Spinach Fatayer (Lebanese Spinach Pie)

spinach fatayer

The humble spinach pie fatayer are anything but ordinary; a wonderful way to eat your veggies.

Fatayer translates as pastry from Arabic, and comes in several varieties, from cheese to meat.

Spinach are by far my favorites of another food that claims its origins in the Middle East.

A version eaten as far away as South America, known as an empanada árabe was introduced by Arab immigrants. 

Spinach is a wonderful food, tasty, full of nutrients, vitamins, and fiber, that helps with a healthier life. 

What is Fatayer?

spinach fatayer

Fatayer are turnover-like pastries that have their origins in the countries of the Levant. 

Several fillings are associated with fatayer, most are baked but some types are deep fried.

This recipe filling is for Middle Eastern spinach fatayer. 

A superfood like spinach should definitely be a part of what you regularly eat, as they do in a Mediterranean diet. 

I remember watching the pipe smoking, spinach eating Popeye cartoons as a kid.

No sooner had Popeye downed his can of spinach, his muscles would bulge.

 After which he would always go on to save his beloved Olive Oyl from danger!

Believe it or not, it turns out that spinach actually contains a compound called CO-Q10.

This compound is all about strengthening muscles, sometimes fiction definitely has truth to it. 

How to Make Fatayer

Before anything else you need to get the pastry dough started.

The higher fat content, in the form of olive oil, is what classifies this dough as a pastry.

This dough also has milk powder which contributes to a softer dough, and an egg which will lighten the texture.

All kinds of dough can be used with slightly different effect, I’ve even seen pizza dough used.

Mix all the pastry ingredients together until a dough forms, knead gently for five minutes.

Cover and set aside at room temperature until the dough has doubled in size.

Divide the dough into equal parts, and form into balls, and place in a large bowl. 

Prepare your spinach by washing, chopping and cooking down until the spinach is soft.

You will have a lot less by volume at this stage given the shrinkage.

Squeeze as much liquid out of the spinach as possible, and set aside.

Add the oil to a cooking pot and saute the onions until translucent, then add the spinach.

Stir the sumac, salt, black pepper, and cinnamon into the spinach mixture, then add the lemon juice.

Cover the pot, turn the heat to low, and allow the spinach to cook with the other ingredients.

Stir occasionally and cook until the spinach has lost its bright green color, about ten minutes.

Once the filling is done, I remove it from the heat and leave it to cool.

Feta cheese can be added at this stage if desired.

Roll each dough ball to create a flat disc shape of pastry, place a small spoonful of filling in the middle. 

Fold over the edges of the dough overlapping each other to form a triangle. 

Pinch the ends, and place on a baking sheet, bake in a preheated oven until golden brown.

How to Fold

spinach fatayer

There are a couple of ways to fold fatayer that are common in the Middle East. 

The first is to hold the front two sides of the circle of dough, fold one back over the filling, and the other over it.

Then take the flap of dough at the back and fold it over the other two bits of dough. 

Pinch each corner of the triangle so that the dough sticks to itself and does not leak filling as it cooks. 

The other method is of course similar in that you are making it into a triangle shape, but there is a difference. 

Instead of overlapping the dough, you pinch the ends together so that you create three ridges on the turnover. 

It is typical with this method that you leave an opening in the shape of a triangle in the middle of the turnover.

When making them this way it is good to brush a little warm water around the outer edge of the dough circle to enhance stickiness. .

Can I Freeze Fatayer?

spinach fatayer

Yes you can, in fact these pies were made for freezing, and reheat incredibly well. 

Thaw them in the fridge, or pop them still frozen straight into the oven. 

I like to par bake some, meaning I will only partially bake them so I can freeze them and bake them off later. 

By keeping them in the freezer you will always have a meal, or snack that is just a few minutes from serving. 

Most often served with yogurt, this spinach fatayer recipe is well loved.

Tips for Making

  • Use fresh spinach when you can, but frozen chopped spinach can also work well.
  • For a richer taste add a tablespoon of pomegranate molasses to the spinach mix.
  • Add toasted pine nuts to the filling for an enhanced crunch and flavor.

Spinach Fatayer Recipe

This humble spinach pie from the Middle East is anything but ordinary.
5
Print Rate
Course: Mezze
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Keyword: Fatayer
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
PROOFING TIME: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings: 32 pies
Calories: 99kcal

Ingredients

For the Dough

  • 6 cups Flour
  • tbsp Instant Yeast
  • 2 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1 tbsp Sugar
  • 6 tbsp Powdered Milk
  • 1 Egg
  • ¾ cup Olive Oil
  • 2 cups Water

For the Filling

  • 3 lbs Fresh Spinach chopped
  • 1 Onions (large) diced
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • ½ tsp Black Pepper
  • tsp Cinnamon
  • 4 tbsp Sumac
  • 3 tbsp Lemon Juice
  • ¼ cup Olive Oil
  • 2 tbsp Olive Oil

Instructions

For the Dough

  • Place flour in a large bowl, add salt and yeast, whisk until well mixed.
  • Create a well in the middle of the flour mixture, pour olive oil in the bowl, then add water.
  • Pulling flour in from the outside with your hand as you mix it into dough.
  • Once you have your dough, cover the bowl and set aside in a warm place.
  • Allow dough to rise to at least twice its size, punch down dough.
  • Cut dough into equal size pieces, and roll them into balls. About 2oz each.

For the Filling

  • Add 2 tbsp olive oil to a pot, place over medium heat. 
  • Add onions. Saute until they begin to soften. About 10 minutes.
  • Add the salt, black pepper, sumac, stir and cook for about ten minutes.
  • Add ¼ cup olive oil, stir with the onions and spices.
  • Add the spinach then the lemon juice, stir, cover and lower heat to low, cook for 15 minutes, stirring at intervals.
  • Remove the lid and allow the liquid to cook off, stirring occasionally.
  • Remove from heat once the spinach has lost its bright green color, let cool.
  • Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC).
  • Roll out the dough balls into round shapes.
  • Place a spoonful of filling in the middle of the dough circle.
  • Bring dough edges together creating a triangle shape by piching the edges.
  • Pinch the edges from the point of the triangle in, leaving an opening in the middle of the turnover.
  • Place pies onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
  • Place in the oven for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Remove from the oven, and tray, and cool on a cooling rack.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 99kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 321mg | Potassium: 36mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 20IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg

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6 Comments

  1. Dear Chef
    Absolutely love your posts
    I am still learning, can I use the Fatayer recipe to make lahm b ajeen and Italian pizza and calzone or is the dough different
    Sincerely appreciate your guidance
    Grand kids are keen on middle eastern and Italian pizza

  2. I have been reading all different kinds of dough recipes for Fatayer. My mom used to add baking powder to her dough like your recipe specifies… but I also see many recipes where the dough is simply made with yeast. Could you explain what the benefit and/or difference is when you use both yeast and baking powder? My mom passed away last year, so I can’t ask her sadly.

    1. Hi there, thanks for your message. Sorry to hear about your mom passing away. Adding both gives an additional boost to your dough. These two ingredients act differently on your recipe to provide similar results. Baking powder tends to provide a quick rise, while yeast takes a bit longer to provide the rise required. Both together give a more even rise in my opinion. I hope that helps.

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