Easy and delicious Turkish Boerek with Spinach and Feta Cheese is great for takeout lunch or vegetarian dinner. It takes 20 minutes (+ 25 minutes baking time) and 7 ingredients to prepare it!
Turkish boerek with spinach and feta is something I’ve eaten and loved before but never had an idea to make it at home. I was surprised of how incredibly easy and delicious it came out! If you like savory pastry and don’t want to spend much time in the kitchen, you have to make this Turkish boerek tonight! It makes for a nice takeout lunch, vegetarian dinner or even savory breakfast. It pairs perfectly with ayran, a Middle-Eastern yoghurt drink, which is also very easy to make at home.
The best part about boerek is that you only need 7 ingredients to make it (if you don’t count olive oil, salt and black pepper, that I assume you’ve already have in your kitchen). You’ll need phyllo dough sheets that you can get in your local grocery store or even on almighty Amazon, fresh (or frozen) spinach, garlic, onion, feta cheese, milk and eggs. This recipe is really approachable because most of the ingredients you probably have at home and the phyllo dough is pre-made and rolled in large sheets for you.
It takes 20 minutes to prepare it and 25-30 minutes to bake. The idea is to lay the phyllo dough sheets in the middle of a smaller and well-greased baking dish, folding the ends inside and creating waves of dough. To soften the dough, smear each layer with a mixture of milk, eggs, olive oil, salt and pepper. Next comes the spinach feta filling. It’s made by sautéing minced garlic, chopped onion and spinach in a bit of olive oil and combining it with crumbled feta cheese. Alternatively, you can use any other kind of collard greens like kale and spring greens, bok choy or even ground meat. My favorite is still spinach but I’d love to know if you make it with another filling, so please make sure to leave a comment below.
Next step is to spread half of the filling over the softened phyllo dough, cover with another layer of phyllo dough, fold the ends and smear with the milk mixture, following by the rest of the spinach feta filling. The third and the last layer of phyllo dough is put on top of the filling, the edges are folded and the rest of the milk mixture is poured on top. Now it’s time to bake it in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. You’ll see that it’s ready when the top of the boerek is golden-brown, just like on the pictures.
I think this Turkish boerek with spinach and feta cheese is an ideal summer pastry, as it’s mess-free and super easy and quick to make. I’m often too lazy to bake when it’s warm outside but I’m always in the mood for boerek because I know that it won’t take more than 20 minutes to prepare and I don’t have to mess around with the dough. Check the recipe below or more instructions and enjoy this easy Turkish boerek with spinach and feta cheese! I’m sure you’ll love it!
Turkish Boerek with Spinach and Feta Cheese
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium-sized onion chopped
- 500 grams or 17.5 oz spinach roughly chopped
- 250 grams or 9 oz feta cheese
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the milk mixture:
- 150 ml milk
- 2 eggs
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 big sheets phyllo dough
Instructions
- FILLING: Heat a lug of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté minced garlic, chopped onion and spinach until soft, for about 5 minutes. In a medium-sized bowl, combine it with crumbled feta cheese. Add a bit of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- MILK MIXTURE: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together milk, eggs and olive oil. Season with a bit of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- ASSEMBLE THE BOEREK: Preheat the oven to 180 °C or 360 °F. Grease a backing dish (I used 30x20 cm or 12x8 inch rectangular dish) with a bit of olive oil. Lay a phyllo dough sheet in the middle of the baking dish, folding the ends inside and creating waves of dough. Smear with a bit of milk mixture. Spread half of the filling over the softened phyllo dough, cover with another layer of phyllo dough, fold the ends and smear with the milk mixture again, following by the rest of the spinach feta filling. Put the third and the last layer of phyllo dough on top of the filling, fold the edges and pour the rest of the milk mixture on top. Bake for 25-30 minutes. You'll see that it's ready when the top of the boerek is golden-brown, just like on the pictures. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
What is your favorite savory pastry? Leave a comment below!
Cheers,
Elena
Just made it today, very good recipe, I’ve tried some in the past but none came out the same. Will stick to this recipe.
Thank you for sharing it ❤
Hi Ramona, thank you so much for sharing your feedback! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe! Cheers!
Great recipe, good to have photos too, thanks for sharing
So glad you like it Sarah! Thanks for the feedback
Thank you so much for the recipe! 🙂 I tried this in my trip to Istanbul since it was a good looking vegetarian option and it was amazing!
So glad you like it, Rochi!! Thank you for stopping by!
I don’t usually post comments, but wanted to say thank you for this great recipe. I’ve made it several times now, with a few variations, and it’s always been delicious. Good work 🙂
Hi Alex! I feel so flattered to receive comments like yours! Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe 🙂
Can not be Turkish recipe with Greek cheese as feta. This is pure greek pie
Here in Germany we refer to feta cheese whenever we talk of a white brine cheese. The correct Turkish name for this type of cheese would be “Beyaz peynir” but I don’t think many people would know what it is. The same story is with Parmesan cheese 🙂