Pinwheels 3 Ways: Avocado Veggie - Buffalo Chicken - Thanksgiving

/

From top to bottom: Thanksgiving, Veggie, Buffalo Chicken

Last Updated August 11, 2024

Pinwheels. Also known as veggie rolls, veggie wraps, or veggie roll-ups, (but that just makes me think of fruit roll-ups, yuck. No offense to my fruit roll-up loving friends. Actually, every once in a blue moon I see a fruit roll up and think, hey, that sounds good right about now. Then I walk on. That's the end of the story.)  Or you could just call these tortilla/veggie/cream cheese concoctions for what they are; delicious. That would be fine. And the truth.  

Pinwheels make for a great snack or appetizer, or lunch because it can be hard to stop eating these! They're also very portable, quick, and simple to make, which make them ideal for parties, potlucks, lunch at the office, etc.  

The formula is very easy to get the hang of, think tortillas, cream cheese, and your flavors. Deli meat is easy to roll and adds some protein. Chopped, sliced, or grated veggies, raw or cooked, add some nutrients. Other kinds of cheese are tasty. Spices and herbs add flavor. Tuna and sliced hardboiled eggs could be a very European take on these. The options are endless, feel free to create your own!

Following are some of my favorite pinwheel flavors: Fresh Veggie and Avocado, Buffalo Chicken, and Turkey Cranberry a.k.a. Thanksgiving.  

This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy something using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipes by Jenny

Avocado Veggie Pinwheels

Makes about 24 pinwheels

Ingredients: 

Hmm, these photos could use improving upon…

Hmm, these photos could use improving upon…

  • 4 8-inch or 6 6-inch flour tortillas

  • 8 oz / 225g cream cheese, softened

  • 1/3 cup shredded carrots, or about 1-2 small carrots

  • 1/3 chopped spinach or broccoli

  • 1 bunch green onions, chopped

  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder

  • 1/4 tsp dill weed

  • salt and pepper, to taste

  • 1/2 cup guacamole

Directions:

  1. In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, carrots, spinach, green onions, garlic powder, dill weed, and salt and pepper.  

  2. Distribute evenly over tortillas, spreading almost to the edges.  Spread a thick layer of guacamole over cream cheese mixture.  Roll up tightly.  

  3. Trim edges and slice into approximately 1 inch slices.  Serve or chill until it's par-tay time.  

Avocado Veggie Pinwheels
Yield 24
Author
Prep time
25 Min
Total time
25 Min

Avocado Veggie Pinwheels

Tortillas slathered with seasoned cream cheese, avocado, and veggies, rolled up and sliced.
Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, carrots, spinach, green onions, garlic powder, dill weed, and salt and pepper.
  2. Distribute evenly over tortillas, spreading almost to edges. Spread a thick layer of guacamole over cream cheese mixture. Roll up tightly.
  3. Trim edges and slice into approximately 1 inch slices. Chill until ready to serve.

Notes

All quantities are very approximate. You could double basically any ingredient you want to have more filling, less filling, more flavor, less flavor. The tortilla is your playground.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

68.72

Fat

4.49 g

Sat. Fat

2.11 g

Carbs

5.73 g

Fiber

0.61 g

Net carbs

5.05 g

Sugar

0.50 g

Protein

1.52 g

Sodium

104.65 mg

Cholesterol

9.47 mg

Nutritional information is approximate, based on 1 pinwheel.

pinwheels, roll ups, veggie rolls, veggie wraps, avocado, buffalo chicken pinwheels, Thanksgiving pinwheels, vegetable wraps, cranberry sauce, appetizer, finger food, snack
American
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels

Makes about 24 pinwheels

Ingredients:

  • 4 8-inch or 6 6-inch flour tortillas

  • 8 oz / 225g cream cheese, softened

  • 1/3 cup / 80g Frank's hot sauce

  • 1/2 cup cooked chopped or shredded chicken

  • 1 bunch green onions, chopped

  • 1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled, optional

Directions:

  1. In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, hot sauce, chicken, green onion, and blue cheese.

  2. Distribute evenly over tortillas, spreading almost to the edges.  Roll up tightly.  

  3. Trim edges and slice into approximately 1 inch slices.  Serve or chill until it's par-tay time.   

Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels
Yield 24
Author
Prep time
15 Min
Total time
15 Min

Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels

Tortillas slathered in Frank's hot sauce and cream cheese with chicken and green onions, rolled, and sliced for bite size hot wing pinwheels.
Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, hot sauce, chicken, green onion, and blue cheese.
  2. Distribute evenly over tortillas, spreading almost to the edges. Roll up tightly.
  3. Trim edges and slice into approximately 1 inch slices. Chill until ready to serve.

