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    Home » Eid Eats » Spinach & Artichoke Puff Pastry Braid

    4.45 from 40 votes

    Spinach & Artichoke Puff Pastry Braid

    June 22, 2017 by Sarah Mir · Updated December 14, 2022

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Hello my lovely readers! We are days away from Eid (woohoo!) and that means it is time for Eid Eats, that delicious roundup of Eid recipes. This year it is hosted by My Ninja Naan & Chocolate & Chillies. Do hop over on to their page to check out whats cooking! I have had a bit of a history of bringing desserts to the table. There were the Chocolate Covered Ice Cream Stars, the Coconut Barfi, and the Eid classic of Sheer Khurma. This year I decided to break from tradition and share something that I make for all kinds of parties, not just Eid. This Spinach & Artichoke Puff Pastry Braid is filled with a creamy bechamel filling that has some spice from green chillies, the sweet nubbiness of corn and fantastic flavor all around. It is a cinch to put together with store bought puff pastry dough and looks so pretty on the table. It also meets my two main requirements for a party. One is that the filling can be prepped ahead of time, the second that it reheats beautifully. The Spinach & Artichoke Puff Pastry Braid is versatile in that it's perfect for tea, brunch or even lunch depending on what you serve it with.

    spinach and artichoke puff pastry braid

    spinach puff pastry braid

    Is it just me or does Eid seem to have come upon us with breakneck speed? I usually get fairly sentimental around this time. This year it seems I don't have the time to even do that!  Instead I find myself planning my own Eid party, one held upon the insistence of my 6-year old.  Her Eid excitement is hard to deny so now I find myself using my time to plan food & favours. While I am scaling back and catering some things there are dishes that I really enjoy making no matter how busy things are. This Spinach & Artichoke Puff Pastry Braid is one of them. The filling is easy and quick enough. Cutting the strips for the braid and then laying them over over another to beautiful effect is pure therapy. The best part is that while on my OCD days I will mark off the strips for precision even when they aren't perfect they are still pretty.

    spinach puff pastry braid

    spinach puff pastry braid
    Print Recipe
    4.45 from 40 votes

    Spinach & Artichoke Puff Pastry Braid

    This Spinach & Artichoke Puff Pastry Braid is filled with a creamy bechamel filling that has some spice from green chillies, the sweet nubbiness of corn and fantastic flavor all around.
    Author: Sarah Mir

    Ingredients

    • 2 sheets ready rolled puff pastry thawed
    • 4 tablespoons butter
    • 4 tablespoons flour
    • 3 tablespoons finely diced onions
    • 2 cups milk
    • 3 green chillies finely diced
    • ¾ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
    • 2 ounces cream cheese
    • ¼ cup monterey jack or other cheese
    • 2 - 2 ½ cups chopped fresh spinach
    • 1 6 oz jar artichoke hearts drained and chopped tough leaves removed.
    • ½ cup sweet corn kernels optional
    • ¾ cup cooked chicken small diced or shredded (Optional)
    • 1 egg
    • Sesame seeds and/or Nigella Seeds

    Instructions

    • Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and add the flour, stirring for two minutes or so on medium heat
    • Gradually add the milk, whisking as you go along to avoid clumping
    • Add the onion, the green chillies, salt and pepper
    • Cook until the bechamel becomes nice and thick
    • Dice the cream cheese into cubes and whisk in until incorporated.
    • Add the cheese and stir, followed by the spinach, artichokes, and corn (if using). Take off the heat, the spinach will wilt.
    • Stir in the chicken if using
    • Taste for seasoning - it should taste just a tad salty.
    • Let it cool to room temperature
    • Preheat the oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
    • Roll your puff pastry sheets out so they're 10*12 inches (they usually come in 10*10)
    • Visually split your puff pastry roughly in thirds, keeping the centre strip slightly larger than the others
    • Spread 1-1 ½ cup mixture in the centre.
    • Cut thin strips into either side of the puff pastry, about a cm wide.
    • Fold the strips over to create a braid effect.
    • Whisk the egg with a splash of water and spread over top the pastry with a pastry brush
    • Sprinkle with the seeds
    • Baked for 25-30 minutes until a deep golden

