This spinach ricotta crescent wrap makes a great meatless dinner for two or three, or for serving as a vegetarian appetizer! Kind of like a calzone wrapped with crescent dough, a sure way to fill you up with leafy greens, veggies and flavor.
One of my favorite dinner recipes is the broccoli crescent wrap that was adapted from one my grandma used to make.
A reader recently commented asking how it would taste with spinach instead of broccoli, which prompted me to give it a try!
The original broccoli version of the recipe uses cottage cheese (substituted in place of mayonnaise) but I thought ricotta would go a little better with spinach. So it kind of turned into a calzone without the sauce.
For the broccoli wrap, I don’t saute the greens – but spinach is a totally different thing when cooked. So one small extra step is required for the spinach, to saute the leafy greens with a bell pepper.
I used red bell pepper for the pop of color (plus, they are a little sweeter than green ones).
Pro tip: you can save a mixing bowl for the next step and just dump the ricotta cheese and herbs into the skillet with the vegetables!
Italian seasoning works great, other options include but aren’t limited to basil, oregano, or dill (like the broccoli wrap).
Let it cool a little bit so it doesn’t completely melt the dough in the next step.
Literally the hardest part of this recipe is opening the crescent roll can (does anybody else hold their breath in anticipation, waiting for the “pop!”?).
Or maybe cooking the spinach. Remember how much spinach cooks down, so you should probably add to add to skillet a handful at a time, in stages so it doesn’t overflow.
After unrolling the crescent dough, press together the creases a little to make it more of a sheet of dough. Then you can spoon out the (slightly cooled) spinach mixture and spread it on top.
Leave a little room around the edges!
Then braid the dough, like so.
And bake until dough is done and nicely browned!
With basically only 5 minute prep time, under 30 minute bake time, dinner is served.
Veggies, protein, and carbs!
My kind of balanced meal.
Other options for this crescent wrap recipe:
- Make an appetizer crescent ring! You do so by separating the crescent dough into the perforated triangles, and arranging the triangles so that the bottom/ short sides of triangles form a small circle in the middle. Fill each triangle with the spinach mixture and roll each up from the point of the triangle to the center. (This method works best when doubling the recipe.)
- To make it even more like a calzone, use pizza dough instead of crescent dough! Our homemade version is easy, or store bought would work too.
Yield: 4
This Spinach Ricotta Crescent Wrap makes a great meatless dinner for two or three, or for serving as a vegetarian appetizer! Kind of like a calzone wrapped with crescent dough, a sure way to fill you up with leafy greens, veggies and flavor.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 (8 oz.) package crescent rolls
- 1 tablespoon oil, (extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil are my go-to's)
- 1 bell pepper, chopped (I used red)
- 1 (6 oz.) package fresh baby spinach, (roughly 4 packed cups)
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, (or other shredded white cheese like Italian blend)
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, (or your choice of basil, oregano, parsley, or dill)
- sprinkle of salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- On a baking sheet (sprayed with oil or lined with parchment paper), roll out crescent dough flat and press edges together to make a sheet.
- In a medium-sized cast iron skillet or saute pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add chopped bell pepper and saute for 3-4 minutes until slightly tender.
- Add spinach a cup or so at a time, cooking down in stages (should only take a couple minutes). Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Mix in ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, seasoning and salt and pepper. Let cool for a couple minutes, as to not melt dough in next step.
- Pour spinach mixture over crescent dough in an even layer, leaving room around the edges of the dough. Braid the crescent dough around the spinach mixture (see write-up in article for picture demonstration).
- Bake at 350°F. for 25-30 minutes, or until dough is golden brown.
Notes
*serves 2-3 as a meal, 4 as a side, or 8 servings as an appetizer. Nutrition info is based on 4 servings.
Other option: Make an appetizer crescent ring! By separating the crescent dough into the perforated triangles, and arranging the triangles so that the bottom/ short sides of triangles form a small circle in the middle. Fill each triangle with the spinach mixture and roll each up from the point of the triangle to the center. (This method works best when doubling the recipe.)
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
4 Servings
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 350Saturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 616mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 2gSugar: 7gProtein: 10g