Notes

All quantities are approximate. You could double basically any ingredient you want to have more filling, less filling, more flavor, less flavor. I often use canned chicken for the buffalo chicken. Pinwheels aren't exactly a showcase of your cooking/baking skills, anyway, so I like to keep things chop, chop. (Literally)

Nutrition Facts

Calories

74.28

Fat

4.60 g

Sat. Fat

2.40 g

Carbs

5.20 g

Fiber

0.30 g

Net carbs

4.90 g

Sugar

0.42 g

Protein

3.02 g

Sodium

177.01 mg

Cholesterol

14.74 mg

Nutritional information is approximate. Based on one pinwheel; includes blue cheese.

pinwheel, veggie roll up, veggie wrap, buffalo chicken, blue cheese, buffalo chicken wrap, buffalo chicken pinwheel, canned chicken
snack, appetizer
American
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

Thanksgiving Pinwheels

Makes about 24 Pinwheels

Ingredients:

  • 4 8-inch or 6 6-inch flour tortillas

  • 8 oz / 225g cream cheese, softened

  • 1/2 cup cranberry sauce

  • 8 oz sliced deli turkey (or leftover Turkey!)

  • 1/3 cup chopped spinach, optional

Directions:

  1. In a medium bowl mix together cream cheese, cranberry sauce, and spinach.  Distribute evenly over tortillas, spreading almost to the edges.  

  2. Layer turkey slices over cream cheese mixture.  Roll up tightly.  

  3. Trim edges and slice into approximately 1 inch slices.  Serve or chill until it's par-tay time.  

Thanksgiving Pinwheels
Yield 24
Author
Prep time
15 Min
Total time
15 Min

Thanksgiving Pinwheels

Tortilla spread with cream cheese, cranberry sauce, and turkey, rolled and sliced for a nostalgic bite-sized taste of Thanksgiving.
Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl mix together cream cheese, cranberry sauce, and spinach. Distribute evenly over tortillas, spreading almost to the edges.
  2. Layer turkey slices over cream cheese mixture. Roll up tightly.
  3. Trim edges and slice into approximately 1 inch slices. Chill until ready to serve.

Notes

All quantities are approximate. You could double basically any ingredient you want to have more filling, less filling, more flavor, less flavor. Like I said, the tortilla is your playground. I like the spinach, it gives it a nice punch of color. It also makes the roll versatile for Christmas, beautiful red and green!

Nutrition Facts

Calories

79.26

Fat

4.10 g

Sat. Fat

2.05 g

Carbs

8.14 g

Fiber

0.39 g

Net carbs

7.75 g

Sugar

2.56 g

Protein

2.63 g

Sodium

182.60 mg

Cholesterol

14.67 mg

Nutritional information is approximate. Based on one pinwheel; Includes spinach.

pinwheels, veggie roll ups, Thanksgiving, cream cheese, Thanksgiving pinwheel, Thanksgiving wrap, turkey, cranberry sauce, spinach
snack, appetizer
American
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

Jenny's Notes:

  • All quantities are approximate.  You could double basically any ingredient you want to have more filling, less filling, more flavor, less flavor.  Like I said, the tortilla is your playground.  

  • I like the spinach in the Thanksgiving roll, it gives it a nice punch of color.  It also makes the roll versatile for Christmas, beautiful red and green! 

  • I usually use canned chicken for the buffalo chicken. Pinwheels aren't exactly a showcase of your cooking/baking skills, anyway, so I like to keep things easy.  

Refrigerator Dill Pickles

/

Last Updated August 11, 2024

Summertime calls for watermelon, lemonade, ice cream, swimming, and cook outs.  And every quintessential cookout will have something to cook outside, usually meat and vegetables in some form.  (I know we're all thinking hamburgers, bratwursts, and hotdogs, but hey, there are some other weird traditions out there, too.)  And if you're cooking out, you're going to need buns and condiments.  And the best condiment award goes to....pickles!!

