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Spinach & Ricotta Rolls

Prep Time: 10 Minutes   Cook Time:25 minutes


Looking for a meat free alternative that is great for parties, lunch boxes or a quick snack and super easy to make then this one is for you. Cheesy Spinach and Ricotta Rolls are the perfect on-the-go snack.

Now the filling for Spinach and Ricotta rolls is slightly different to that of cannelloni or a Spinach Ricotta Rotolo (two similar dishes that use a spinach and ricotta filling). Now the reason behind the variation from these two other standard recipes is that I believe that the filling needs to be slightly juicier and needs a bit more flavour, as the other recipes all use a sauce of some kind.

Now this dish isn’t associated with a typical cultural cuisine, such as pasta is with Italian for example. But instead it chooses to remain neutral, which allows for other associations to be placed on this dish. Such as fond memories when this dish was present, this dish for me is a walk down nostalgias driveway to my beautiful childhood where id make this dish with my family and have some really fun times with memories that I’ll cherish forever.

So, I guess the only thing left to do is for you to try this dish yourself and go our there and create some beautiful memories for you and your community.



Ingredients


Filling


250 g / 8 oz frozen chopped spinach , thawed

400 g / 13 oz firm ricotta

¾ cup grated parmesan

1 ½ cups shredded cheese (cheddar, tasty, Monterey Jack, Gruyere, Pepper Jack)

1 Egg

Black pepper

1 large garlic clove , minced

Pinch of nutmeg (fresh grated or powder)

¼ - ½ tsp salt


Rolls


3 sheets puff pastry

1 egg , beaten

Sesame seeds (optional)

Directions


  1. Take pastry out of freezer.
  2. Place spinach in a colander and use a wooden spoon or your hands to press out excess water. You could also do this using a tea towel or paper towels. Transfer spinach to a bowl (drink the liquid, it’s good for you!).
  3. Add remaining Filling ingredients. Mix to combine.
  4. Place pastry on work surface and cut in half to create 2 rectangles – you should have 6 in total.
  5. Divide filling between pastries, brush edge with egg then roll up, finishing with the seam side down.
  6. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180C/350F.
  7. Spray 2 x baking trays with oil (any).
  8. Cut rolls into 4, or whatever size you want. Brush tops with egg (makes it golden) then sprinkle with sesame seeds.
  9. Bake for 25 minutes, then take out the top tray and move the bottom tray to the top and give it an additional 5 - 10 minutes to make it golden.
  10. Best served warm – the pastry is crispier and the filling is juicier.

Credit: Nagi from recipetineats for the creation and authorship of this recipe, her original recipe can be found at https://www.recipetineats.com/spinach-and-ricotta-rolls/