Delicious Spinach and Ricotta Puff Pastry Cannoli (Ready in No-Time!)

If you love traditional sweet cannoli that have a crispy shell and ricotta filling, you will appreciate these Spinach and Ricotta Cannoli with a puff pastry shell and savory filling. The filling is earthy from the spinach, and cheesy and salty from both ricotta and parmesan cheeses. The ricotta adds a creaminess to the filling as well. These spinach and ricotta cannoli make a delicious appetizer during the Christmas holiday with their flaky crust.

To make them, cooked spinach gets mixed with ricotta, parmesan, and pepper until combined. Then, the pastry gets cut into squares before the spinach mixture is piped on the squares on a diagonal. Then, the edges get folded over to form the cannoli before they are brushed with egg wash, sprinkled with sesame seeds, and baked in the oven. Served hot, these savory cannoli will get eaten in no time.

What are Spinach and Ricotta Cannoli?

Rather than a traditional cannoli dough, these use puff pastry sheets which can be bought at the grocery store. They include a filling of spinach, ricotta cheese, and parmesan cheese that makes them extra decadent and savory to enjoy over the holidays.

Pro Tips

• Make sure you squeeze as much moisture from the frozen spinach as possible before you use it in this recipe. This will ensure that your filling doesn’t become too wet.
• The puff pastry should be stored in the fridge until you are ready to use it to ensure that it is easy to work with. It will also puff up better and become flakier if the butter in the dough is allowed to remain cold before being baked.
• If you can’t find frozen spinach, you can use fresh spinach instead.
• Feel free to use black sesame seeds or white sesame seeds, or a combination of both in this recipe.
• If you prefer a saltier filling, you could replace the ricotta cheese with feta cheese instead.
• Cottage cheese is another good replacement for ricotta if you don’t have ricotta on hand or are looking for a higher protein cheese to use in your recipes.

What to Serve with Spinach and Ricotta Cannoli?

Spinach and ricotta cannoli can be served on their own with a cold beverage or as an appetizer before a festive meal. They can also be served as a main part of a meal with a fresh salad on the side.

What Can I Use if I Don’t Have a Piping Bag?

If you don’t have a piping bag to pipe the filling, you can put the filling in a sandwich bag instead. Then, you can simply cut the corner before piping it onto the squares of puff pastry.

What if I Can’t Find Frozen Spinach?

If you can’t find frozen spinach to complete this recipe, you could use fresh spinach instead. Just blanch it in boiling water, squeeze out the excess liquid, and measure out the amount needed for this spinach and ricotta cannoli recipe.

Can I Use Swiss Chard Instead of Spinach?

Yes, you could! Swiss chard is very similar to spinach except that it has harder stems. If you choose to use Swiss chard rather than spinach, you should remove the stems and only use the leaves.

What Can I Do if the Puff Pastry Doesn’t Stay Closed?

If the puff pastry doesn’t seem to want to seal, you can brush the edges with some egg wash to help them stick.

More Spinach and Ricotta Appetizers You Need to Try!

Ricotta Spinach Focaccia Bread

Spinach Cake

Spanakopita Rolls

Spinach Feta Bread

How to Store Spinach and Ricotta Cannoli

These spinach and ricotta cannoli should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge if you have leftovers. They should stay fresh for up to 3 to 4 days in the fridge.

It is best not to freeze the cannoli as freezing may negatively impact the texture of the cheese.

How to Make Spinach and Ricotta Cannoli

Step 1: Heat the olive oil in a pan with the spinach, season it with salt, and allow the mixture to cook until the spinach is soft.

Step 2: In a bowl, stir the ricotta with the spinach, parmesan, and pepper until combined.

Step 3: Cut the pastry into squares. Pipe the filling from one corner to the other so it is on a diagonal.

Step 4: Brush one side of the pastry with egg wash and fold the edges over to seal.

Step 5: Brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle them with sesame seeds.

Step 6: Bake the cannoli in a 180 C (360 F) oven for 20 minutes. Serve immediately!