Not only does it have the best taste (opinion), but it stands alone.  As in, if you eat a pickle, no one will think twice.  But if we see you munching on a romaine lettuce leaf or slurping on a spoonful of ketchup, well, you might get some stares.  Of course, this is coming from someone who doesn't like hamburgers and once ate a romaine sandwich.  As in, onion, ketchup, mustard, and pickles sandwiched between to Romaine lettuce leaves.  Mmmmm.  Yeah, it was weird.  But I was so hungry, and hamburgers were the only option, I rather enjoyed it.  That's now on the worldwide webs.  Maybe I should change my heading to be: "Jenny, the girl who eats condiments like a main dish." Don't worry I won't, only you, my seven followers, are now privy to this information.  Haha.  

Back to pickles.  Now that we have remembered how great pickles are, did you know they are super easy to make at home?  Yes they are, and now you know that too.  Boil some water, throw some ingredients in a jar, chop up some cucumbers, stick them in the fridge, and voila!  Pickles.  

This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy something using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe adapted from my mama

Refrigerator Dill Pickles

Makes about 24 spears/servings

Ingredients:

  • 3 1/2 cups / 830g water

  • 1 1/4 cups / 296g white vinegar

  • 1 Tbsp / 12g sugar

  • 1 Tbsp / 17g salt

  • 1 tsp / 2g turmeric, optional

  • 4 cups or about 2-3 large cucumbers, cut into slices, spears, or shape of choice

  • 2 cloves garlic

  • 2 heads fresh dill

  • 1 tsp red chili flakes, mustard seeds, or celery seeds, optional

Directions:

  1. Stir together water, vinegar, sugar, and salt in a large saucepan.  Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. 

  2. In a large glass jar or container, 4-quart or larger, arrange garlic, dill, cucumbers, and any spices you choose to use.  Pour the cooled liquid over the cucumbers, discarding or saving any leftover for another use.  Top with lid, sealing well, and refrigerate.  

  3. They will start to taste pickle-y the next day, but for optimum flavor refrigerate at least 3 days before consuming.  

Jenny's Notes:

  • I recommend making this recipe once as is to get an idea of the flavor profile, then play around to make it your own!

    1) If you like more bread & butter or sweet style pickles, up the sugar

    2) If you love dill, use more dill

    3) Add sliced onions or bell peppers

    4) Add more red pepper flakes or other hot pepper for more spice

    5) Really, add whatever suits your fancy. The garden is your playground.

  • The turmeric is for color, not so much flavor, to get that idyllic yellow pickle.  However, if you could care less about having a yellow pickle or don’t enjoy turmeric, leave it out!  I for one don't think the turmeric is very obvious in this recipe, but it's detectable if you really think about it.  

Refrigerator Dill Pickles
Yield 24
Author
Prep time
15 Min
Cook time
10 Min
Inactive time
72 Hour
Total time
72 H & 25 M

Refrigerator Dill Pickles

Classic dill pickles made in your refrigerator in just 3 days.
Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Stir together water, vinegar, sugar, and salt in a large saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
  2. In a large glass jar or container, 4-quart or larger, arrange garlic, dill, cucumbers, and any spices you choose to use. Pour the cooled liquid over the cucumbers, discarding or saving any leftover for another use. Top with lid, sealing well, and refrigerate.
  3. They will start to taste pickley the next day, but for optimum flavor refrigerate at least 3 days before consuming.