    Notes

    You can prep the filling a day or two ahead and use it straight from the fridge
    It can also be baked earlier in the day an reheated for a few minutes at 350 in the oven
    Hope those of you who are celebrating have a wonderful Eid. Do tell me what you'll be cooking - would love to hear what deliciousness you have up your sleeve! If you're still searching for ideas don't forget to check out the Eid Eats entries!
    « Turkey Biryani - A Delicious Spin on a Classic!
    5-Ingredient Eggplant Tartlets »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Henna says

      June 22, 2017 at 11:31 pm

      dude, this is gorgeous party fare! I love the flavor combinations! Early Eid Mubarak girlfriend <3

      Reply
      • sarahjmir@gmail.com says

        June 22, 2017 at 11:43 pm

        Thanks Henna! Right back at you 🙂

        Reply
    2. Asiya says

      June 23, 2017 at 11:04 pm

      Love love love this Sarah!!!! I can't wait to give it a try...just need to get some spinach! Thank you so much for taking part...we missed you in all the planning stages. Eid Mubarak to you and your family!

      Reply
      • sarahjmir@gmail.com says

        June 24, 2017 at 2:20 pm

        Thanks so much Asiya! Honestly I missed it a little but things have been so crazy here that I am infinitely relieved that I stepped back this year!

        Reply
    3. Eraj says

      June 24, 2017 at 2:30 am

      Looks stunning Sarah! What else are you making for Eid? Do share 🙂
      Eid Mubarak to you and yours

      Reply
      • sarahjmir@gmail.com says

        June 24, 2017 at 2:22 pm

        Thank you Eraj! Hope you guys have a blessed (and delicious) Eid as well! My Eid party is on the 2nd so I haven't quite locked things down, but on the sweet front there will be a chocolate cake w espresso buttercream, a strawberries and cream cake, sevaiyan (duh), the chocolate crack from the blog. On the savory haleem, bihari boti roll, mini kofta skewers, two types of sandwiches, and the usual fruit/veg. And the puff pastry braid of course!

        Reply
    4. Jhuls says

      June 28, 2017 at 2:09 am

      Sarah, this looks delicious!! Eid Mubarak & I hope you had a lovely holidays!

      Reply
      • sarahjmir@gmail.com says

        June 29, 2017 at 8:22 pm

        thank you Jhuls - we are fortunate to have had a wonderful Eid!

        Reply
    5. Rafeeda - The Big Sweet Tooth says

      June 28, 2017 at 6:22 am

      This is loaded in every bite! I totally love such snacks since they are moreish and delicious too...

      Reply
      • sarahjmir@gmail.com says

        June 29, 2017 at 8:22 pm

        moreish and delicious - i love that! it's such a good description! thanks for popping by

        Reply
    6. Famidha says

      June 29, 2017 at 11:40 am

      I think this is the first time I am commenting on your blog though I am an ardent follower on IG. 🙂 That double masala biryani is still on my list and hope to get to it sometime soon. The Ramadan did go by in breakneck speed. I did get sentimental when Eid was declared depriving us 30th fasting day. Hope you had a fantastic eid. Spinach and bechamel is itself a winner and artichoke is something I have never tried. All the clicks are superb, so fresh and crisp!

      Reply
      • sarahjmir@gmail.com says

        June 29, 2017 at 8:20 pm

        Wow Famidha thank you I am extremely flattered! We got the full 30 and there is something satisfying about completing the month! This puff pastry is one of my all time favourites - do hope you try it one day!

