Lebanese Spinach Pies

Lebanese Spinach Pies, also known as Fatayer Bi Sabanekh in Lebanon, are tasty savory pastries made from dough and spinach. These pastries are soft and have a sour zing to them. These homemade dough stuffed with spinach, onion and other ingredients are a staple of Lebanese cuisine. They are absolutely delicious and can be frozen and reheated any time.

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Spinach Pies, Fatayer, are very popular in the Levant regions. The pies are jam packed with Mediterranean flavors, uniquely the sumac which gives them that sour zing. They are served as an appetizer, side dish or even breakfast.

What are Lebanese Spinach Pies?

Spinach Pies are very nutritious pastries popular in the Levant region. The stuffing is made from spinach, which is full with amazing benefits, caramelized onions, tomatoes, black pepper, salt, and sumac and lemon juice to give it the citrusy flavor. Some people also add citric acid in place of the lemon juice and pomegranate molasse to make them more sour.

Fatayer Pies, a general term for the Middle Eastern pastries, can be made with endless stuffing options but the most popular ones are spiced ground meat, cheese and spinach filling.

Why you’ll love Lebanese Spinach Fatayer

• Easy to make: You make this fatayer recipe using simple pantry ingredients you already most likely have in hand.
• So flavorful: These spinach pies have an amazing flavor, a perfect balance to all the main ingredients used in the recipes.
• Freezer Friendly: These Lebanse spinach pies are perfect for freezing, which makes them a great asset to have in your freezer to use for side dishes and gatherings.

Lebanese Spinach Pie Ingredients

The first thing to do is to prepare the dough this way you prepare the filling while the dough rises.

Fatayer Dough Ingredients

• Flour: all purpose flour is best for this recipe.
• Water: warm water works best for this recipe to help the yeast rise.
• Milk: luke warm, full fat, helps make the dough rich.
• Baking Powder: helps the dough rise.
• Sugar: used with the yeast to help activate it.
• Oil: use a neutral flavored oil.
• Salt
• Yeast: use active yeast.

• Mix the yeast, warm water and sugar in a cup and let it sit for 10 minutes until the yeast mixture rises and doubles in size. This step is important to make sure the yeast is active.

• Using an electrical mixer, add all the dry ingredients in the bowl. Start by adding in the yeast mixture and mix, then gradually add in the warm milk and oil gradually. Continue kneading the dough fora few minutes until the dough collect well.

• Remove the bowl out from the mixer and collect with your hand to make a round dough. Spray the bowl with oil and return to dough back the bowl, cover with a towel or plastic wrap for 45-1 hour until the dough doubles in size. As shown in the photo below.

• While you wait for the dough to rise, let’s make the filling!

Spinach Fatayer Filling Ingredients

• Spinach: use fresh or frozen. Be sure to squeeze it to remove all excess water.
• Lemon: use fresh lemon or a little bit of citric acid.
• Black Pepper and Salt: to taste
• Sumac: a must for this recipe. Give the pies a delicious tangy flavor.
• Tomatoes: fresh diced tomatoes.
• Onion: petite diced, sautéed until translucent and lightly caramelized.
• Pomegranate molasses and chili flakes are optional.

• First thing, sauté the chopped spinach to blanche them. Next, set on a strainer and allow the liquids to drain and the spinach to cool. Squeeze any remaining liquids off. If you are using frozen spinach, you can thaw them and squeeze all liquids out of the spinach.

• Caramelize the diced onions with 1 tbsp. of olive oil. This is just to soften up the onion a little so they are not crunchy. While the onions care cooking, dice the tomatoes.

• Combine all ingredients: In a bowl, place the spinach, onions, tomatoes, lemon juice, salt, sumac, black pepper, cayenne pepper or chili flakes (optional). If you are using citric acid instead of lemon juice, add it in now. Mix to combine everything and set aside.

How to Make Lebanese Spinach Pies

• Pre-heat the oven to 400 F degrees.
• Remove it from the bowl, sprinkle some flour on it and knead a little bit with your hands on a marble slab or cutting board to deflate it. Cut up the dough and form into small even balls.

• TIP: You can also roll the dough into a big piece and cut out 3 inch circles with a cookie cutter or some sort of round lid like a mason jar lid. This will prevent you find rolling each dough at a time.

• Assemble the fatayer: Using a normal kitchen teaspoon, place a heaping teaspoon of filling on the dough. Wrap the dough in the form the shape shown in the photo. You basically pick up two sides of the round dough and close them together then close the back part to form a triangle like shape. Make sure you pinch the edges very well to seal it and prevent it from opening. Repeat for the reminder of the dough mixture.

• Bake: Place the pies on a large sheet pan or two lined with a parchment paper leaving 1 inch apart. Brush generously with lightly flavored olive oil and bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then brush with more olive oil and continue baking for another 5-10 until they get a light golden brown color depending on your oven.

• Remove the pies from the oven and allow them to cook for a minute or two before serving. Serve with some lemon wedges.

Tips to Make the Best Spinach Fatayer

• Drain the spinach really well to prevent the pies from getting soggy bottom. This will ruin the pies.
• Roll the dough thin. This will make the pies so much lighter, crispier and give it a flaky texture.
• Use warm milk and water for the dough.
• Do not skip the sumac, this gives a citrus flavor to the filling.
• To make it more sour, add 1 tsp. citric acid. Lemon juice will add moisture to the filling and make the dough soggy.
• Add pomegranate molasses and cayenne pepper for an extra touch of flavor.
• Add 1 tsp. paprika for a little bit of color.
• Do not substitute fresh onion with frozen onion or omit.
• Do not replace fresh tomatoes for canned tomatoes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Other Lebanese Recipes

• Cabbage Fattoush Salad
• Lebanese Tabbouleh Salad
• Lebanese Shaabiyat recipe
• Lebanese Lentil Soup

Enjoy these Lebanese Spinach Pies (Fatayer) as an appetizer, snack or side dish at any time. I hope you enjoy all the recipes I share with you including this delicious and simple Lebanese Spinach Pies. I hope you try it, enjoy it, rate it and share it with your friends and family!

