Golden Spinach and Feta Pastry Roll

On Jul 12, 2025 108 0

A truly magnificent sight in any kitchen is a perfectly baked, golden-brown pastry fresh from the oven. This Spinach and Feta Pastry Roll is exactly that—a masterpiece of flaky layers wrapped around a rich and savory spinach and cheese filling. It’s a wonderful dish for a cozy brunch, a light lunch, or even as an impressive appetizer. Best of all, it’s a fantastic recipe for anyone beginning their journey in the kitchen. This guide will walk through every step to help you put together this delicious roll at home.

What You’ll Need

Here is the equipment needed to assemble this beautiful pastry:

🍳 Frying pan
🔪 Sharp knife
🥣 Large mixing bowl
🥄 Spatula or large spoon
🖌️ Pastry brush
📄 Baking sheet
Parchment paper

For the ingredients, you will need the following:

🥄 1 tablespoon olive oil
🧅 1 medium onion, finely chopped
🧄 2 cloves garlic, minced
🌿 450g (about 1 pound) fresh spinach
🧀 200g (about 7 ounces) block of halal feta cheese
🧀 100g (about 3.5 ounces) halal cream cheese, softened
🍃 3 tablespoons halal basil pesto
🧂 Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
🥧 1 sheet (around 320g or 11 ounces) of ready-made puff pastry, thawed
🥚 1 large egg

Step-by-Step Guide to Your Pastry Roll

Part 1: Preparing the Savory Filling

Start by placing a frying pan over medium heat and adding the olive oil. Once it’s warm, add the finely chopped onion. This technique, known as sautéing, simply means cooking the onion gently until it becomes soft and translucent, which should take about 5-7 minutes. Stir it occasionally so it doesn’t brown too much.
Add the minced garlic to the pan and cook for just another minute until you can smell its wonderful aroma. Be careful not to let the garlic burn, as it can become bitter.
Now, add the fresh spinach to the pan. It will look like a huge amount, but don’t worry! It will cook down. This process is called wilting. Just keep turning the spinach with a spatula or tongs, and within a few minutes, it will collapse into a much smaller, vibrant green mound. Once it’s fully wilted, remove the pan from the heat.
This next step is absolutely crucial for getting a crisp, flaky pastry base. Tip the cooked spinach mixture into a fine-mesh sieve or colander and press down firmly with the back of a spoon to squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Let it cool for about 10 minutes, then use your hands to squeeze out even more water. The goal is to get the spinach as dry as possible to prevent a soggy bottom.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the thoroughly squeezed spinach, the softened cream cheese, and the feta cheese, crumbled into pieces. Mix everything together until it’s well combined. The cream cheese adds a wonderful richness, and the feta provides a salty, tangy flavor. Season with a little salt and pepper, but be mindful that feta is already quite salty.

Part 2: Assembling and Baking the Roll

Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. This will prevent the pastry from sticking and makes cleanup much easier.
Carefully unroll your thawed puff pastry sheet onto the lined baking sheet. If it’s a little thick, you can gently use a rolling pin to get it to a large, even rectangle.
The final dish has a delicate, herb-infused layer right against the pastry. To achieve this, spread the basil pesto in a thin, even layer all over the surface of the puff pastry, leaving a 1-inch border clear along one of the long edges.
Spoon the spinach and cheese filling evenly over the pesto-covered pastry. Gently spread it out, leaving the clear border empty.
Now it’s time to roll! Starting from the long edge without the clear border, tightly roll the pastry up into a log, just like a jelly roll.
Beat the egg in a small bowl with a splash of water to make an egg wash. This is the secret to the beautifully shiny, deep golden-brown crust you see in the photograph. Lightly brush the clear border of the pastry with the egg wash—this will act like glue. Press the seam down firmly to seal the roll. Tuck in the ends of the roll to keep all that delicious filling inside.
Carefully place the pastry roll seam-side down on the baking sheet. Brush the entire top and sides of the roll with the remaining egg wash.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed up, flaky, and has a rich golden-brown color all over.
Once baked, let the spinach and feta roll rest on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes before slicing. This helps it to set, ensuring cleaner slices and preventing the filling from spilling out. Slice it into thick, generous portions and serve warm.

There’s a special kind of satisfaction that comes from cutting into a warm, flaky pastry you’ve prepared yourself. Witnessing the steam rise from the vibrant green spinach and melted cheese filling is a true reward. It’s a joy to see home kitchens filled with such wonderful food, so do share photos of your finished rolls.