Spinach and feta parcels

5 from 1 vote

Flavour-filled and perfectly crispy feta and spinach triangles. Just 30 minutes of hands-on time, make-ahead friendly and packable.

Prep Time30

Cook Time20

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American, British

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: parcels

Calories: 137kcal

Author: Helen

Ingredients

3 tbsp pine nuts
1 tbsp neutral or olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
3 cloves garlic crushed
½ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp black pepper
200 g spinach leaves washed
7 g fresh mint finely chopped
7 g fresh dill finely chopped
½ lemon juice and zest
100 g feta crumbled
15 g butter melted
5-6 sheets filo pastry
Sesame seeds optional

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Heat your oven to 180°C or 350°F.
Place a large frying pan on a medium heat, add the pine nuts, toast until they begin to brown and set aside.
Add oil to the pan and fry the onions until they are soft and translucent.
Stir in the garlic, nutmeg, salt and black pepper and fry for a minute more until fragrant.
Add the spinach to the pan, stir continuously until it begins to wilt, and stir in the mint and dill.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the lemon juice, lemon zest, feta and pine nuts, stir and set aside.
Melt the butter on the stove or in the microwave.
Use a pastry brush to spread melted butter onto a sheet of filo pastry.
Place another pastry sheet of filo directly on top and use scissors to cut it into 4 strips (note 1).
Place 2-3 tablespoons of the filling onto the bottom of one of the pastry sheets about ½ inch from the bottom and fold the corner diagonally to form a triangle.
Continue folding until you reach the end of the sheet. Brush the end with a little butter and fold down to seal.
Repeat these steps with the rest of the filling.
Place the filo triangles onto rack or baking tray (note 2), brush each one with melted butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned.
Leave on a wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes before eating.

Notes

Filo Pastry: The recipe has been tested with 12cm/5inch wide pastry sheets. You can make them smaller or larger as desired, adding more or less filling accordingly.
Baking tip: Bake the filo triangles on a grill rack or roasting rack if possible. This is how you get the bottoms crispy too.

Storage:

Spinach and feta parcels taste best when served immediately but will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat them in the oven at 180C/350F for 5-10 minutes. Avoid reheating in the microwave as it will make them soggy.

If you want perfectly crispy parcels, freezing is the way to go. Just freeze the parcels before you bake them by placing them on a tray lined with parchment paper so that they are not touching. Transfer them to a container or freezer bag once frozen and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Then bake them from frozen, bearing in mind that you will need to add 5-10 minutes to the baking time.

Nutrition