Spinach Ricotta Mini Pies Food

SPINACH RICOTTA MINI PIES

Steps:

• Wash spinach in cold running water.
• Drain and squeeze out excess water and roughly chop. Blend in a blender together with half ricotta.
• In a large bowl, combine to the rest of ricotta and mix thoroughly. Add salt, Parmesan cheese and cheddar.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a thin rectangle and cut out circles out of the pastry by pressing into it the border of a glass (use a 4-inch round cookie cutter, if you have it).
• Press each circle into the bottom of a greased cupcake tin for the bottom of the pie crust. Repeat with remaining dough until 16-18 muffin tins are filled.
• If some pastry will hang over the sides of the tin, just trim the borders with a knife.
• Spoon the filling into the tins and cover with a traditional crust tops you obtain by cutting out small circles from the remaining pastry.
• Brush each pie crust with the egg wash (egg yolk mixed with milk). Chill in fridge for at least half an hour.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes.

SPINACH RICOTTA BITES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• 2. Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat and cook the onions for 4 minutes until tender.3. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute then set aside to cool.4. Whisk eggs in a bowl and stir in ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.5. Once combined, stir in spinach, salt and cooled onion and garlic mixture.6. Pour the mixture into greased mini muffin cups.7. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the filling is set and golden on top. If necessary use a sharp knife to cut around sides of bites to release.

EASY SPANAKOPITA TRIANGLES (MINI GREEK SPINACH PIES)

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 375° F.
• Saute your chopped onion in a skillet with 2 tbsp of butter for about 10 minutes or until translucent.
• If using fresh spinach, add it to your onions and saute for another 5 minutes or until the leaves are wilted down and water is fully evaporated. Take off heat.
• If using frozen spinach, make sure it is fully thawed. (A microwave can help do this quickly.)*There is a lot of excess water in frozen spinach so make sure to drain it very well. Take a few paper towels or a dish cloth and squeeze out any excess water. You do not want a watery filling!
• Add drained/cooled spinach, ricotta cheese, feta cheese, salt, onions, lemon juice, dill and garlic powder to a medium sized bowl and mix.
• Melt your butter in a saucepan or in a small bowl using your microwave. Scramble your egg in another bowl.
• Pull out your defrosted phyllo dough and lay one sheet down on the table.Make sure to cover your phyllo dough with a slightly damp dishtowel so it does not dry out!
• Carefully brush one sheet of phyllo dough lightly with butter. Add another layer of dough and brush again. You should have two buttered layers.
• Cut your phyllo dough into thirds lengthwise. Add 1½ - 2 tbsp of filling to the bottom of each strip of phyllo dough.
• Begin folding from the bottom up. You will want to maintain a right triangle. Continue folding the triangle upward until you reach the top. (See photos.) You should end up with 24 triangles.Brush your egg wash generously over the top and sides of your triangles and place on a nonstick baking sheet. Repeat until finished. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top if you prefer.°
• Bake in the center of your oven for 12-15 minutes or until your dough turns golden brown.

ITALIAN SPINACH AND RICOTTA PIE

Steps:

• Place spinach in a skillet over medium heat and cook until wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain, squeeze dry, and chop finely.
• Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium heat and add onion. Cook until onion starts to soften, about 3 minutes. Add spinach and cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Stir ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, 2 whole eggs, nutmeg, salt, and pepper into the cooled spinach mixture.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9-inch tart pan or pie dish.
• Unwrap the phyllo dough. Keep covered with a damp cloth to prevent phyllo sheets from drying out.
• Lay 1 sheet of phyllo over the buttered dish flush with the edge so that excess phyllo hangs over on only one side of the dish. Brush lightly with melted butter. Top with another sheet of phyllo at a slight angle to the first one. Continue in this manner, with up to 12 sheets, brushing each sheet with butter and working clockwise to lay each at a slight angle to the previous sheet.
• Spoon cheese and spinach mixture evenly into the phyllo-lined dish. Using the back of a spoon, make six indentations in the filling, then carefully place 1 egg yolk in each. Season each yolk with salt and pepper and drizzle with a bit of melted butter.
• Take the extra phyllo dough hanging over the edges of the dish and fold it over to the centre to cover the filling, 1 sheet of phyllo at a time, brushing each one with butter. Brush the top of the whole pie with butter.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the phyllo pastry is a dark golden brown, about 40 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly before slicing. Serve warm.

