruyère, Parmesan, onions, eggs, nutmeg, and toasted pine nuts. It serves six and bakes in about 35 minutes.
This recipe is from Ina’s Barefoot in Paris (2004). She calls puff pastry “the essence of sophisticated French cooking,” and notes that the frozen store kind works perfectly. She points to this as a lunch that also makes an elegant dinner for a vegetarian guest.
The one step you cannot skip is squeezing the water out of the spinach. Frozen spinach holds a lot of liquid, and leaving it in turns the bottom pastry soggy and raw. Wring it out hard in a towel before mixing, so the filling stays thick and the pastry bakes up crisp.
Ina Garten Spinach Puff Pastry Recipe
Course: AppetizersCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: Medium6
servings20
minutes40
minutes520
kcalAn elegant vegetarian main or lunch you can assemble a day ahead and bake before serving. Slice it at the table and serve warm with a green salad.
Ingredients
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4 tablespoons (1/2 stick / 55 g) unsalted butter
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2 cups chopped onions (about 2 onions)
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1 tablespoon chopped garlic (3 cloves)
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2 (10 oz / 280 g) boxes frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
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1/3 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts (about 2 scallions)
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1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
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3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
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4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
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1 tablespoon dry bread crumbs, plain or seasoned
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2 teaspoons kosher salt
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3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
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1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
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1/4 cup toasted pignoli (pine) nuts
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2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry, such as Pepperidge Farm,
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thawed overnight in the fridge
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1 extra-large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
Directions
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Cook the onions: Preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Melt the butter in a sauté pan and cook the onions over medium-low heat 5 to 7 minutes, until tender. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
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Make the filling: Squeeze most of the water out of the spinach. In a bowl, combine it with the onion mixture, scallions, Gruyère, Parmesan, eggs, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and pine nuts. Mix well.
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Fill the pastry: Unfold one pastry sheet onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spread the filling in the center, leaving a 1-inch border. Brush the border with egg wash.
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Top and seal: Roll the second sheet an inch larger in each direction and lay it over the filling. Seal and crimp the edges with a fork.
- Bake: Brush the top with egg wash, keeping it off the sides. Cut three small slits, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake 30 to 40 minutes, until lightly browned. Serve hot.
Notes
- Do not let the egg wash drip down the cut sides. Ina warns that this glues the pastry layers shut, so they will not rise and puff.
Thaw the puff pastry overnight in the fridge and keep it cold until it goes in the oven. Cold pastry puffs, while warm pastry bakes flat and greasy.
Toast the pine nuts first in a dry pan until lightly browned. Raw pine nuts taste flat, while toasting brings out their buttery flavor.
FAQs
Can I use fresh spinach instead of frozen?
You can, but it takes a lot more. Plan on about a pound and a half of fresh spinach to replace each box of frozen.
Wilt it down in a pan, let it cool, then squeeze it very dry. Frozen chopped spinach is simply easier here, which is why Ina uses it.
Can I make spinach puff pastry ahead of time?
Yes. Ina says you can assemble the whole thing a day in advance, keep it covered in the fridge, and bake it just before serving.
Hold off on baking until you need it, since puff pastry is at its best fresh from the oven.
What do you serve with spinach in puff pastry?
As a vegetarian main, it pairs beautifully with a green salad in a sharp Greek Salad Dressing to balance the rich, cheesy filling. A bowl of tomato soup works too.
Cut into smaller squares, it also makes a nice appetizer or part of a brunch spread.
Can I use phyllo dough instead of puff pastry?
You can, for a lighter, crispier result closer to spanakopita. Brush each phyllo layer with melted butter as you stack them.
The texture is flakier and shatters more than puff pastry’s buttery rise. Ina makes a phyllo version too, her Spinach Gratin if that is the style you want.
How do I store and reheat leftovers?
Baked leftovers keep three to four days in the fridge. Reheat them in a 350F oven, not the microwave, so the pastry crisps back up.
For longer storage, freeze it unbaked. Assemble, freeze on a tray, then bake from frozen, adding 10 to 15 minutes.
