By the time Friday evening rolls around, the last thing I feel like doing is cooking another meal. Usually I’m tired, lately it’s been hot, and half of the time the little Bundlet is at her dad’s. Mr. Bundt rolls in around 8pm (if he’s early) and around 10pm (if he’s late). So I often end up eating alone and heating up his dinner when he gets home. Usually I have a frozen casserole or one-dish-dinner of some sort I can pop in the oven while I catch up on the news or take a quick nap. But I’ve had these tartlets on my radar for some time now and thought it would be a great, easy Friday night dinner. Of course, you could have them for lunch, they’d be great with a little salad. I would even eat them for a savory breakfast.
We have a little pastry shop in town that has stuffed croissants, one of my favorites is spinach and feta (my other favorite is chocolate stuffed, sooo good) and these are similar to those, also simpler than making your own croissants which could literally take days.
Spinach & Feta Tartlets
adapted from a recipe from Sweet Paul
- 1T olive oil
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 bag baby spinach
- 4 oz crumbled Feta cheese
- 2 eggs
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pkg phyllo dough
- 4T melted butter
Fry the shallots until soft. I used the mandolin to get thin slices. If you have one, great, use it and watch your fingers. If not, a sharp knife will work just fine.
Add the spinach a little at a time, letting it wilt, stirring the wilted spinach to the top and moving the firm leaves toward the heat.
This is what the wilted spinach and shallots will look like when they’re done.
Mix the feta, eggs, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
Then add the wilted spinach mixture. Mix well.
I have little tart pans (Wilton brand, from Walmart). I’m sure you could make one large tart if you have a regular tart pan. You could probably also make these pouches sans pans too. Just make sure to wrap them up well so the tops don’t pop open and leak.
Brush four small tart pans with butter and layer them with phyllo. Brush phyllo with butter between each layer, use 4-5 layers. Make sure you keep the phyllo covered with a wet towel while you’re working. It will be a hot mess if you don’t. Also, if it tears, don’t sweat it. By the time you finish piling the extra dough on top no one will ever know. I swear. And if you’re thinking about making your own phyllo, may the force be with you, you’ve obviously got a sadistic streak. Even I wouldn’t touch that job with a ten-foot-spatula.
Here’s something I learned after my first tart. I was working with giganto sized phyllo sheets. For the first tart I ended up with a lot more phyllo than I thought would taste good. For the three ensuing tarts, I folded each phyllo sheet in half, brushed with butter and it worked wonderfully.
Spoon 1/4 of the spinach and egg mixture in to each of the tarts.
Fold the edges of the phyllo over the filling.
See? Cute! Repeat with the remaining tarts. Make sure to brush the tops with butter.
See the giganto tart? I told Mr. Bundt I made that one for him, special. Men will believe anything. Really.
Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the phyllo is crispy and golden brown.
Sorry for the lowlight [food] porn looking photos. It was late, I was tired. See paragraph one.
These are so quick and easy! I think they’d be perfect with a nice piece of salmon and a small salad. They would also be beautiful for a shower or luncheon!
The filling is no nice! The salty feta with the earthy spinach is a wonderful combination. I hope you’ll give it a try!
What do you like to cook on a lazy night? Do you have any go-to simple dinners?
The Secret Life of Mrs. Bundt 