Pinwheels with spinach and prosciutto are rich and flavorful, a great do ahead appetizer that you can eat with your fingers. Easy to freeze the roll and have it on hand when you need a quick appetizer.
Pinwheels with spinach and prosciutto always look so festive and impressive when served. A flaky crust that melts in your mouth wrapped around a savory center. However, they aren’t nearly as difficult to make as it might seem.
You can assemble these savory pinwheels in just a few minutes. Remember to let the puff pastry thaw for 30 minutes and give yourself about an hour for them to freeze before baking. You can mess with the filling to include ingredients that you like. However, I love prosciutto and sun dried tomatoes. That combination of flavors converts a bland spinach appetizer into one that captures your attention. Puff pastry keeps them light and flaky.
What is PUFF PASTRY
Puff pastry is a light and buttery flaky dough that you can use for both savory appetizers or sweet desserts. It’s only ingredients are butter, flour and salt. However, it can be time consuming to make so I go for the frozen variety like Dufour. The texture is similar to a croissant, flaky and buttery. If you love puff pastry as much as I do, then try French Onion Pastry Bites, or go sweet and try a Berry Braid.
Ingredients
How do you MAKE savory spinach pinwheels
Step 1: Thaw the puff pastry, my favorite is Dufour which you can find a Whole Foods or Fresh Market where I live. Pepperidge Farm also will work fine.
Step 2: Remove all the water from of the spinach and add it to the mayonnaise, sun dried tomatoes, cheese and seasonings.
Step 3: Unfold the puff pastry and roll out. Spread the spinach mixture on top. Then layer with thin slices of prosciutto and roll up like a jelly roll.
Step 4: Freeze for about an hour until they are firm but not frozen through and slice or keep in the freezer for later.
Step 5: Brush with an egg wash and bake for 15 minutes.
They are delicious right out of the oven but also still yummy at room temperature. Easy to pick up with your hands and they don’t make a mess when you eat them. Perfectly flaky but not crumbly.
When you need an appetizer and don’t have time to make anything, you can just relax and take it out of the freezer and slice and bake. What a great make-ahead appetizer to have on hand for unexpected friends or for a dinner party. Each roll will make about 18 pinwheels.
FAQ’s and tips
Pinwheels are a great appetizer to make ahead of time and keep in the freezer. Freeze the roll before cutting. Or cut into slices and refrigerate until ready to bake.
These taste almost as good at room temperature as they do warm, perfect for a party.
Dufour has the most butter so it will give you that buttery taste, Trader Joe’s also has butter but is only available around the holidays.
What else could you put in a spinach pinwheel
If you want to try something different in your pinwheels, you could try feta cheese or substitute cooked bacon for prosciutto. Or make them more pizza like and add chopped pepperoni or go vegetarian and add mushrooms.
MORE delicious appetizers
- Everyone loves Sausage Balls and these are made without bisquick, or try them with almond flour
- Make a French appetizers, mini croque monsieurs
- In a hurry, then you need to make puff pastry with mushrooms
- Cheese Crackers are great to munch on for any occasion
If you make Pinwheels with Spinach and Prosciutto, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! I would love to see your creation.
Adapted from The Recipe Girl Cookbook
Pinwheels with Spinach and Prosciutto
Ingredients
- 1 puff pastry sheet
- 10 ounces frozen spinach thawed and squeezed completely dry
- ½ cup sun dried tomatoes drained, chopped and patted dry
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup parmesan/asiago cheese grated
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 6 thin slices prosciutto (5ounces)
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Thaw puff pastry at room temperature for about 30 minutes or until it is easy to unfold.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, mayonnaise, cheese, and seasonings. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Unfold a sheet of pastry and place on a lightly floured surface. Spread the spinach mixture evenly over the pastry sheet leaving a 1/2 inch border along the longer sides. Cover the spinach mixture with thin slices of prosciutto.
- Starting at a longer side, roll the pastry tightly and pinch the seam at the end. Wrap with plastic wrap. Freeze the logs for about an hour or until they are firm but not completely frozen. If you freeze them all the way, let them thaw slightly so they will be easier to cut.
- Preheat oven to 425º.
- Slice into 1/2 inch slices and place on parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with egg wash.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Video
Notes
Recipe Tips
- Use a serrated knife to cut the pinwheels to make a clean cut.
- You can freeze these in a log or cut in slices and freeze the slices so that you take out just as many as you need.
- Check the time on baking as the thinner they are the less time they will take. Remove when they are golden brown.
- You can leave out the meat for a delicious vegetarian appetizer.
- For the flakiest pinwheels, use a puff pastry that is made with butter like dufour or Trader Joes.
