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Spinach Artichoke Rolls (Make Ahead Appetizer)

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Cuisine:
American
Difficulty:
Easy
Special Diet:
Vegetarian
Cuisine: American
Difficulty: Easy
Special Diet: Vegetarian

Spinach Artichoke Rolls are an easy, make ahead appetizer! These healthy, handheld rolls are stuffed with homemade spinach artichoke dip and baked until golden and crispy.

Spinach Artichoke Rolls on cutting board ready to be eaten!

Easy appetizers are always on my menu! Try these Crispy Old Bay Wings for a 3 ingredient gameday appetizer that is sure to please! If you are looking for a light appetizer, try these delicious Easy Melon Caprese Skewers with Crispy Prosciutto.  Not only will these skewers brighten your table, they will fly right off!

Spinach Artichoke is a flavor combination that I cannot get enough of. In high school, I could not get enough of Applebee's Spinach Artichoke Dip. Now that I older, I try to recreate similar recipes with a little less butter and a little more nutrition. Enter in these Spinach Artichoke Rolls (made WITHOUT mayo).

Homemade Spinach Artichoke filling is mixed together and then rolled in phyllo dough. The rolls are baked until crispy and served hot! These are the perfect easy appetizer to serve at football parties and for Super Bowl!

 

Spinach Artichoke Roll Details

Level of Difficulty: Easy! These rolls involve mixing the ingredients, placing them in phyllo dough, rolling into a little mini burrito and baking. If you are scared to baked with phyllo dough, don't be! It is so easy and always delicious.

Flavor: The Spinach Artichoke Rolls taste like a classic Spinach Artichoke Dip but wrapped in crispy and buttery phyllo. There is a secret ingredient that gives the rolls a little extra richness.

Time: These rolls can be made and stuffed in 10 minutes. They cook in the oven for 15 minutes. So, you can enjoy these rolls in less than 30 minutes!

Spinach Artichoke Roll Ingredients: Phyllo Dough, Cream Cheese, Mozzarella Cheese, Caesar Dressing, Garlic Powder, Artichokes, Frozen Spinach, Butter

Ingredients and Substitutions

  • Phyllo Dough: Phyllo Dough can be found in the frozen dessert section of your grocery store (often near the pie crusts). If you cannot find phyllo dough, you can make these rolls with egg rolls or crescent rolls. The baking temperature and time have not been tested.
  • Spinach: I tested this recipe using frozen spinach and fresh spinach. I prefer to use frozen spinach because fresh spinach significantly cooks down. It is difficult to determine how much fresh spinach to use when making these rolls. The positive to cooking with fresh spinach is that you can infuse flavor into the spinach when cooking. For example, sauté the spinach with fresh garlic.
  • Artichokes: I used jarred chopped and marinated artichoke hearts. I find these are easy and inexpensive to work with.
  • Caesar Dressing: The secret ingredient! The Caesar dressing is used to add extra flavor and creaminess to the dip. Choose a creamy Caesar dressing. Do not use a vinaigrette.
  • Garlic Powder: Garlic Powder adds some extra depth to the flavor. If you do not like garlic, omit or season with your favorite seasoning.
  • Cream Cheese: The cream cheese pulls the spinach and artichokes together and gives the filling its creaminess. I only used full fat cream cheese when testing. If looking for a lighter alternative, substitute 1/3 less fat cream cheese or use half cream cheese and half Greek yogurt.
  • Mozzarella Cheese: The mozzarella cheese is sprinkled on before the appetizer is rolled up. Substitute shredded Italian cheese here or omit completely for a lighter option.
  • Butter: Painting the rolls with butter allows the phyllo to become golden and crispy while baking. Substitute Extra Virgin Olive Oil spray.