Notes

I recommend making this recipe once as is to get an idea of the flavor profile, then play around to make it your own! 1) If you like more bread & butter or sweet style pickles, up the sugar2) If you love dill, use more dill3) Add sliced onions or bell peppers4) Add more red pepper flakes or other hot pepper for more spice5) Really, add whatever suits your fancy. The garden is your playground.The turmeric is for color, not so much flavor, to get that idyllic yellow pickle. However, if you could care less about having a yellow pickle or don’t enjoy turmeric, leave it out! I for one don't think the turmeric is very obvious in this recipe, but it's detectable if you really think about it.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

10.04

Fat

0.04 g

Sat. Fat

0.01 g

Carbs

1.91 g

Fiber

0.20 g

Net carbs

1.72 g

Sugar

1.09 g

Protein

0.25 g

Sodium

276.95 mg

Cholesterol

0.00 mg

Nutritional information is approximate. Based on one pickle spear.

dill pickles, refrigerator pickles, homemade pickles
condiment, snack
American
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

Tourte Milanese

/

Last Updated August 8, 2024

Tourte Milanese, also known as Tourte Milanaise.  No, the second version does not include mayonnaise.  Part of the family en croute, or encased in dough.  Who doesn't want to eat food, soup, and anything edible wrapped in flaky, buttery dough? In this case, roasted peppers, herbed scrambled eggs, cheese, spinach, and meat.

The green from the spinach, the white (ish) from the eggs, and the red from the roasted peppers is supposed to be an ode to the Italian flag. You can use whichever kind of sweet peppers you like, and as you can see from my photos, I used multi-colored peppers that time!

This tourte is a showstopper piece for sure. You will feel quite accomplished pulling this out of the oven, and taking your first bite into the explosion of hot, flaky layers, melty cheese, herbs, sweet peppers, smoky meat, and garlicky spinach. It may look intimidating, but you can adjust this recipe to how much time and effort you want to put into it. For example, you can make your own puff pastry, or you can pick it up at the store. You could roast your own peppers, or buy a jar of already roasted peppers. I enjoy making everything as home-made and from scratch as possible, but sometimes life just doesn’t allow that. 

I recommend reading through the recipe once or twice and taking a peek at my notes at the bottom to make your game plan.  For example, if you’re making your own puff pastry, that in and of itself can easily be a two day recipe, so you'll want to make that a day ahead, or way ahead, and freeze it until you have the urge to make a recipe like this.  

Want some inspiration?  Watch this fun video of Julia Child and Michel Richard making Puff Pastry and Tourte Milanese!

This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy something using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Tourte Milanese

Serves 8-12

Ingredients:

For the Crust

  • 1 lb. / 450g puff pastry, home-made or store bought

  • Egg wash made from 1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp water

For the Eggs

  • 10 eggs

  • 1 Tbsp chopped fresh chives or green onion

  • 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley or basil

  • 2 tsp snipped fresh tarragon or fresh oregano

  • salt and ground pepper, to taste

  • 3 Tbsp / 42g butter

For the Rest of the Filling

  • 6 large red bell peppers (or use a 16oz jar or two of roasted red peppers)

  • 1 1/2 lbs / 680g spinach

  • 1 Tbsp / 14g olive oil

  • 1 Tbsp / 14g butter

  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

  • salt and pepper, to taste

  • 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg

  • 8 oz / 225g Swiss cheese

  • 8 oz / 225g smoked turkey or ham

  • about 1/2 cup each of bread crumbs and shredded parmesan cheese, optional

Directions:

Generously grease an 8in / 20cm springform pan.  

Make the Crust

  1. Cut off 1/4 of the puff pastry, cover, and set aside.

  2. Roll out the remaining pastry to roughly 1/8'‘. If working with store-bought, you may have two squares that you will have to press together at the edges as close to a square as you can for rolling out. Be sure to roll it thin enough so it will have a chance to be baked all the way through in the oven.  It should be big enough to cover the bottom and sides of your springform pan with an overhang.  Carefully press into pan, being sure to press all the way into the corners.  Cover and refrigerate.

  3. Roll out the remaining 1/4 of puff pastry until it is roughly 1/8" thick. Again, you may have to cut and press together to get as close to a square as you can before rolling out. Cut out an 8 in / 20cm circle, using an 8 in / 20cm pie plate or cake tin as a template.  Place on a plate or baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate.  

Make the Eggs

  1. Whisk eggs, herbs, salt and pepper together.  Melt butter in a skillet over low heat and pour in eggs.  Gently stir, continuously moving the setting eggs towards the center and allowing runny eggs to reach the bottom of the pan.  When the whole mixture has started to thicken, but still a bit runny, remove from heat and pour onto a plate. Cover and refrigerate and until ready to use.  

Roast the Peppers

Skip this step if you bought roasted red peppers.  