        Reply
    7. pakistanirecipesinurdu says

      July 03, 2017 at 5:35 am

      Wow, Good website for cooking I Love your way of cooking recipes making
      I am following you and another website I follow both are brilliant.
      Sharing link with you
      ( https://cookingrecipesnetwork.blogspot.com/ ).
      In this website video available for making recipesss

      Reply
    8. salmadinani says

      September 06, 2017 at 12:56 am

      This look totally amazing and delcious!

      Reply
    9. Sarah says

      May 09, 2019 at 9:29 pm

      I made this today and it was amazing. Another fabulous recipe!

      Reply
      • sarahjmir@gmail.com says

        May 10, 2019 at 11:38 pm

        That is absolutely wonderful to hear! thank you!!!!

        Reply
    10. Pamela says

      September 14, 2019 at 11:26 pm

      Hello. What is the other puff pastry for? Is this supposed to fill 2 pastries? Do you connect them to make one long braid?
      I am definitely going to make this either way. Thank you, Pamela

      Reply
      • sarahjmir@gmail.com says

        September 15, 2019 at 2:48 pm

        Hi! This filling is enough to make two puff pastry braids! DO keep me posted on how it turns out!

        Reply
    11. Reema says

      January 07, 2020 at 4:56 pm

      Hey Sarah! Made this for dinner last night and everyone was raving about it. Sooo delicious 😋
      Thanks!!

      Reply
      • sarahjmir@gmail.com says

        January 08, 2020 at 11:04 pm

        I am SO SO glad! Thank you Reema!!!!

        Reply
    12. Christy says

      June 01, 2020 at 11:58 pm

      Made this tonight and it was delicious. That’s even when I had to sub red pepper for the chiles because my husband came home from the grocery store without them.🙄 I think it would be even better with the chiles.

      Don’t forget the parchment paper. I did, and the bottom cooked onto the baking sheet.

      Even with our mistakes, this is wonderful and so pretty.

      Reply
      • sarahjmir@gmail.com says

        June 03, 2020 at 7:18 am

        I am so glad to hear that you liked it! Also husbands and groceries huh ....

        Reply
        • Saman says

          January 07, 2023 at 1:36 am

          Hi! Love this recipe. Just wondering if the filling can be frozen to be used later?

          Reply
          • Sarah Mir says

            January 07, 2023 at 10:24 am

            Hi Saman! I can't say I have tried it yet with this specific recipe, but I suspect so!

            Reply
    13. Zahra says

      January 06, 2022 at 2:13 pm

      Hi Sarah! I’m a huge fan of your recipes. Is there any way we can skip out on the cream cheese? Also what other vegetables do you recommend instead of the artichokes ?

      Reply
      • Sarah Mir says

        January 26, 2022 at 2:14 pm

        Thank you Zahra! In this recipe it works so if you skip it the consistency changes. That said in theory if you were to omit it then you'd decrease the liquid, I am just not positive offhand about how much

        Reply
    14. Scidra says

      October 05, 2022 at 11:55 am

      Hi Sarah! What cream cheese do you use ? The Philadelphia one? Also can u share a pic of the artichokes aswell?… and chicken is just boiled and shredded right?. This recipe looks bomb like all your other recipes I’ve tried and I can’t wait to try this one! Do u have a video of this recipe somewhere ? Sorry for all the questions and Thankyou in advance for answering my queries if you see this ❤️❤️

      Reply
      • Sarah Mir says

        October 07, 2022 at 6:17 pm

        HI Scidra! I use the philly cream cheese and then for the artichokes I use ones packed in oil, they come in a jar (unfortunately I can't attach pictures here). Chicken can be boiled and shredded or just seasoned with salt and pepper, pan friend and cut into pieces. Whatever is convenient for you works. Making a video for this one is definitely on my to do list, but in the interim I have a highlight on instagram (@flourandspiceblog) called PuffPastryBraid!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Sarah! Welcome to Flour & Spice, the foodie world of a Pakistani origin Canadian mama of two whose busy life and love for food means practicality reigns supreme! I love baking (duh!), my readers (extra duh!), reading, coffee, singing loudly slightly off key, and aprons.

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