These Lebanese Spinach Pies are one of my favorite Lebanese snacks. I could eat them everyday! Spinach pies make a perfect portable snack, you can pack them in your kid’s lunch box or eat them on the go!
What is Lebanese Spinach Pies?
Lebanese Spinach Pies or spinach fatayer are a stable in Lebanese cuisine, made with spinach, onion, olive oil and sumac mixture baked inside a homemade dough to create a delicious vegetarian meal. These pastries are soft, tangy and delicious. They freeze great too!
The Fatayer Dough Recipe:
The dough for this fatayer recipe is very easy to prepare. With just 6 ingredients, this dough requires just one bowl with a lid (no stand mixer, though you can use one if you’d like), about 5 minutes of kneading, and 3 hours to rise. For this fatayer dough, I prefer to use
The Spinach Pies Filling:
The Spinach pies filling is a combination of spinach and onions, seasoned with salt and sumac. Sumac is the basic ingredient to this recipe. You can feel free to experiment with this recipe a bit, for example by adding some feta cheese to the filling if you want.
Start by cutting onions into wedges or diced.
Cut spinach into small pieces and place in a large bowl and add onions salt and Sumac spice and mix well.
Add olive oil and mix some more until the mixture is well incorporated.
How to Make Homemade Lebanese Spinach Pies:
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with a lightly greased parchment paper.
Punch down the dough and form into 12 small balls.
Arrange on lightly floured surface and sprinkle some flour on top too.
Cover again with a towel or plastic wrap and leave to rise for another 30 minutes.
Form the spinach pies by flattening the dough balls on a floured surface into small circles with your fingertips or use a rolling pin (whatever works better for you). They will be about 6 inches in diameter.
Add about 1-2 tablespoons filling in the center of each circle. Leave a 1 inch border around.
Pinch together 3 edges of the circle over the center of the filling to form a triangular-shaped pie. Start by pinching two sides of each circle together and bringing the third edge a bit up to the center to close.
Arrange the stuffed pies in a single layer onto the prepared baking tray, lined with lightly greased parchment paper.
Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.
Repeat the process with the remaining circles and the remainder of the dough.
Let cool, serve and enjoy!
Making Fatayer Bi Sabanekh Ahead of Time:
The good news is that you can make these Lebanese fatayer ahead of time, you can store in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. They are also freezer friendly, Once the fatayer pies have been baked allow them to cool. Place in an airtight freezer safe container separating layers with parchment paper. Freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat in the oven or in the microwave before serving .
How to Serve Lebanese Spinach Pies:
These Lebanese spinach triangles also taste great both warm and at room temperature. Serve with yogurt, hummus or Fattoush Salad.
In a small bowl, combine warm water, sugar and yeast. Set aside for 10 minutes to foam.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, warm milk, yogurt and vegetable oil. Work the mixture with your hands.
Pour in the yeast mixture and continue mixing until a soft dough forms.
Continue kneading the dough until its feels elastic, smooth, and no longer sticks to your hands, this step will take about 5 minutes.
If after kneading, the dough is still too sticky for you, you can sprinkle just a tiny bit of flour and knead some more.
Shape the whole dough into a round shaped dough.
Pour 1 teaspoon olive oil on dough and spread it so the whole top of the dough is covered with oil evenly.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and the bowl with its lid.
Wrap container with a large towel (to keep warm) and leave to rise at room temperature for about 3-4 hours or until doubled in size.
Prepare the Spinach Pies Stuffing Mixture:
In a large bowl, add spinach, onions, salt, sumac and olive oil- mix well. The mixture will be overly salty and sour ( if you decided to taste), however after baking the final product should come out just right 😉
Prepare the Spinach Pies for Cooking:
Preheat the oven to 350 ° F. Line a baking sheet with a lightly greased parchment paper.
Punch down the dough and form into 12 small balls.
Arrange on lightly floured surface and sprinkle some flour on top too.
Cover again with a towel and leave to rise for another 30 minutes.
Form the spinach pies by flattening the dough balls on a floured surface into small circles with your fingertips or use a rolling pin (whatever works better for you). They will be about 6 inches in diameter.
Add about 1-2 tablespoons filling in the center of each circle. Leave a 1 inch border around.
Pinch together 3 edges of the circle over the center of the filling to form a triangular-shaped pie. Start by pinch two sides of each circle together and bringing the third edge a bit up to the center to close.
Arrange the stuffed pies in a single layer onto the prepared baking tray.
Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.
Repeat the process with the remaining circles and the remainder of the dough.
Let cool, serve and enjoy! 🙂
Notes
Any leftover spinach pies can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for around a week, or can be frozen for about 2-3 months.
If you make this recipe, then don’t forget to snap a photo and hashtag it #thesaltandsweetkitchen — I would love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook!