How To Make Spinach Artichoke Rolls

  1. Thaw spinach and phyllo dough. Allow cream cheese to soften. Allow the spinach and phyllo dough to thaw out in the refrigerator overnight. Keep phyllo dough in the refrigerator until ready to use. To soften cream cheese, let cream cheese sit on the counter until soft to the touch.
  2. Prepare spinach and artichokes. Remove spinach from packaging and make sure that there are no frozen spots in the spinach. Place spinach in a clean dishtowel. Tightly wring dishtowel over the sink to remove any excess water from the spinach. Drain artichokes and add to a food processor. Lightly chop artichokes until they are diced into small pieces.
  3. Mix ingredients. To a large mixing bowl, add spinach, artichokes, cream cheese, Caesar dressing and garlic powder. Mix until combined.
  4. Prepare the phyllo dough. Remove phyllo dough from packaging and roll out. Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, slice phyllo dough in half so that you have two piles of rectangular dough.
  5. Stuff the dough. Add about two tablespoons of spinach artichoke filling to the top of the phyllo dough. Place filling in the middle with room on the top and the sides of the dough to roll.
  6. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
  7. Fold the rolls. Start by folding the top of the phyllo dough down and around the filling. Next, fold the outside corners into the filling (similar to folding a burrito). From there, roll down until no phyllo dough remains. Try to keep the dough tight. Place rolls seam side down on a parchment lined baking sheet.
  8. Paint with butter. Using a grill brush, paint the tops of the Spinach Artichoke Rolls with butter.
  9. Bake. Bake rolls at 350 degrees for 15 minutes until rolls become golden. Remove from oven. Serve rolls warm.
Spinach Artichoke Dip sprinkled with mozzarella cheese inside of phyllo dough (before rolling and baking)

Spinach Artichoke Rolls looking golden and crispy after baking in the oven

FAQ

Can you use the Spinach Artichoke filling as a dip? Yes, you can use the Spinach Artichoke filling as a dip. I would recommend mixing the filling and placing it in a 9x9 pan. Sprinkle the dip with mozzarella cheese and bake at 350 until the cheese is melted. Serve with pita crackers.

What is Phyllo Dough? Phyllo Dough is a light and thin pastry dough made with oil. It is different from a puff pastry. Puff pastry is made with butter.

Can you freeze Spinach Artichoke Rolls? I do not recommend freezing the actual phyllo dough rolls stuffed with the Spinach Artichoke Dip. However, you could freeze the spinach artichoke filling and then stuff into thawed phyllo dough.

 

 

Expert Tips

Help! My spinach is frozen! If your spinach did not completely dethaw in the refrigerator, remove spinach from packaging and place in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Remove and check for frozen spots. If not completely unfrozen, microwave again at 10 second increments. Once unfrozen, follow instructions for how to remove all excess water.

 

Phyllo Dough tips. Don't be intimidated by working with phyllo dough. My biggest tip is to the dethaw the phyllo dough in the refrigerator overnight. Keep the phyllo dough in the refrigerator until you are ready to work with it. If the dough is out for an extended period of time, place a damp paper towel over the dough to keep some moisture. And if your dough tears, do not worry! When eating the dough, you will not notice the tear and it will have no impact on how the dough tastes!

 

Let's make the Spinach Artichoke Rolls crispier! If you want to make your rolls crispier, use more of the phyllo dough. Instead of cutting the dough in half, do not cut in half. Add your filling and roll! These rolls will require additional bake time but with double the dough will have more crisp and crunch!

 

 

Spinach Artichoke Rolls (Make Ahead Appetizer)

Spinach Artichoke Rolls are an easy, make ahead appetizer! These healthy, handheld rolls are stuffed with homemade spinach artichoke dip and baked until golden and crispy.

Spinach Artichoke Rolls on cutting board ready to be eaten!
Preparation Time:
10 mins
Cooking Time:
15 mins
Ready in:
25 mins
Servings:
8
Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 25 mins
Ready in: 25 mins
Servings: 8 mins
Cuisine:
American
Difficulty:
Easy
Special Diet:
Vegetarian
Cuisine: American
Difficulty: Easy
Special Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
10 oz Frozen Chopped Spinach
12 oz Marinated Artichoke Hearts- Drained and Chopped
8 oz Cream Cheese- Softened
1/4 Cup Caesar Dressing
1 tsp Garlic Powder
12 sheets of Phyllo Dough
1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
4 tbsp Unsalted Butter
Equipment
Large Mixing Bowl
Baking Tray
Parchment Paper
Food Processor or Sharp Knife and Cutting Board
Instructions
Step 1.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2.
Add spinach, artichokes, cream cheese, garlic powder and Caesar dressing to a mixing bowl. Stir to mix together until smooth and creamy.
Step 3.
Roll phyllo dough out. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the phyllo sheets in half.
Step 4.
Place phyllo doughs in a rectangular orientation. Put about two tablespoons of filling in each dough wrapper. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
Step 5.
Wrap dough like a burrito and place on baking sheet crease side down. Continue until all filling is inside of dough wrappers.
Step 6.
Brush rolls with melted butter.
Step 7.
Bake for 15 minutes until dough becomes golden.
Step 8.
Remove from oven and let cool. Serve warm.

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