Spinach and Ricotta Rolls with Phyllo

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.

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

(I often suggest brands I love and use — these are only suggestions and this is not a sponsored post.)

• 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.
• 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. (Frozen spinach option is below in Substitutions.)
• eggs
• 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.
• salt - I cook with Kosher salt. I prefer it over other salts for a few reasons: its larger flake size, it's less refined and usually doesn't contain additives, and it does a great job enhancing the flavor of foods without making them taste salty. Use half of the amount listed if you use table salt.
• nutmeg
• cayenne pepper
• black pepper - Preferably freshly ground.
• unsalted butter
• Phyllo dough (Filo dough) - Almost all grocery stores carries this one, and it works very well.

(See recipe card below for quantities.)

Substitutions

• 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.
• If you want to save time, use frozen spinach -- also 1 pound. Be sure to thaw and drain it thoroughly before using it.
• The amount of cayenne 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.)
• Olive oil can be substituted for the butter if you prefer it.

Recipe Tips

• 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.
• The best way to thaw phyllo dough (which comes frozen), is to place it in the refrigerator about 24 hours before you're going to use it.
• To keep the phyllo soft after you take it out of the package, place a damp paper towel over it.
• 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.
• This makes 4 single servings. Since most people enjoy seconds, you might want double batch if you're serving 4 people.

How to Make the Rolls

- 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.

- 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.

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

- 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.

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

- 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 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.

- 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.

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

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

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.

More Spinach-Centric Vegetarian Recipes

• Vegetarian Tuscan Bean Stew
• Spinach Artichoke Dip with Gruyère
• Spinach Feta Quiche in Portobello Shells

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!

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.

FAQ

You can learn more about Phyllo dough here.

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