Korpice sa Sirom i Spanaćem/Spinach & Cheese Cups

Spring means warmer weather, the beginning of farmer’s markets, and the excitement that comes with being outside all day after a long, cold, and dark winter. Spring also means greens, and one of my favorites is spinach. Growing up, from time to time, usually in the spring, my mother would make us spinach soup. It was creamy and delicious and we didn’t complain.

A couple of years ago, I came up with this recipe after I had some fresh spinach I needed to use up, and fast. If you’ve ever had fresh spinach on hand, you know just how fast it can go bad. Frozen spinach works just as well though, and I find myself making with frozen spinach often. I sauteed the spinach with some garlic, added it to whatever cheeses I had in the fridge, and came up with something so delicious, it was gone in minutes from the table.

In the recipe below, you’ll notice I decided to use puff pastry rather than a traditional pie crust dough or anything similar. The puff pastry’s buttery flavor and flakey texture work well with the creamy filling and save so much time in the process. You can use only 1 cheese, or combine different cheeses as I have below. It’s quite tasty with just feta cheese too!

These are so easy to put together and are make great additions to any buffet or party. They are also generous portions, so a win-win all around.

Korpice sa Sirom i Spanaćem/Spinach & Cheese Cups

Recipe by The Balkan HostessCourse: AppetizersCuisine: Balkan

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

35

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 lb (450 g) frozen spinach, thawed & drained

• 1 egg + 1 egg yolk

• 1 clove garlic, grated

• 1 cup (128 g) mozzarella cheese, shredded

• 1/4 cup (35 g) feta cheese

• 1 cup (260 g) ricotta cheese

• 1 tsp (6 g) salt

• 1/4 tsp (2 g) black pepper

• 1 tbsp (15 ml) oil (I use sunflower)

• 1 sheet puff pastry (I like Pepperidge Farm)

• Flour, for rolling out puff pastry (a pinch)

Directions

• Squeeze all the water from the thawed spinach and place it in a nonstick skillet. Saute the spinach with the tablespoon of oil until any liquid has evaporated. Add a pinch of salt, to taste.
• When all the liquid is evaporated, add the grated garlic clove to the spinach and continue sauteing for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
• While the spinach is cooling, in a mixing bowl combine the whole egg, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, and feta cheese, along with the salt and pepper. Mix well until all ingredients are combined. When the spinach is room temperature, add it to the cheese mixture and mix well to combine. Set aside.
• Prepare the puff pastry. Place the puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough slightly in all directions. Cut 12 equal squares.
• Spray a muffin tin lightly with cooking spray and place a square of puff pastry into each of the 12 spaces. Fill each pastry-lined space with the spinach and cheese mixture.
• Once all the spaces are filled, fold in the corners of the pastry pieces (connect opposite corners).
• Brush each spinach and cheese cup with the beaten egg yolk and bake in a 350 F (175 C) oven until golden brown (about 35 minutes). Cool and serve warm.

Notes

• Want to learn how to properly store extra feta cheese in your fridge? Click here for one of my most popular posts!

I hope you give these a try soon! Want to see what other recipes I’ll share in the future? Follow me on Instagram!