Turkish Borek Recipe | Easy Spinach and Cheese Pastry Dinner
Flaky, golden Turkish börek filled with creamy cheeses and garlicky spinach, baked as an easy slab with store-bought yufka or phyllo. A quick yogurt-egg wash keeps the layers shatteringly crisp.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 pound yufka or 1 pound phyllo (about 16–18 sheets), thawed
- 1/2 cup olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
- 12 ounces fresh spinach, roughly chopped (or 10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and well-squeezed)
- 6 ounces feta, crumbled
- 6 ounces ricotta or Turkish beyaz peynir, drained
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill (or parsley)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4–1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes (optional)
- Pinch of nutmeg (optional)
- Salt to taste
- 3/4 cup plain yogurt (not Greek, or thin Greek with 1–2 tablespoons water)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons milk or water, as needed
- Sesame seeds or nigella seeds, for topping
Instructions
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C), line a 9x13-inch pan with parchment, and brush the parchment with olive oil.
- Warm 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, add the onion with a pinch of salt, and cook until translucent, 5–7 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the spinach in batches, cooking until wilted and most moisture evaporates; cool, then squeeze out excess liquid and chop if needed.
- In a bowl, combine the spinach, feta, ricotta or beyaz peynir, mozzarella, 1 egg, dill, black pepper, Aleppo pepper, and nutmeg; taste and add salt only if needed.
- Whisk the yogurt, 2 eggs, 1/4 cup olive oil, and enough milk or water to make a smooth, pourable mixture.
- Lay the first sheet of yufka or phyllo in the prepared pan, brush lightly with olive oil, and spoon on 2–3 tablespoons of the yogurt wash.
- Repeat layering with 5–6 sheets, staggering edges to cover gaps and brushing each with a thin coat of yogurt wash.
- Spread half of the spinach-cheese filling evenly over the layered sheets.
- Layer another 5–6 sheets, brushing with yogurt wash between each, then spread the remaining filling evenly.
- Finish with 5–6 top sheets, brushing yogurt wash between each and coating the top generously; sprinkle with sesame or nigella seeds.
- Chill the assembled börek for about 10 minutes and score the top into squares or diamonds.
- Bake on the middle rack for 35–45 minutes until deep golden and crisp at the edges.
- Rest 10–15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
Use yufka if available; phyllo works well—keep it covered with a damp towel as you work. Avoid a wet filling by squeezing spinach thoroughly and draining ricotta. Brush only a thin layer of yogurt wash to keep layers crisp. Tent with foil near the end if the top browns too quickly. Store leftovers in the fridge 3–4 days and reheat in a 350°F oven for best crunch; freeze up to 2 months.