SPINACH RICOTTA PIE WITH A HINT OF FETA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Heat the oil in a heavy pot over high heat.
• Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes.
• Add the spinach in batches, if necessary, and saute until the ribbons are just wilted.
• Lightly beat the ricotta and the eggs together in a bowl.
• Add the spinach mixture, feta, oregano and salt and pepper.
• Mix thoroughly.
• Pour the batter into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan.
• Bake for about 40 minutes, until the top is lightly browned.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

SPINACH-RICOTTA STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large wide pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, oregano, red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring, until thickened, 15 to 20 minutes; season with salt. (You should have about 4 heaping cups of sauce.)
• Make the stuffed shells: Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta shells and cook as the label directs for baking, about 9 minutes. Rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Spread out on a baking sheet.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the spinach and cook, tossing occasionally, until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to a large plate lined with a kitchen towel. Squeeze to remove any excess liquid, then finely chop.
• Put the spinach in a large bowl and add the ricotta, mozzarella, parsley, Parmesan, lemon zest, beaten egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Stir until combined.
• To assemble, spread about half of the sauce in the bottom of a 10-by-14-inch baking dish. Evenly fill the shells with the spinach-ricotta mixture using a spoon, or pipe it in using a pastry bag. Arrange the shells side by side, open-side up, in the baking dish on top of the sauce, then top with the remaining sauce.
• Cover the dish with foil and bake until heated through and the sauce is simmering around the edges, about 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until any shells or cheese poking through the sauce are lightly browned in spots, about 10 more minutes. Let sit 10 minutes. Top with more Parmesan and red pepper flakes.

SPINACH RICOTTA PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375.
• Wring the spinach dry and put in a large bowl.
• Mix together the ricotta cheese, garlic herb cheese and eggs. Add the spinach, artichokes, 1/2 teaspoon salt and1/4 teaspoon pepper and stir to combine.
• pour into crust and bake until golden, about 45 minutes.

QUICK RICOTTA AND SPINACH PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Sprinkle pie crust with flour.
• Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat.
• Add onion and saute until tender, about 8 minutes.
• Mix in spinach and nutmeg. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Saute until all liquid from spinach evaporates, about 3 minutes.
• Combine ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese in large bowl.
• Mix in eggs.
• Add spinach mixture; blend well.
• Spoon spinach mixture into pie crust.
• Bake until filling is set in center and brown on top, about 45-50 minutes.
• Let stand 10 minutes.
• Enjoy!

MINI SPINACH AND COTTAGE CHEESE PIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Heat oil in heavy pot over medium high heat.
• Saute onion and garlic until onion is starting to turn yellow, not quite brown.
• Add spinach in batches and saute until wilted.
• In bowl, beat cottage cheese, eggs, oregano, salt and pepper if using, together.
• Add spinach mixture and mix thoroughly.
• Spoon batter into muffin tin, fill 3/4 full - I use paper cupcake liners. This makes about 16 to 18 muffins. I just use my dozen cupcake pan, and then put the leftover mix into small ramekin cups.
• Variation: grease the muffin tin, then cut flour tortillas (use a flattened out cupcake liner as a template) into rounds, carefully push the tortillas into greased muffin cups, fold over excess tortilla from the side. Fill 3/4 full with mixture.
• Top each muffin with heaping teaspoon of crumbled feta.
• Bake until top starts to brown, about 30 minutes (without tortilla) or increase time to about 35 to 40 minutes with tortilla.

RICOTTA SPINACH PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Unfold pie crust. Press out fold lines; if crust cracks, wet fingers and push edges together to seal. Sprinkle flour over crust. Place crust floured side down in 9-inch-diameter glass or ceramic pie dish. Fold edge under and crimp decoratively.
• Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Mix in spinach, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Sauté until all liquid from spinach evaporates, about 3 minutes.
• Combine ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses in large bowl. Mix in eggs. Add spinach mixture; blend well.
• Spoon cheese mixture into pie crust. Bake until filling is set in center and brown on top, about 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut pie into wedges.