Spinach and Cheese Borek, or Turkish Spiral Borek, a fantastic savoury dish made with phyllo pastry and a flavourful cow's cheese and spinach filling. The pastry is rolled into long coils and arranged into spirals, then baked until golden, flaky and crispy. Surprisingly easy to make, and perfect for lunch or dinner, this borek is absolutely delicious!
The Turkish cuisine is well known for its variety of flavours, from hearty homecooked dishes and mezze, fresh fruit and vegetables, fragrant herbs and flakey pastries. Borek is a very popular dish that is traditionally made with phyllo or yufka pastry and wide range of fillings.
Cheese, spinach, potatoes, meat, are all common ingredients used to make a borek, and there can be different shapes like coils, spirals, rolls, triangles or layered pies. I absolutely love the spiral variation though, it looks incredible and it really makes it stand out.
It's also similar to the Greek spinach and cheese spanakopita, my spanakopita triangles use a similar filling, and are more of an appetizer than a main meal. Both incredibly delicious though!
The difference is that spanakopita traditionally uses feta cheese, where borek can use either feta or cows' cheese, which is a very popular option throughout Eastern Europe and Turkey.
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Note!
Go to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions!
Ingredients overview
- phyllo pastry - or filo pastry, it can be made at home, but for the sake of convenience, I use shop-bought one, it's fantastic and saves quite a bit of time
- cow's cheese - white cow's cheese that is crumbly and usually brined to preserve it. In the UK you the closest you can find is the salad cheese, which works a treat
- spinach - you can use fresh spinach too, but you need a lot of it, and it has to be cooked and excess liquid removed. Frozen spinach is cheap and convenient, and it's easy to store
- spring onion - adds colour and flavour; it can be swapped for a regular onion, which can be used raw or fried until translucent
- fresh dill and parsley - add colour and tons of fresh flavour
- egg - I used half an egg for the filling, and half for the glaze
- sesame and caraway seeds - for garnishing and extra flavour and texture
- yogurt - you use either plain yogurt or Greek yogurt, the yogurt softens the pastry inside and crisps it up on the inside
- olive oil - combined with the egg and yogurt makes a fantastic glaze that can be used to brush the pastry
- ground black pepper - use generously for some good heat
Step-by-step photos and instructions
- add the frozen spinach to a pan, cover it with boiled water and bring it to a boil until the spinach is thawed
- transfer the spinach to a colander, rinse with cold water, and use your hands to remove the excess liquid
- chop the spinach well and set aside
- chop the spring onion, dill and parsley finely, and add them to a large bowl together with the crumbled cheese and use a fork to mix everything well
- add the chopped spinach to the cheese mixture together with half the beaten egg and ground black pepper
- mix well
- to make the glaze, mix the yogurt with the olive oil and the remaining egg and mix well
- brush a round quiche/tart tin with a bit of the yogurt glaze
- stack 2 phyllo sheets together and brush well with the glaze, then spread some cheese mixture along one long edge and carefully roll the pastry over the filling to create a sausage-shaped roll
- coil the roll and arrange it in the middle of the tin
- repeat with the remaining ingredients, joining the new pastry roll to the end of the previous one and continue to coil it around
- brush the top of the entire spiral with the remaining yogurt mixture, sprinkle with the seeds, and bake in the preheated oven at 170 degrees Celsius (325 Fahrenheit) for 30 minutes, then increase the temperature to 200 degrees Celsius (390 Fahrenheit) and bake for a further 10 minutes until the spiral is golden and crispy
Expert tips
Squeeze the spinach very well, excess moisture can make the pastry soggy. Make sure to rinse the spinach with cold water once thawed, otherwise you can burn your hands when you squeeze the water out.
Baking it at a lower temperature to begin with ensures an even baking on the inside. If the borek is baked at a high temperature throughout, the outside will be golden, while the inside is still uncooked and chewy, rather than soft.
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Spinach and Cheese Borek
Video
Ingredients
- 8 phyllo pastry sheets
- 450 g frozen spinach (16 oz)
- 1 large spring onion
- 2 tablespoon fresh dill, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 egg
- 250 g white cows' cheese ( or feta cheese, 9 oz)
- 100 ml yogurt (plain or Greek yogurt, 3 oz)
- 5 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius (325 Fahrenheit).
- Add the frozen spinach to a pan set over a high heat, cover it with boiled water, and bring it to a boil until the spinach is completely thawed.
- Transfer the spinach to a fine colander to drain all the liquid, rinse it with cold water, and use your hands to squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
- Chop the spinach finely and set it aside.
- Chop the onion finely and add it to a large bowl together with the chopped parley, dill and spinach.
- Add the crumbled cheese and use a fork to mix everything well.
- Beat the egg in a small bowl, add add half of it to the cheese mixture together with the ground black pepper, mixing well to get a uniform filling.
- In a separate bowl mix the yogurt with the olive oil and remaining egg and mix well.
- Brush some of the mixture over the bottom of a quiche or round tin (mine is 23 cm /9 inches in diameter).
- Stack 2 phyllo sheets together and brush well with the glaze, then spread some cheese mixture along one long edge and carefully roll the pastry over the filling to create a sausage-shaped roll.
- Coil the roll and arrange it in the middle of the tin.
- Repeat with the remaining ingredients, joining the new pastry roll to the end of the previous one and continue to coil it around.
- Brush the top of the entire spiral with the remaining yogurt mixture, sprinkle with the seeds, and bake in the preheated oven at 170 degrees Celsius (325 Fahrenheit) for 30 minutes, then increase the temperature to 200 degrees Celsius (390 Fahrenheit) and bake for a further 10 minutes until the spiral is golden and crispy.
Notes
- Squeeze the spinach very well, excess moisture can make the pastry soggy. Make sure to rinse the spinach with cold water once thawed, otherwise you can burn your hands when you squeeze the water out.
- Baking it at a lower temperature to begin with ensures an even baking on the inside. If the borek is baked at a high temperature throughout, the outside will be golden, while the inside is still uncooked and chewy, rather than soft.
Nutrition
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