Method 1: Place peppers over an open flame on your stove top until blackened.  Flip and allow second side to roast.  Repeat until all peppers have been roasted.  

Method 2: Place all peppers onto a tinfoil lined sheet pan.  Place under broiler in your oven, checking every few minutes, until peppers are blackened.  Turn peppers over and roast second side.  

Once peppers have been roasted, place in an airtight container or ziploc bag for about 20 minutes.

Remove peppers and rub the skin off.  Cut out the stems and slice from top to bottom, laying them flat.  Remove seeds and trim away any inside veins.  

Place peppers on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess liquid, cover, and refrigerate.

Blanch and Sauté the Spinach

  1. Bring a large amount of salted water to a boil.  Add spinach and blanch for 1 minute.  Drain in a colander and rinse in cold water to stop it from cooking.  Press the spinach to remove excess liquid.  

  2. Place oil, butter, and garlic in a large frying pan over medium heat.  When garlic starts to sizzle, add blanched spinach and sauté for 3 minutes.  Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Remove from heat and transfer spinach to a plate lined with paper towels.  Cover and refrigerate until needed.  

Assemble the Tourte

Preheat oven to 350°F / 177°C.  

Remove the pastry lined pan from the fridge, along with your eggs, peppers, spinach, cheese, and turkey/ham.  Layer your ingredients in this order, laying them flat and spreading to the edge:

  1. Bread crumbs and grated parmesan, optional

  2. Half of eggs

  3. Half of spinach

  4. Half of turkey/ham

  5. Half of cheese

  6. All the peppers

  7. Other half of cheese

  8. Other half of turkey/ham

  9. Other half of spinach

  10. Other half of eggs

Trim the pastry overhang to within 1 in / 2.5cm of the pan. Brush the inner side of with egg wash and fold over filling. Brush the other side with more egg wash. 

Remove the round pastry top from fridge, re-rolling if it has shrunk any. Place over the folded edges of the tourte, pressing down to seal. Brush with more egg wash. Cut a vent in the center of the dough, or use a knife to trace a design. Or, you can cut out shapes from the puff pastry scraps to decorate the top. Brush shapes with more egg wash.

Optional: Chill assembled tourte in fridge for 30 minutes or more prior to baking. It will require more baking time if chilled.

Place tourte on a tinfoil lined baking sheet and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes - 1 hour 30 minutes, or until pastry is puffed and a deep golden brown.  

Cool for 30 minutes before releasing from pan and serving.

To reheat leftovers, place in an oven preheated to 350°F / 177°C for 20-30 minutes. 

Jenny's Notes:

The recipe above is pretty traditional, however, it can easily be adjusted to your tastes.  

No soggy bottoms here!

No soggy bottoms here!

  • Can be assembled a day ahead.  

  • Store-bought puff pastry is usually pre-rolled quite thin, so as you roll it out it will get even thinner. When I made my own, and as you can see in the video of Julia Child and Michel Richard, homemade is more delicate to roll out and won’t get as thin, more like 1/4”.

  • Before layering in the filling, I suggest sprinkling the bottom with a grated hard cheese, such as parmesan, or bread crumbs, to avoid the soggy-bottom syndrome. I did a combo of cheese and bread crumbs.

  • For the herbed scrambled eggs, chives, parsley, and tarragon combo is more traditional, but I prefer green onion, basil, and oregano.

  • Feel free to use whichever color peppers you like! I roasted multi-colored mini sweet peppers in these photos.

  • Instead of using paper towels to absorb extra liquid from the spinach and peppers, you can also place them in a strainer over a bowl.

  • 1 1/2 lbs of spinach may seem outrageous, but it really cooks down. I have used a scant pound before when that’s all I had, but the spinach is surprisingly delicious and I wouldn’t modify the recipe down if I had a choice.

  • Play around with cheeses! You'll want softer cheeses, ones that melt well. Think cheddar, gruyère, havarti, gouda, brie...I enjoy half Swiss and half dill havarti, or another favorite is smoked gruyère.

  • When I made homemade puff pastry, this tourte required the longer bake time. With store-bought pastry it often only requires the lower end of the baking time. But again, this will also vary depending on your oven.

