Spinach & Feta Bourekas

Posted by Breaking Matzo

Spinach and Feta Bourekas

Make them fresh or fill your freezer with dozens of these tasty Turkish snacks. Flaky pastry layers on the outside house a creamy spinach and feta mixture inside.

Our spinach & feta bourekas are perfect for your Succot celebration or a highlight of your Shabbat meal. For another delicious flavor, try our Potato Leek Bourekas.

Makes 18 Bourekas

Ingredients

  • 4-1/2 cups spinach
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 small onion, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped (optional)
  • 1 tsp paprika + extra for sprinkling on top of bourekas before baking
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/3 cup feta cheese
  • 1/2 tsp salt, divided
  • 1 tbsp pine nuts, roughly chopped
  • 1 lb puff pastry sheets
  • flour for rolling out puff pastry (or roll pastry between parchment or plastic wrap sheets)
  • 1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp water
  • 2 tbsp sesame seeds (mix of black and white makes nice presentation)

Instructions

Make the Filling:

  1. Heat a skillet on medium heat and add olive oil
  2. Add chopped onion to pan and sauté until soft and translucent
  3. Add garlic, spices, fresh thyme and 1/4 tsp salt to pan and sauté for about a minute
  4. Add spinach and saute until spinach has completed wilted
  5. Remove and strain excess liquid from the cooked spinach mixture. Squeeze out remaining liquid with hands or wrap in a towel and squeeze out
  6. Finely chop the cooked spinach mixture and put in a medium size bowl
  7. Add 1/4 tsp salt and crumbled feta cheese and combine all ingredients together
  8. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed
  9. You can store the filling for 2-3 days covered in the refrigerator

Roll, Fill, Fold & Bake:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Remove 1 pastry sheet at a time from freezer and let thaw about 5 minutes on your countertop. Just until you can gently unfold the pastry sheet
  3. Sprinkle flour on countertop and roll out puff pastry into approximately a 10” x 10” square. Alternatively, you can avoid the flour and keep your counter clean by rolling out the pastry between sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap
  4. Using a pizza wheel, bench scraper or round-edged knife, cut the pastry into 9 squares
  5. Place a tablespoon of the spinach and feta filling a little off center toward one corner of each square. With your fingertip or a brush, apply a little water around the edges of the square. Fold over the pastry into a triangle and seal the edges with your fingers or the tines of a fork. Place each finished boureka on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat for all 9 squares and place in refrigerator or freezer while you roll out the second sheet of puff pastry and make your second batch of bourekas. If you have a little leftover filling, enjoy it as a side dish with dinner
  6. At this point, you can either bake your bourekas or freeze them in a single layer then store them in a container or freezer bag
  7. To bake, brush each boureka with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds and a little paprika
  8. Place your bourekas on a lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until the bourekas have puffed up and lightly browned. Best enjoyed warm out of the oven

Notes

You can freeze Bourekas and pop them directly in the oven when you want to serve them. If you freeze the bourekas, when you bake them, remember to brush them with an egg wash and top with sesame seeds. Preheat the oven to 350 and bake for about 30-35 minutes or until bourekas have puffed up and are lightly browned.

3 Comments

Terez Juarez

As a child growing up after
the War in Europe, my Sefardi family served these often. I did not recall the puff pastry, but I will try to make these!

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