By Christie Vanover | Published March 16, 2012 | Last Updated December 28, 2022
Zestuous Spinach Cups are a quick appetizer for St. Patrick’s Day or any day of the year. The crunchy, buttery puff pastry crust encases a super creamy spinach filling.
I chose not to overdo this filling – no added onions, bacon or other accents. It’s just fresh spinach cooked down and seasoned with a bit of salt and a hint of nutmeg blended with cream cheese.
This wasn’t the recipe I planned on making today. I actually wanted to make green puff pastry sandwiches filled with spinach and cream cheese. I cooked down the spinach to make homemade green food coloring, but it wasn’t vibrant enough. So I added green food coloring paste to it. That worked, but after I brushed it over the pastry and baked it, it didn’t look appetizing at all.
So I went with something that’s not all that creative, but it’s so simple and perfect for spring. I used puff pastry crust (instead of pie crust) because the filling is so unassuming, the crust really pulls together all the flavors. Enjoy.
Zestuous Spinach Cups
Ingredients
- 6 cups raw spinach
- ½ cup water
- 1 8- oz. block cream cheese
- ½ tsp. salt
- ⅛ tsp. nutmeg
- 1 box Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheets
Instructions
- Place the spinach and water in a pot.
- Cover with a lid and cook on medium-high for 10 minutes, until it wilts.
- Place the spinach in a salad spinner to remove all the water.
- In a large bowl, stir together the cooked spinach, cream cheese, salt and nutmeg.
- Unfold puff pastry sheets and cut out circles with a 2 ½" - 2 ¾" cookie cutter or glass.
- Place the pastry circles into a mini muffin pan.
- Fill with spinach filling.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.
The nutrition information is an estimate created using an online nutrition calculator
Pearl says
Have you ever tried putting artichoke hearts in the middle? I am thinking of trying it that way.
zestuous says
I haven’t tried that, but it sounds like a great idea.
Katy says
Would you serve these cold? Or recommend hot?
zestuous says
Katy,
They taste great hot, room temp or cold, so they’re great for potlucks.
Meghan says
What diameter is your cookie cutter? Mine didn’t look like the picture after I baked them.
zestuous says
Meghan,
A 2 1/2 or 2 3/4-inch cutter should work with a standard mini muffin pan.
Christie
Kylie Greenleaf says
Thanks for the recipie! Gonna use this for my St. Patrick’s Day party with a couple of friends. I don’t use puff pastry for very much, so I’ll see how it goes!
zestuous says
My family loves them! Have fun at your party.
Theresa says
Are these better served warm or cold??? I want to make them for a work treat day tomorrow! Looks good!
zestuous says
I always serve them warm because the puff pastry tastes better when it’s warm and flaky. You could fill the cups tonight and pop them in the oven right before work. Enjoy!
Anonymous says
So yummy! Will make hem soon
Linda
zestuous says
Thanks Linda. Enjoy!
Denise Collins says
I’m going to try this today. Looks delicious and healthy at the same time.
zestuous says
I hope you enjoyed them Denise! Happy St. Patty’s Day.
Lara says
They look delicious! Are these best served warm or can you bake them and serve an hour or two later? Thanks
zestuous says
Thanks Lara. They are best warm, but you can serve them at room temperature, too. I’ve even eaten them cold.
Anonymous says
Great, thanks so much! Do you use 2 puff pastry sheets? How many does this recipe make? Thank you!
zestuous says
I use one box (2 sheets). The recipe yields 24.
Donna Dicenso says
I have made these many times. They became popular in the 1980;;;s.