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These fun little onion, spinach, and cheddar flaky pastries are the perfect fall accoutrement. Flaky puff pastry dough filled with caramelized onions, spinach, and cheese, and then baked to a golden perfection. Equally perfect on a holiday platter, and as they are on a Monday night football tray!
Happy Monday, happy fall, and welcome to the last full week of September!
Hard to believe that October first is just one week away. Truly feels like we just welcomed in September. This month has been so crazy busy and full of many ups and downs. It’s been a lot, but after spending the weekend organizing the studio space and preparing for the month ahead, I’m feeling a little more on top of things…
I mean, just slightly. Still a little overwhelmed, but getting organized always helps to calm my anxiety a bit. Plus, I’m feeling really excited for all that’s coming in these next few months. So many fun autumn recipes (did you see Friday’s mulled spiced apple cider doughnuts?), new content, and holiday talk, are in the future!
Can’t wait.
Today I’m sharing such a delicious recipe that’s kind of perfect for all situations. It’s obviously a great appetizer, but these pastries are equally great as a light dinner with a side salad. And yes, the leftovers the next day for lunch are pretty much perfection.
I made these last week. They’re one of the very first recipes I cooked and photographed in the new studio. Not going to lie, it’s been a big adjustment for me cooking and photographing in a new space. I’m not even close to feeling comfortable yet, but after hours and hours working on these, I finally decided I was happy with them.
The recipe came out great the first time around. I mean, what’s not to love about caramelized onions, spinach, and cheese all stuffed into flaky pastry dough? It’s beyond good.
The trouble I was having was more with the photos. For those who do any kind of photography you know that lighting is KEY. I only shoot with natural light and while the new studio has so much incredible natural light, it’s also very different from my old works space (aka my house) and it’s taking some serious getting used to.
I love a good moody photo with shadows and all, so finding the right window is proving to be a challenge. I’m sure over time I will find my grove, but right now there’s a bit of a learning curve, so bear with me! I spent hours on these photos and finally came away with some I am happy with and that make the tarts look just as delicious as they taste.
Speaking which, let’s talk recipe details.
These are pretty simple to make. You’ll need some pantry staples like onions, spices, frozen spinach and puff pastry.
Start with caramelizing the onions. The onions need to cook low and slow until they’re golden, sweet, and perfect. It’s about a ten minute process, so practice some patience here, and don’t walk too far away from the skillet. Trust me, I’ve done this and come back to black onions. Not good.
Once the onions have caramelized, add the herbs, spices, spinach, and cheeses. I uses a mixed of cheddar and havarti. The cheddar adds a nice sharp flavor, while the havarti adds a buttery creaminess. Both would be delicious on their own, but I love pairing them together for a sharp, buttery, and creamy cheesy flavor.
Stuff the spinach filling in between sheets of puff pastry and then bake. I brushed half of my pastries with everything bagel spice, which is delicious, but also not completely needed. I loved both versions, so use the everything spice if you’d like, these are great with or without!
What you must do however, is drizzle each pastry with honey and then sprinkle with fresh thyme and flaky salt just after they come out of the oven. I know it may seem odd, but trust me here, the honey, thyme, salt combo…game changer.
It’s the best finishing touch.
I’m loving the idea serving these up for some Monday night football snacking or just an easy, but different dinner to break out of the usual chicken and veggie situation that often happens on a Monday night.
You could also save the recipe, and use as your next party appetizer (hello Halloween parties, Friendsgiving, and Thanksgiving I’m looking at you). Better yet, serve these tonight AND at your next gathering!