Tourte Milanese
Yield 8-12 Servings
Author
Prep time
1 H & 30 M
Cook time
1 H & 30 M
Inactive time
30 Min
Total time
3 H & 30 M

Tourte Milanese

Layers of turkey, cheese, spinach, roasted red peppers, and eggs encased in flaky puff pastry.
Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

For the Crust
For the Eggs
For the Rest of the Filling

Instructions

Make the Crust
  1. Generously grease an 8in / 20cm springform pan.
  2. Cut off 1/4 of the puff pastry, cover, and set aside.
  3. Roll out the remaining pastry to roughly 1/8'‘. If working with store-bought, you may have two squares that you will have to press together at the edges as close to a square as you can for rolling out. Be sure to roll it thin enough so it will have a chance to be baked all the way through in the oven. It should be big enough to cover the bottom and sides of your springform pan with an overhang. Carefully press into pan, being sure to press all the way into the corners. Cover and refrigerate.
  4. Roll out the remaining 1/4 of puff pastry until it is roughly 1/8" thick. Again, you may have to cut and press together to get as close to a square as you can before rolling out. Cut out an 8 in / 20cm circle, using an 8 in / 20cm pie plate or cake tin as a template. Place on a plate or baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate.
Make the Eggs
  1. Whisk eggs, herbs, salt and pepper together. Melt butter in a skillet over low heat and pour in eggs. Gently stir, continuously moving the setting eggs towards the center and allowing runny eggs to reach the bottom of the pan. When the whole mixture has started to thicken, but still a bit runny, remove from heat and pour onto a plate. Cover and refrigerate and until ready to use.
Roast the Peppers
  1. Skip this step if you bought roasted red peppers.
  2. Method 1: Place peppers over an open flame on your stove top until blackened. Flip and allow second side to roast. Repeat until all peppers have been roasted.
  3. Method 2: Place all peppers onto a tinfoil lined sheet pan. Place under broiler in your oven, checking every few minutes, until peppers are blackened. Turn peppers over and roast second side.
  4. Once peppers have been roasted, place in an airtight container or ziploc bag for about 20 minutes to steam.
  5. Remove peppers and rub the skin off. Cut out the stems and slice from top to bottom, laying them flat. Remove seeds and trim away any inside veins.
  6. Place peppers on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess liquid, cover, and refrigerate.
Blanch and Sauté the Spinach
  1. Bring a large amount of salted water to a boil. Add spinach and blanch for 1 minute. Drain in a colander and rinse in cold water to stop it from cooking. Press the spinach to remove excess liquid.
  2. Place oil, butter, and garlic in a large frying pan over medium heat. When garlic starts to sizzle, add blanched spinach and sauté for 3 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Remove from heat and transfer spinach to a plate lined with paper towels. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Assemble the Tourte
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F / 177°C.
  2. Remove the pastry lined pan from the fridge, along with your eggs, peppers, spinach, cheese, and turkey/ham. Layer your ingredients in this order, laying them flat and spreading to the edge:
  3. Bread crumbs and grated parmesan, optional
  4. Half of eggs
  5. Half of spinach
  6. Half of turkey/ham
  7. Half of cheese
  8. All the peppers
  9. Other half of cheese
  10. Other half of turkey/ham
  11. Other half of spinach
  12. Other half of eggs
  13. Trim the pastry overhang to within 1 in / 2.5cm of the pan. Brush the inner side with egg wash and fold over filling. Brush the other side with more egg wash.
  14. Remove the round pastry top from fridge, re-rolling if it has shrunk any. Place over the folded edges of the tourte, pressing down to seal it. Brush with more egg wash. Cut a vent in the center of the dough, or use a knife to trace a design. Or, you can cut out shapes form the puff pastry scraps and decorate the top. Brush shapes with more egg wash.
  15. Optional: Chill assembled tourte in fridge for 30 minutes or more prior to baking. It will require more baking time if chilled.
  16. Place tourte on a tinfoil lined baking sheet and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes - 1 hour 30 minutes, or until pastry is puffed and a deep golden brown.
  17. Cool for 30 minutes before releasing from pan and serving.
  18. Can be assembled a day ahead.
  19. To reheat leftovers, place in an oven preheated to 350°F / 177°C for 20-30 minutes.

