If you’re looking for a quick dinner idea that’s both tasty and impressive, the savory spinach and stracchino strudel is the answer. A crispy puff pastry shell encases a gooey and flavorful center: the secret of this recipe lies in the balance between the freshness of the spinach and the creaminess of the stracchino. Perfect to serve as an appetizer, for a happy hour, or as a vegetarian main course, it can be prepared in a few minutes and is loved by young and old alike.
If you like puff pastry recipes, try the savory pie with potatoes and stracchino, the rolled savory pie, the vegetable savory pie or the savory pie with zucchini.
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OTHER RECIPES WITH SPINACH
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 1 strudel
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for preparing the spinach and stracchino strudel
- 1.1 lbs spinach
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- 10.5 oz stracchino
- 5.3 oz semi-hard cheese
- 3 tbsps breadcrumbs
- 1 roll rectangular puff pastry
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp milk
- 2 tbsps poppy seeds
Steps for preparing the spinach and stracchino strudel
Start by washing and drying the spinach thoroughly. In a large pan, pour in the oil and add the cloves of garlic. Add the spinach, season lightly, cover with the lid, and cook until they are well wilted. Important: remove the lid in the last minutes to let all the water evaporate; the spinach should be well dried. Once ready, remove the garlic and let them cool completely.
Chop the cooled spinach coarsely and place them in a bowl. Add the stracchino and mix well until you obtain a homogeneous cream. Finally, add the semi-hard cheese cut into cubes (Asiago is perfect for its sweetness).
Unroll the rectangular puff pastry keeping its parchment paper. In the center, lengthwise, distribute the breadcrumbs: this will help absorb the residual moisture from the cheese during baking, keeping the base crispy. Cover with the spinach mixture and roll the pastry over itself to form the strudel. Seal the ends well by pressing with your fingers to prevent filling from leaking out.
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk with the milk and brush evenly over the entire surface of the strudel. Decorate with poppy seeds for a crunchy and decorative touch. Bake in a static oven at 356°F for about 25-30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and puffed.
Tips
Moisture management (The golden rule): The number one enemy of the strudel is the water from the spinach. Besides cooking them well, after chopping, press the vegetable bits inside a fine mesh strainer with the back of a spoon. If the filling is too moist, the stracchino will slide off and the pastry will stay raw inside.
Choosing the stracchino: There are stracchinos that are more “firm” and others almost liquid (like very mature crescenza). For the strudel, I recommend a more compact stracchino or, if you use a very creamy one, slightly increase the amount of breadcrumbs at the base to compensate.
Pastry temperature: Take the puff pastry out of the fridge a bit earlier, but not too much. If the pastry gets too warm before going into the oven, the butter (or fats) in the layers will melt instead of evaporating, and you won’t get that beautiful high and flaky texture.
Closure positioning: When rolling, make sure the pastry “seam” ends up underneath, in contact with the baking tray. The weight of the strudel itself will seal the closure during baking, preventing internal steam pressure from causing it to explode sideways.
Post-baking rest: Don’t cut the strudel right out of the oven! The melted stracchino needs about 5-10 minutes to settle. If you cut it immediately, the filling will spill out all at once.
Presentation: For a photo-worthy presentation, before baking, make small diagonal cuts on the surface of the pastry with a sharp knife (without reaching the filling). These holes are not just decorative: they allow steam to escape, preventing the strudel from puffing up too much and breaking unevenly.
Variations
“Rustic” Ricotta Version: If you prefer a firmer and less “liquid” filling compared to stracchino, use 250 g of well-drained ricotta and 50 g of parmesan. In this case, you can add a pinch of nutmeg which pairs perfectly with spinach and ricotta.
Mediterranean Variation (Tomatoes and Olives): Add well-drained and chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil and Taggiasca olives to the spinach and stracchino mix. This version has a higher saltiness that balances the sweetness of the cheese.
Crispy Touch with Nuts: Before rolling, sprinkle the filling with toasted pine nuts or coarsely chopped walnuts. Nuts not only add a different texture but their fats complement the aroma of spinach beautifully.
“Gourmet” Gorgonzola Variation: If you love strong flavors, replace 100 g of stracchino with sweet gorgonzola. The contrast between the bitterness of the spinach and the pungency of the gorgonzola will make the strudel a dish for true connoisseurs.
Changing the Shell (Brisée or Phyllo Pastry): For a less greasy and crunchier result, you can use brisée pastry. If you want an ultra-light strudel, use 3-4 layers of phyllo pastry brushed with oil in between: you’ll achieve an incredible “flaky” crunch.
Storage
In the fridge: The strudel is also excellent warm or cold. It keeps in the fridge for 1-2 days covered with aluminum foil.
Reheating: To restore the pastry’s crispness, heat it for a few minutes in a toaster oven or convection oven, avoid the microwave if you want it to remain crisp.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use frozen spinach?
Yes, but make sure to squeeze them very well after cooking them in the pan, as they tend to release much more water compared to fresh ones.
What can I use instead of Asiago?
Any cheese that melts well will do: fontina, mild provolone, or even a pizza mozzarella (the block kind, less watery).
Can I prepare it in advance?
You can assemble it a few hours in advance and keep it in the fridge, but I recommend brushing it and baking it only at the last minute to ensure maximum puff pastry crispness.