If you make these caramelized onion, spinach, and cheddar flaky pastries, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love hearing 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! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Caramelized Onion, Spinach, and Cheddar Flaky Pastries
Servings: 9 pastries
Calories Per Serving: 977 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon honey, plus more for serving
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1 garlic clove, minced or grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 bag (16 ounce) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded havarti cheese
- 1 box frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 1 egg, beaten
- everything bagel spice, for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onions and honey and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened. Season with salt and pepper and continue cooking another 5-10 minutes or until the onions are golden and caramelized. Add the garlic, thyme, nutmeg, and crushed red pepper, cook another minute. Remove from the heat. 3. Stir in the spinach, cheddar, and havarti cheese.4. Lay the pastry sheets flat on a clean, floured surface. Gently roll the sheets out to stretch slightly. Cut each sheet into 9 squares. Evenly divide the spinach filling among half of the squares, leaving a 1/4 inch border around the edges. Brush the edges with egg. Lay the remaining 9 squares over the filling and seal the edges by crimping with the back of a fork. 5. Place the squares on the prepared baking sheet and brush the tops with beaten egg. Make 2 small slits on the top of the pastries. Sprinkle with everything spice, if desired. Transfer to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.6. Serve warm, drizzled with honey.
Can these be made the day before? They sound delicious.
Hey Geri,
I think these are best served warm the day of making. I hope the recipe turns out amazing for you. Please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Im going to try this next week- i’ll be using fresh spinach since I have some to use from my garden, but my question is, does the dough get too wet on the underneath piece from the filling? should I turn it over halfway?
Hey Alison,
I don’t turn mine, but if you feel like you need to that would be totally fine. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Delish! I used fresh spinach from our garden and cooked it down with the caramelized onions.
Hey Hannah,
Thanks so much for making the recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have a great week! xTieghan
These are darn near perfect. I think there’s too much red pepper. It overwhelms the other flavors. Likewise, I think there’s so much garlic in the Everything But The Bagel seasoning that it too overwhelms the flavor of the filling. I would still use both but in lesser quantities
Hey Meg,
I am thrilled you liked the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a go! Happy Sunday:) xTieghan
These were excellent! Easy enough to make that a relatively inexperienced cook like me had no issues, and came out delicious! The sweetness of the honey plays beautifully with the little kick from the red pepper flakes, and visually they look stunning! Will definitely be making these again!
Hey Jessie,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Tastes sharp and spicy but without depth of flavor. Followed recipe. Would maybe try again with less red pepper and some sausage or bacon.
Hi! I am sorry this did not turn out as expected.. please let me know if there is anything I can help with! xTieghan
Can these be made ahead of time?? Thank you!
Hey BethAnn,
You can assemble these ahead of time, but I would recommend serving them warm. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
After you bake these, can you store in an air tight container at room temperature or do they need to be refrigerated?
Hi Nicole,
I would keep these in the fridge. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I need to make these ahead for a bridal shower and freeze them, I assume you brush them with the egg after you bring them out of the freezer to bake? thx
Hi Cathie,
Yes that is correct! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Amidst the chaos of shopping with a 1 year old, we somehow grabbed frozen fillo dough instead of puff pastry and were extremely disappointed… until they came out of the oven! We made them into little triangles and they werel really, really good!!! Saving this recipe for the next time we go to the store to buy puff pastry. LOL
Amazing!! Made these thinking they’d last a few days in the house… they were gone wihin the hour! Fab combination of flavours, and pretty easy to make 😀
Haha wow that is too great! I am so glad you all loved this Lucy! xTieghan
These were so delicious! A little more work than my usual ham, cheese, and dijon ones but so worth it for the flavor! I would cut each sheet into 4 rectangles next time and fold them over making 8 turnovers! Loved the everything bagel spice, I used it on half of them but would put it on all of them next time! Such a wonderful, delicious recipe!
I am really glad these turned out so well for you Crissy! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
Hey Teigen-the filling was great. I didn’t use the egg wash on the completed turnover which may account for the “crunchiness” we experienced. I’m thinking that next time, I’ll either use pie crust or down butter in between the layers…
Ooo yum! So glad you loved this recipe, Dale!! xTieghan
These are delicious! The recipe was easy to follow even for a novice baker. I love the flavors of the honey, thyme, and everything bagel spice together, and the filling is just as good.
Thank you so much Sara! I am so glad you loved this recipe! xTieghan
I made these last night – they were amazing. I assembled the pastries a day prior and froze them before baking. They took a little longer to cook since they were frozen – about 35 minutes. Please post more pastry recipes like this!
I am so glad you loved these pastries, Gabriella! Thank you so much!