Packed with nutrients, Spinach and Ricotta Rolls are a delicious, cheesy and hearty vegetarian main course or side dish. Impressive for guests and great to make ahead for weeknight meals, too.

Two stacked Spinach and Ricotta Rolls on a cream-colored plate with Eucalyptus leaves behind it.

Made mostly of spinach, this dish is packed with fresh flavors and warming spices.

The Spinach and Ricotta Rolls bake beautifully, are easy to slice, and can be the star of the meal, or shine as a side dish alongside chicken, fish, meat, salads, etc.

And for and even easier quicker meal, you can make a pie with the same ingredients. (Instructions for a pie are in Variations below.)

The Ingredients

Fresh spinach leaves, half of an onion, garlic cloves, lemon and terra cotta bowls with Parmesan and ricotta cheese, and two eggs.

olive oil - Regular or extra virgin.
yellow onion - Choose onions that are firm, heavy for their size and without bruises.
garlic - Look for firm heads of garlic without any soft spots or green shoots, which is an indication of old garlic. Raw garlic cloves should be firm without any dark spots.
fresh spinach - If you can, buy triple-washed spinach leaves. Spinach can be very dirty and takes a good amount of time to clean it thoroughly. Substitution: If you want to save time, use frozen spinach -- also 1 pound. Be sure to thaw and drain it thoroughly before using it.
Ricotta cheese - Whole fat is preferable, but part skim is okay too.
Parmesan cheese - Super finely grated is best for this recipe. I use the one from Trader Joe's.
lemon zest & lemon juice - When they're in season, try to use Meyer lemons, as they are a touch less tart and a bit sweeter. And with a thinner skin and fewer seeds, they are incredibly juicy.
spices: cayenne pepper and nutmeg - These spices add warmth and very subtle heat to the overall flavor.
Phyllo dough (Filo dough) - Almost all grocery stores carries this one, and it works very well. It comes frozen and you will need to thaw it before you use it. The best way to thaw phyllo dough is to place it in the refrigerator about 24 hours before you're going to use it. Substitution: While puff pastry and phyllo dough are quite different, you can use puff pastry if you prefer it. It will be much thicker, and it should only be folded over the filling and sealed, rather than rolled into a spiral.

How to Make Spinach Rolls with Ricotta

- Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

- Coat the bottom of a large skillet with olive oil and place it over medium-low heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté just until the onions are soft and translucent. Mix in the nutmeg and cayenne pepper.

Dark skillet with a wooden spatula and cooked, finely chopped onion.

- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add all of the spinach, mix and turn off the heat. Drain as soon as all of the leaves are wilted, and leave it in the colander to cool.

Large pot of hot water on the stove full of wilted spinach leaves.

Colander in sink with cooked spinach leaves draining.

- Add ricotta, Parmesan, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt to a large mixing bowl. Set aside.

Recipe Tip: I use a food processor to blend the spinach with the eggs. Alternately, you can finely chop the spinach and add it, along with the eggs to the other ingredients.

- Once the spinach has cooled, squeeze as much liquid as possible out of it with your hands. As you do this, add the spinach to a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and add the eggs. Blend until it’s relatively smooth and the spinach is in tiny pieces.

Recipe Tip: It's very important to drain the spinach after it's wilted, and "wring" it out with your hands again before adding it to the recipe. The rolls won't turn out as well with too much liquid.

- Add the spinach mixture and onions, to the bowl with the cheese and mix it's evenly combined.

Cooked spinach and two eggs in a rood processor ready to be blended.

Spinach that's been puréed with eggs in a food processor.

Cream-colored ceramic bowl with ingredients for filling for spinach and ricotta rolls - lemon zest, ricotta, spinach, Parmesan, onions and garlic -- ready to be mixed.

Cream-colored ceramic bowl with ingredients for filling for spinach and ricotta rolls all mixed together -- lemon zest and juice, Ricotta, spinach, Parmesan, onions and garlic and spices.

- Lay two pieces of phyllo dough on a clean dry surface and use a pastry brush to brush the top with melted butter. Place two more sheets on top and then brush the surface with more melted butter.

Recipe Tip: To keep the phyllo soft after you take it out of the package, place a damp paper towel over it.

- Use a slotted spoon to scoop about half of the spinach filling onto the buttered phyllo. Spread it evenly, leaving a couple of inches of space at both of the short ends. Gently roll, starting from a short end. Repeat this process with the second half of the filling and phyllo.

Two sheets of phyllo dough on parchment paper with a tiny bowl of melted butter and a pastry brush.

Two sheets of phyllo dough on parchment paper with a pastry brush and melted butter brushed on the surface.

A few layers of phyllo dough with spinach and ricotta filling spread over almost the entire surface, with a small metal spatula.

Several sheets of buttered phyllo being rolled around spinach and Rioctta filling, on parchment paper.

- Place the rolls on the parchment-lined sheet pan. Brush them with more melted butter. Mix a little bit more Parmesan with a pinch of nutmeg and a pinch of cayenne and then evenly sprinkle each roll with it.

- Bake in the preheated oven until the phyllo is golden and the filling is cooked through.

Two rolls of phyllo dough with spinach filling with a pastry brush and melted butter brushed on top of them.

Two rolls of baked crispy phyllo dough with spinach filling on parchment paper.

- Briefly let the rolls cool, slice each one in half, and serve.

This makes 4 single servings. Since most people enjoy seconds, you might want double batch if you're serving 4 people.

(More detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.)

