Crispy and delicious, these flaky spinach bites make a perfect appetizer. They can be made ahead of time, frozen and reheated.
Recipe source:
cooking with friends kitchen
Ingredients
11 ounces baby spinach, washed well
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
7 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
Juice from 1 lemon
8 ounces filo sheets
34 tablespoons butter, melted
Baking spray
Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray mini muffin pan with baking spray. Set aside.
Wilt the spinach either by steaming or simmering in a pot of water for only a few minutes, careful not to overcook. Drain the spinach in paper towels or with your hands, squeezing out as much liquid as you can. Roughly chop and then set aside in a large bowl.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and sauté the shallots and garlic for about five minutes, stirring frequently. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove from the heat and add to the spinach. Mix in the crumbled feta, ricotta cheese, lightly beaten egg and lemon juice. Set aside to cool while you work on the filo.
Unfold and lay stack of filo sheets on a work surface. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush a pastry sheet with butter. Lay another sheet on top, brush again with butter and repeat until you have 5 sheets total. Cut small squares to fit your mini muffin tin (approximately 3 inches by 3 inches) and place into the mini muffin tins. Repeat until all of the trays are filled.
Spoon spinach mixture into each muffin tin and bake until filo is golden for approximately 15-20 minutes. Using a knife, carefully remove each filo bite and serve warm or freeze. If freezing, you may want to bake them a tad less.
Serves
Makes 50