I had originally prepped this post long before the Covid-19 Pandemic and Stay-At-Home orders were in place. The way we live has changed drastically in the last two months plus. Our life has been impacted on almost every level. We pray for those who are sick, those we have lost, and for the healthcare workers who are on the frontline. Thank you to all that are making a difference on the large-scale, and also to those who are holding it together in their own home.

Today’s post is comprised of items that you hopefully have on-hand, and can provide you an easy-prep side dish that feels special. Use your creativity if you don’t have the complete ingredient list. You can absolutely use a different cheese or herbs – whatever you have in your pantry or refrigerator. Change the flavor by omitting the dijon, basil & garlic and adding a pinch of nutmeg and a splash of milk.

Pre-Quarantine Post, which will hopefully be more relevant in the near future: {Living in a city can present different challenges in the kitchen. Keeping a well-stocked kitchen that is used infrequently, and in a neighborhood that doesn’t have shopping options beyond glorified convenient stores, it is hard to whip-up an impressive dinner without advance planning. This dish is the perfect solution.}

Ingredients

• 1 10-Ounce package Frozen Chopped Spinach
• ½ Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 tsp chopped Basil
• 1 tsp minced Garlic
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Sheet Frozen Puff Pastry, thawed
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 6-cup Muffin Pan

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Defrost the frozen puff pastry and the frozen spinach. Squeeze the water out of the spinach as too much water can make the dough soggy. In a mixing bowl, mix together the spinach, cheese, olive oil, mustard, basil & garlic. Season with salt & pepper. In a small bowl, beat 1 of the eggs, and then fold it into the spinach mixture.

Butter the muffin pan and set aside. After the frozen puff pastry has been defrosted, cut the dough into 6 equal squares. Place a square of puff pastry into each muffin cup, pressing carefully into the bottom of the cup, but leaving the corners pointing up. Fill each cup with the spinach filling. The spinach cups can be made up until this point, and refrigerated (covered) for up to two hours.

In a small bowl, crack the second egg. Brush the exposed pastry dough with the egg white only. Save the whole egg for breakfast the next morning!

Bake the spinach pastry cups for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. You can also top more cheese on the spinach for the remaining five minutes of baking. Once out of the oven, let the puffs cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Serve warm.

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