Variations

For a pie. Use the same ingredient list and same measurements, minus 4 of the phyllo sheets. Use a 9 ½-inch pie dish and line it with the phyllo sheets, with melted butter between each one. Add the spinach and ricotta filing and fold the tops edges of the phyllo over it a bit. Bake according to the recipe below. (You can also use a store-bought pie crust.)
For an appetizer or hors d'oeuvre. Slice the rolls into about 8 slices each and serve warm.
More mild version: The amount of cayenne pepper in this recipe will only bring a very subtle heat to the dish. Feel free to skip it. It doesn't need a substitution. (Nutmeg has a strong flavor, and a little goes a long way, so don't add more of it instead of using the cayenne.)

Two Spinach and Ricotta Rolls on a cream-colored plate with Eucalyptus leaves behind it.

Serving Suggestions

When served as a vegetarian entrée, I like to add a salad to the meal. Cucumber Avocado Salad with Grapefruit or Persimmon Salad with Honey Pistachios would both be excellent choices.
As a side dish, the Spinach and Ricotta Rolls are fantastic with Olive Oil Poached Salmon, Cast Iron Skillet Chicken or Mediterranean Marinated Flank Steak.
And to keep the whole meal vegetarian, I love the rolls with Coconut Spiced Carrot Soup -- this combination is especially good in the cooler months.

Making it Ahead

For the phyllo "crust" to be at its crispiest, Spinach Ricotta Rolls should be served as close to the baking time as possible. They will still be delicious however, if they're made ahead.
You can make the rolls up to 3 days ahead of time. Bake them, let them cool to room temperature, and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a 375°F oven until hot, about 15 minutes.
They can be frozen for up to a month in an airtight container or freezer bag.
If you stack them in the refrigerator or freezer, place a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper between the layers.
Do not make them ahead without baking them, or the phyllo will become soggy!

More Must-Try Spinach-Centric Vegetarian Dishes

You can learn more about Phyllo dough here.

Close up of two stacked Ricotta Spinach Rolls of a cream-colored plate with green leaves in the background.

I hope you love these Spinach Ricotta Rolls as much as my family and I do!

Spinach and Ricotta Rolls Recipe

Valentina K. Wein

Packed with nutrients, Spinach and Ricotta Rolls are a delicious, cheesy and hearty vegetarian main course or side dish. Impressive for guests and great to make ahead for weeknight meals, too.

5 from 7 votes

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 30

Total Time 55

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Greek

Servings

Calories 463 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

1½ tablespoons olive oil
1 pound fresh spinach, triple washed and dried
1 cup (½-pound) finely chopped yellow onion
2 teaspoons (about 2 medium-sized cloves) minced garlic
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 pinches cayenne pepper
2 large eggs
1 cup (10-ounces) Ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 tablespoon lemon zest (from about 1 large lemon)
1 tablespoon lemon juice (from about ½ large juicy lemon)
¾ teaspoon Kosher salt
a few pinches black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
8 sheets Phyllo dough*

Instructions

Set oven and line pan. Preheat the oven to 375°F, adjust a rack to the center and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
Cook onions and garlic with spices. Coat the bottom of a large skillet (approx. 12-inch) with the olive oil and place it over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic, and stirring often, sauté just until the onions are soft and translucent, about 7 minutes. Add the nutmeg and cayenne and mix. Set aside to cool.
Blanch and drain spinach. Bring a large (approx. 6 quart) pot of water to a boil. Add all of the spinach, mix and turn off the heat. Drain as soon as all of the leaves are wilted, about 2 minutes. Leave it in the colander to cool until it’s not too hot to touch.
Add the Ricotta, 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and black pepper to a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
Further drain spinach and mix with eggs. Once you’re able to handle the spinach comfortably, squeeze as much liquid as possible out of it with your hands, one large handful at time. You will likely have close to ¾ cup of liquid, which you can discard. As you do this, add the spinach to a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and add the eggs to it. Blend until it’s relatively smooth and the spinach is in tiny pieces.
Combine all of the ingredients. Add the spinach mixture, along with the onion mixture, to the bowl with the cheese and mix until it's evenly combined. Set aside.

Assemble

Lay two pieces of phyllo dough on a clean dry surface and use a pastry brush to brush the top with melted butter. Place two more sheets on top and then brush the surface with more melted butter.
Use a slotted spoon to scoop about half (about 1¼ cups) of the spinach filling onto the buttered phyllo. With the slotted spoon, allow any liquid that has collected to drip off first. Spread the spinach mixture evenly, leaving a couple of inches of space at both of the short ends. Then gently roll, starting from a short end. (Do not use too much pressure/roll too tightly, or the filling will squeeze out.) Repeat this process with the second half of the filling and phyllo.
Place the rolls on the parchment-lined sheet pan. Brush both of them with the remaining melted butter. Mix the remaining tablespoon of Parmesan with a pinch of nutmeg and a pinch of cayenne and then evenly sprinkle each roll with it.
Bake. Bake in the preheated 375°F oven until the phyllo is golden and the filling is cooked through, about 30 minutes.
Cool and serve. Briefly let them cool, slice each roll in half and serve.

NOTES

* The best way to thaw phyllo dough, which only comes frozen, is to place it in the refrigerator about 24 hours before you're going to use it. After you take it out of the package, place a damp paper towel over it to keep it from drying out.

Calorie count is only an estimate.

NUTRITION

Calories: 463kcal

Keywords spinach sides, hearty vegetarian entrées

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