Notes

The recipe above is pretty traditional, however, it can easily be adjusted to your tastes.  

  • Can be assembled a day ahead.  
  • Store-bought puff pastry is usually pre-rolled quite thin, so as you roll it out it will get even thinner. When I made my own, and as you can see in the video of Julia Child and Michel Richard, homemade is more delicate to roll out and won’t get as thin, more like 1/4”.
  • Before layering in the filling, I suggest sprinkling the bottom with a grated hard cheese, such as parmesan, or bread crumbs, to avoid the soggy-bottom syndrome. I did a combo of cheese and bread crumbs.
  • For the herbed scrambled eggs, chives, parsley, and tarragon combo is more traditional, but I prefer green onion, basil, and oregano.
  • Feel free to use whichever color peppers you like! I roasted multi-colored mini sweet peppers in these photos.
  • Instead of using paper towels to absorb extra liquid from the spinach and peppers, you can also place them in a strainer over a bowl.
  • 1 1/2 lbs of spinach may seem outrageous, but it really cooks down. I have used a scant pound before when that’s all I had, but the spinach is surprisingly delicious and I wouldn’t modify the recipe down if I had a choice.
  • Play around with cheeses! You'll want softer cheeses, ones that melt well. Think cheddar, gruyère, havarti, gouda, brie...I enjoy half Swiss and half dill havarti, or another favorite is smoked gruyère.
  • When I made homemade puff pastry, this tourte required the longer bake time. With store-bought pastry it often only requires the lower end of the baking time. But again, this will also vary depending on your oven.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

686.27

Fat

45.9 g

Sat. Fat

16.93 g

Carbs

42.33 g

Fiber

5.69 g

Net carbs

36.63 g

Sugar

6.64 g

Protein

28.54 g

Sodium

494.18 mg

Cholesterol

281.18 mg

Nutritional information is approximate and based on 8 servings, including bread crumbs and parmesan.

Tourte Milanese, Julia Child, Michel Richard, spinach, roasted red peppers, en croute, scrambled eggs, cheese, puff pastry,turkey, Italian flag
breakfast, dinner
Italian, French
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

Ratatouille

/

Last Updated August 7, 2024

Rat patootie.  Ratatouille.  Only one of my favorite Pixar films AND one of my favorite foods.  A cartoon that takes place in Paris, is all about cooking, French accents, chefs, crispy baguettes....ah yes.  Never fails to make me hungry for cheese, saffron, bread, and maybe some wine.  From the day I first saw it, in the theatre in New York City with my mom back in 2008, I wanted to make ratatouille.  I didn't know what it was before the movie, but Pixar animation made it look delicious.  

After some research and googling, I soon learned that there were many different versions of ratatouille, originally a hearty peasant dish from the region of Provence, France.  (Remember Igor's flashback to his mother's cooking and country home when he firsts tastes the ratatouille?) One source likened it to stew in America. What kind of stew you ask? This is exactly the point, as every region and cook in America has their own version of stew, and it can vary widely. Apparently this is also true of ratatouille.  

After making this many times over the years, I came down to two favorite recipes.  

One involved sautéing the eggplant first for 10 minutes with the spices, then adding it to the bottom of the baking dish. The remaining sliced vegetables were then layered over the eggplant, with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese between each layer of vegetables.

The second involved spreading a seasoned tomato sauce in the bottom of the baking dish and then alternating the vegetables around the dish in a pretty spiral, like it’s served in the film.

I could never decide which version I wanted to make, so finally I combined the two for the best of both worlds.  I omitted sautéing the eggplant, kept the tomato sauce on the bottom, and kept the cheese and the pretty spiral.

That combination is what follows.

Looking for an oval baking dish? I use this Le Creuset pan and couldn’t love it more for casseroles and baking! It’s prettier than a 9x13 rectangular pan and is so easy to clean, even the baked on cheese from this dish!

