Baked pitta bread with cheese and spinach
Crisp, golden pitta breads filled with spinach, Kong Bars cheese, garlic and fresh basil. An easy, tasty recipe that is perfect for lunch, dinner or a delicious snack.
Baked pitta bread with cheese and spinach is an easy, delicious dish that combines crisp bread with a creamy, flavourful cheese filling. The thawed spinach adds substance and greens, while Kong Bars cheese and grated cheese melt together into a creamy centre full of flavour.
The recipe is ideal when you want to make something quick that is still warm, filling and satisfying. The filled pitta breads are fried in a pan until golden and crisp on the outside, while the cheese melts inside. Topped with honey, chilli flakes and sea salt, they offer a lovely balance of salty, sweet, creamy and crisp.
For this recipe, a good 30 cm frying pan is perfect because it provides even heat and plenty of room to fry the pitta breads until golden. A chef's knife is handy for chopping basil and preparing the filling, while a walnut chopping board provides a stable work surface in the kitchen.
Recipe for baked pitta bread with cheese and spinach
Serves: 4
Preparation: 10 min.
Cooking: 5-10 min.
Total time: 15-20 min.
Ingredients for baked pitta bread with cheese and spinach
- 100 g frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove excess water
- 150 g Kong Bars cheese, grated
- 100 g grated cheese
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 large handful of fresh basil, chopped
- 4 pitta breads
- 3 tbsp salted butter
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Honey, to serve
- Chilli flakes, to serve
- Sea salt, to serve
Method
- Grate the Kong Bars cheese if it is not already grated.
- Place the thawed, drained spinach, grated Kong Bars cheese, grated cheese, crushed garlic and chopped basil in a bowl.
- Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix the filling thoroughly.
- Carefully cut open one side of each pitta bread to make a small opening.
- Divide the cheese filling evenly between the four pitta breads.
- Spread a little salted butter on the outside of each pitta bread.
- Heat a large frying pan over medium heat.
- Place the pitta breads in the pan, preferably one or two at a time, and fry for about 3-4 minutes on each side until golden and crisp and the cheese has melted.
- Serve the warm pitta breads topped with honey, chilli flakes and a little sea salt.
- Enjoy them with a fresh salad on the side.
Tips for the best pitta bread with cheese and spinach
Make sure to squeeze the spinach thoroughly to remove moisture before mixing it with the cheese. Otherwise, the filling may become too wet and the pitta breads will lose some of their crispness.
Fry the pitta breads over medium heat so the bread becomes golden and crisp while allowing the cheese inside to melt.
Honey, chilli flakes and sea salt provide a delicious contrast to the creamy cheese filling and give the dish a more balanced flavour.
Why do cheese, spinach and honey work so well together?
Cheese and spinach are a classic combination because the creamy, salty cheese balances the mild, green flavour of the spinach. As the filling heats up in the pitta bread, the cheese melts together with the spinach and garlic, creating a rich, aromatic centre.
The honey on top gives the dish a little sweetness that goes really well with the salty cheese. Together with chilli flakes and sea salt, it gives the pitta breads sweetness, heat, saltiness and freshness.
Which cheese can you use in baked pitta bread?
Kong Bars cheese adds good flavour and a lovely richness to this recipe, but you can also use other cheeses that melt well. A combination of a flavourful hard cheese and a mild grated cheese works particularly well, giving you both depth and a creamy texture.
For a milder version, you can use mozzarella or a standard grated cheese. If you want more character, choose a mature cheese or add a little feta to the filling.
Serving
Serve the baked pitta breads with cheese and spinach hot, straight from the pan, while the bread is still crisp and the filling is creamy. They work well as a quick lunch, an easy dinner or part of a larger meal.
A fresh green salad goes really well alongside, providing a light, crisp contrast to the melted cheese filling. You can also serve the pitta breads with tomato salad, a raw vegetable salad or a simple yoghurt dressing.
Can pitta bread with cheese and spinach be made ahead?
The pitta breads taste best freshly fried, but you can easily prepare the filling ahead of time. Store the cheese and spinach mixture in an airtight container in the fridge and fill the pitta breads just before frying.
If you have leftovers, gently reheat them in a frying pan over low to medium heat. This will make the bread crisper than reheating it in the microwave.
Variations on baked pitta bread with cheese and spinach
The recipe can easily be varied to suit your taste and what you have in the fridge. For example, try adding sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped chilli, pickled red onions or a little lemon zest to the filling for extra freshness and flavour.
You can also make the dish more filling by adding cooked chicken, crispy bacon or chickpeas. This makes it easy to adapt the baked pitta breads for lunch, dinner or a quick snack.