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4.95 from 19 votes

Lebanese Spinach Pies

By: Mariam Ezzeddine

These delicious spinach pies make the perfect snack, appetizer or side dish any day! They are made with homemade dough and a delicious spinach filling.

Prep Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

0 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 24 servings

Ingredients 

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Spinach Filling

• ▢ 2 lbs fresh spinach, roughly chopped
• ▢ 2 tbsp olive oil, (to saute the spinach)
• ▢ 3 medium vine tomatoes, petite diced
• ▢ large onion, diced and caramalized
• ▢ 2 tbsp sumac
• ▢ 1 tsp black pepper
• ▢ 1/4 cup lemon juice, or replace with 1.5 tsp citric acid
• ▢ 1 tsp salt
• ▢ 3/4 tsp cayenne pepper, (optional to add heat)
• ▢ 2 tbsp pomegranete molasses, (optional)

Dough

• ▢ 4 cups all purpose or bread flour
• ▢ 1 cup warm milk
• ▢ 1/3 cup warm water
• ▢ 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
• ▢ 2 tbsps sugar
• ▢ 1 1/2 tbsp active yeast
• ▢ 1 tsp baking powder
• ▢ 1/4 cup lightly flavored olive oil, for brushing only

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

Making the dough

• Mix the yeast, warm water and sugar in a cup and let it sit for 10 minutes until the yeast mixture rises and doubles in size. This step is important to make sure the yeast is active.
• In an electrical mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients in. Start by adding in the yeast and mix, then gradually add in the warm milk and oil gradually. Continue kneading the dough on low speed for 1-2 minutes until the dough collect well together.
• Remove the bowl out from the mixer and collect with your hand to make a round dough. Return to the bowl, cover with a towel or plastic wrap for 45-1 hour until the dough doubles in size.

Making the filling

• Heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a large pot and sauté the chopped spinach to shrink them. Next, set on a strainer and allow the liquids to drain and the spinach to cool.
• Once this step is done, dice the tomatoes.
• Let’s get back to the spinach. At this point they are cool enough, and you will drain them one more time by squeezing them with your hands to remove all the excess water or use a towel cloth.
• All the main ingredients are ready to combine now. In a bowl, place the spinach, onions, tomatoes, salt, sumac, black pepper, cayenne pepper (optional). If you are using citric acid, place in now. Mix to combine well. Set aside. If you are using lemon juice mix in right before you are ready to fill the pies.

Assembling the Spinach Pies

• Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Let’s get back to the dough. Remove it from the bowl, sprinkle some flour on it and knead a little bit with your hands on a marble slab or cutting board to deflate it. Cut up the dough and form into small even balls.
• You can also roll the dough into a big piece and cut out 3 inch circles with a cookie cutter or some sort of round lid like a mason jar lid. This will prevent you find rolling each dough at a time.
• Using a normal kitchen teaspoon place a heaping teaspoon of filling on the dough. Wrap the dough in the form the shape shown in the photo. You basically pick up two sides of the round dough and close them together then close the back part to form a triangle like shape. Make sure you pinch the edges very well to seal it and prevent it from opening. Repeat for the reminder of the dough mixture.
• Place the pieces on a large sheet pan or two lined with a parchment paper leaving 1 inch apart. Brush generously with lightly flavored olive oil and bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then brush with more olive oil and continue baking for another 5-10 until they get a light golden brown color depending on your oven.
• Remove the pies from the oven and allow them to cool for a minute or two before serving. Serve with some lemon wedges.

Notes

• Drain the spinach really well to prevent the pies from getting soggy bottom. This will ruin the pies.
• Roll the dough as thin as you can. This will making the pies so much softer and crispier and give it a flaky texture.
• Use warm milk and water only for the dough.
  rain the spinach really well to prevent the pies from getting soggy bottom. This will ruin the pies.
• Roll the dough as thin as you can. This will making the pies so much softer and crispier and give it a flaky texture.
• Use warm milk and water only for the dough.
• Do not skip the sumac, this gives a citrus flavor to the filling.
• To make it more sour, use one less lemon and add 1 tsp. citric acid.
• Add 1 tsp. paprika for a little bit of color and 1 tsp. to add extra heat.
• If you are making these to freeze, undercook for 5 minutes to allow them to fully cook when ready to reheat. Cook at the same temperature. This will prevent the pies from drying up when reheating. Brush with some lightly flavored olive oil and bake for another 10 minutes when you complete the cooking.
• You can store them in an airtight container or zip lock freezer bag after they cool completely. Place a parchment paper over the pies if you are placing on top of each other to prevent hem from sticking to each other.
• Do not skip the sumac, this gives a citrus flavor to the filling. To make it more sour, use one less lemon and add 1 tsp. citric acid. Add 1 tsp. paprika for a little bit of color and 1 tsp. to add extra heat.
• You can store them in an airtight container or zip lock freezer bag after they cool completely. Place a parchment paper over the pies if you are placing on top of each other to prevent hem from sticking to each other.

Nutrition

Calories: 175kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 133mg | Potassium: 308mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 3712IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 1mg

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