SPINACH FLATBREAD
How good are FLATBREADS? A versatile dish that lends itself to a thousand and more variations: today we will see how to prepare the SPINACH FLATBREAD, an original version with a bright green color!
Of course, I want to clarify immediately that it has nothing to do with the recipe of the Romagna Piadina, it is just a light reinterpretation, suitable to be prepared at home without needing special culinary skills.
The recipe is very simple and quick: once the spinach is cooked (fresh or frozen) just blend it until you get a cream. Then we will put together this and all the other ingredients in a bowl, mix, and when the mixture is compact we will move to a work surface.
It kneads quickly by hand and once the dough is rolled out with a rolling pin you can immediately cook the flatbreads in a pan: a few minutes per side and you will be ready to enjoy them: great on their own as a bread substitute, great filled for a quick lunch.
To prepare SPINACH FLATBREADS I started with fresh spinach which do not need to be blanched but simply softened for a few minutes in a pan, alternatively, you can also use frozen spinach, you just need to boil them in water and squeeze them well before blending them.
Soft and elastic flatbreads, easy to fill and fold, that won’t break and with which you will conquer the palate of your guests in a few minutes: an attractive color and a unique flavor for a truly original dish. For other tasty recipes with VEGETABLES see also
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 252.13 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 45.63 (g) of which sugars 1.19 (g)
- Proteins 7.88 (g)
- Fat 5.30 (g) of which saturated 0.67 (g)of which unsaturated 0.00 (g)
- Fibers 1.95 (g)
- Sodium 643.20 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 75 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 3.5 oz spinach, cooked, boiled
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (or gluten-free flour mix or rice flour)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1.25 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
Tools
- Bowl
- Pan
- Blender
Steps
First, wash the spinach, remove any large stems, dry them with a clean cloth, and then put them in a non-stick pan to cook for a couple of minutes: they just need to slightly wilt. Squeeze out any excess water, then blend them in a blender or with an immersion blender until you obtain a cream.
Put the flour, salt, and baking soda in a bowl, mix with a spoon then add the previously blended spinach and oil. Mix again then when it is quite amalgamated transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand until obtaining a homogeneous dough (it will be quite soft). Form a ball.
Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and roll each one out with a rolling pin quite thinly to form the flatbreads: they should have a thickness of about 1/16 inch. Heat a non-stick pan, grease it lightly with oil (it should be a film) then cook one flatbread at a time for about 3 minutes per side. Your Spinach Flatbreads are ready to be enjoyed or filled.
VEGETARIAN FLATBREAD: The vegetarian flatbread offers endless possibilities. As a base, I always recommend spreading a creamy ingredient that can be chickpea hummus, spreadable cheese, stracchino, squacquerone. Then you can get creative with the combinations. For example, Roasted Peppers and squacquerone, Sautéed Mushrooms and stracchino, chickpea hummus and sun-dried tomatoes, or even just mozzarella, tomato, and basil leaves.
FLATBREAD WITH SMOKED SALMON: A perfect ingredient to fill our spinach flatbreads. Always pair it with a sauce or creamy ingredient. Some ideas: Salmon and Avocado Cream, Salmon with yogurt and cucumber sauce, Salmon with spreadable cheese and arugula or chives.
FLATBREAD WITH OIL-PRESERVED TUNA: Another easy and quick combination to make in different versions. Let’s see some: Tuna with mashed avocado seasoned with oil, salt, and pepper, or fill the flatbread with a Tuna Mousse (just mix tuna in oil and spreadable cheese), finally also simply Tuna, salad, and seasoned tomatoes.
FLATBREAD WITH CHICKEN: For a complete but light lunch. Just pre-cook the chicken breast on the grill and once cooked, cut it into strips. The possible combinations are many: Chicken with Parmesan flakes and yogurt sauce, Chicken with grilled vegetables and chickpea hummus, Chicken with yogurt and cucumber sauce are some examples.
FLATBREAD WITH COLD CUTS AND CHEESE: there are many cold cuts perfect for filling it, such as mortadella, cured ham, bresaola, speck, or cooked ham that goes very well with various cheeses and vegetables. Some “right” combinations: Flatbread with COOKED HAM, BRIE, and grilled eggplants, or Flatbread with SPECK, GORGONZOLA, WALNUTS, and red radicchio, cut into strips; or even Flatbread with COOKED HAM, MOZZARELLA, TOMATOES, and oregano; or filled with COPPA, ROBIOLA, and spinach; just to name a few.
STORAGE
Store the cooked flatbreads wrapped in plastic wrap so they remain moist and soft until their use. Spinach crepes can be stored in the fridge, on a plate covered with plastic wrap or inside a sealed container, for a couple of days. If desired, they can also be frozen.
NOTES AND TIPS
SPINACH: To prepare SPINACH FLATBREADS I started with fresh spinach which do not need to be blanched but simply softened for a few minutes in a pan, alternatively, you can also use frozen spinach, you just need to boil them in water and squeeze them well before blending them. With the same procedure, you can prepare BEET FLATBREADS, replacing this vegetable in the same quantity as spinach.
FLOUR: For gluten-free SPINACH FLATBREAD you can use a universal gluten-free flour mix or rice flour.