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Ratatouille

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

IMG_4690.JPG

  • 1 1/2 cups / 355g tomato purée or sauce (unseasoned)

  • 1/2 onion, finely chopped

  • 2 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 tsp fresh oregano or 1/4 tsp dried

  • 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

  • 2 Tbsp / 28g olive oil

  • 8 oz / 240g mushrooms, thinly sliced

  • 1 medium eggplant

  • 1 medium zucchini

  • 1 medium yellow squash

  • 1 bell pepper, optional

  • 1 cup / 110g shredded parmesan cheese

  • fresh or dried thyme

  • salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Oven 375°F / 177°C.  Ungreased oval baking dish, about 10in / 25cm long, or 9x13in / 23x33cm pan. 

  1. Add tomato purée to a small bowl.  Stir in onion, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon of oil, salt, and pepper.  Spread in the bottom of the baking dish.

  2. Layer sliced mushrooms over tomato sauce.

  3. Using a mandolin or by hand, slice eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, and bell pepper into 1/4 inch slices.

  4. Working in concentric circles, alternate and arrange the vegetables over the mushrooms.  You may have a small handful of misfit vegetables left over.  Save for another use (stir fry!) or lift a layer of your vegetables in the pan and sneak the excess underneath where the eye can't see. 

  5. Drizzle vegetables with remaining tablespoon of oil, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle cheese evenly over top.  Sprinkle thyme over cheese. 

  6. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until tomato sauce is bubbling around edges of the pan and vegetables are tender when pierced with a knife.  

  7. Eat as is, or served over quinoa, rice, couscous, or with some crusty French bread!

Jenny's Notes:

  • 1 6oz can / 170g tomato paste mixed with 3/4 cup / 170g water can be substituted for the tomato purée.

  • Sometimes I omit the red pepper flakes and use a spicy oil in place of the plain olive oil.

  • If you want to save time assembling the vegetables you can layer them instead of alternating and making circles. i.e. layer all the eggplant slices, then squash, zucchini, etc.  

  • You could add an extra layer of cheese between the mushrooms and vegetables.  

  • Feel free to add or substitute vegetables! 

Ratatouille
Yield 4-6 servings
Author
Prep time
40 Min
Cook time
55 Min
Total time
1 H & 35 M

Ratatouille

A classic French peasant dish made famous by the Pixar animated film "Ratatouille." This version has a tomato base, plenty of eggplant, zucchini, squash, and mushrooms, with thyme and parmesan cheese. Naturally gluten-free.
Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Oven 375°F / 177°C. Ungreased oval baking dish, about 10in / 25cm long, or 9x13in / 23x33cm pan.
  2. Add tomato purée to a small bowl. Stir in onion, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon of oil, salt, and pepper. Spread in the bottom of the baking dish.
  3. Layer sliced mushrooms over tomato sauce.
  4. Using a mandolin or chopping by hand, slice eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, and bell pepper into 1/4 inch slices.
  5. Working in concentric circles, alternate and arrange the vegetables over the mushrooms. You may have a small handful of misfit vegetables left over. Save for another use (stir fry!) or lift a layer of your vegetables in the pan and sneak the excess underneath where the eye can't see.
  6. Drizzle vegetables with remaining tablespoon of oil, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle cheese evenly over top. Sprinkle thyme over cheese.
  7. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until tomato sauce is bubbling around edges of the pan and vegetables are tender when pierced with a knife.
  8. Eat as is, or served over quinoa, rice, couscous, or with some crusty French bread!

Notes

1 6oz can / 170g tomato paste mixed with 3/4 cup / 170g water can be substituted for the tomato purée.Sometimes I omit the red pepper flakes and use a spicy oil in place of the plain olive oil. If you want to save time assembling the vegetables you can layer them instead of alternating and making circles. i.e. layer all the eggplant slices, then squash, zucchini, etc. You could add an extra layer of cheese between the mushrooms and vegetables. Feel free to add or substitute vegetables!

Nutrition Facts

Calories

319.11

Fat

15.92 g

Sat. Fat

6.00 g

Carbs

33.75 g

Fiber

9.15 g

Net carbs

24.60 g

Sugar

15.12 g

Protein

16.35 g

Sodium

571.85 mg

Cholesterol

19.80 mg

Nutritional information is approximate and based on 4 servings.

ratatouille, Pixar Ratatouille, thyme, eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, vegetables, healthy, gluten-free, parmesan cheese, tomato, mushrooms, peasant dish
Lunch, Dinner, Side Dish
French
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs
IMG_4693.JPG