Dinner Tonight

Crispy phyllo rolls stuffed with garlicky spinach and three cheeses. This is essentially spanakopita in roll form, but simpler and faster since the spinach gets nuked in the microwave while the garlic sautees on the stovetop. Everything comes together in parallel so you’re assembling rolls in under 20 minutes.

The filling is a mix of cooked spinach, sauteed garlic, bread crumbs, Parmesan, basil, and pepper. Bread crumbs absorb excess moisture from the spinach so the phyllo stays crispy instead of going soggy. Each roll gets a spoonful of ricotta and a touch of mozzarella that melts into pockets of creamy, stretchy cheese inside.

Four half-sheets of phyllo per roll, each sprayed lightly with cooking spray, gives you enough layers for a shatteringly crisp wrapper without it being too thick or doughy.

Kitchen Tips

• Squeeze the cooked spinach dry in a clean kitchen towel. This is the most important step. Wet spinach makes soggy rolls, guaranteed.
• Work fast with phyllo. It dries out and cracks within minutes of being exposed to air. Keep unused sheets under a damp towel.
• Spray lightly between each phyllo layer. Heavy spraying makes the sheets translucent and greasy instead of flaky.
• Roll snugly but don’t pack too tight. The filling needs a little room to steam or the phyllo won’t crisp evenly.

Variations

• Feta and dill: Swap the ricotta and mozzarella for crumbled feta and add fresh dill for a more traditional Greek flavor.
• Mushroom spinach: Add sauteed chopped mushrooms to the filling for an earthier, meatier roll.
• Spicy roll: Mix red pepper flakes into the filling and use pepper jack instead of mozzarella for a kick.