Spinach Fatayer Recipe (Lebanese Spinach Pie)

Spinach Fatayer is a lebanese spinach pie recipe that has fillings of onion, sumac spices, and olive oil. In Arabic, this recipe called fatayer sabanekh, which is a popular breakfast dish among Middle Eastern locals.

In Lebanon and other Levantine countries, they serve one of the best pastries and flatbread in the world. There are many kinds of fatayers which include cheese, vegetarian, or meat-based pastries. One vegetarian pastry pie recipe that I enjoy is fatayer sabanekh.

My late grandmother made this spinach fatayer at her house in Kuwait. It is very delicious, and the dough of the bread is so soft, which is perfect to eat this with hot tea. It is also a very healthy dish, which is perfect for vegan eaters.

In this post, I made this Lebanese spinach pie recipe which is based from my Late grandmother's recipe.

What is Fatayer Sabanekh?

Sabanekh comes from an Arabic word meaning "Spinach" while Fatayer is an Arabic word meaning "Pies".

Although it is originally from Lebanon, this fatayer sabanekh is also popular and widely eaten in Jordan, Palestine, and most Middle Eastern Countries.

When I was living in Kuwait and Jordan, you can find this Lebanese spinach pie and similar pastry dishes in most restaurants or street food stalls. Several of them I tried and ate include halloumi, zaatar, cheese, spiced ground beef, and other meat-based pie.

Ingredients of Spinach Filling

For making the fillings of spinach fatayer, there are several ingredients you need for this recipe:

• Fresh Spinach- You can use any spinach including spinach bag or frozen spinach if you like.
  
• Sumac Spices- I am using ready-made sumac spices that can be bought in any Middle Eastern grocery store.
  
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil- I recommend extra virgin olive oil since it has a stronger flavor and it blends well for this recipe
  
• Red Onion- You can use either white or red onion.
  
• Salt and Black Pepper

Ingredient of Fatayer Dough

In addition to the fillings, you also need the ingredient for making Fatayer dough, which is similar for making pizza or flatbread.

Below is the ingredient for making the Spinach Fatayer dough recipe:

• All purpose flour- I am using white flour in this recipe
  
• Extra Virgin olive oil- I recommend using extra virgin olive oil over other vegetable oil since it gives a nice aroma of the dough
  
• Salt
  
• Sugar
  
• Instant yeast
  
• Warm water
  
• Egg Yolk- I use the egg yolk to brush the dough after the fillings and before putting it into the oven. This will give the dough a golden color.

Notes: Do not use sea salt and boiling water since this will kill the yeast, hence, weaken the growth of the dough.

Step by Step Instruction

I. Making the Fatayer Dough

Before making spinach filling, we prepare first the dough for the fatayer.

• Firstly, add the all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the same bowl.
• Separately, mix the warm water and yeast in a glass, and pour it into the bowl.
• While kneading and mixing the flour, add a tablespoon of olive oil until it is already well mixed and soft.
• Cover and leave it for 1 to 1 ½ hours for the dough to grow.

II. Cooking the Spinach Fillings

While waiting for the dough to grow, prepare cooking the spinach mixture filling.

• Add olive oil in the pan. Once it is hot, add onion and stir for several minutes till it is cook.
• Next, I added the spinach and sauté for a few minutes.
• Once the spinach is almost cook, add the sumac spices, lemon, salt, and black pepper.
• Mix it well before turning off the heat.

III. Assembling and Baking the Fatayer Sabanekh

• Use a rolling pin to make into a large circular shape
• Next I use a small cup to press it down and divide into several pieces (10 to 12 total)
• After that, transfer them into the plate.

• Add the 1 to 2 tablespoon of spinach filling in each dough.
• Next, grab both sides of the dough to close them together followed by the closing back part to form a triangular-shaped.
• Preheat the oven into 400 F or 220 C. Use the egg yolk to brush each spinach fatayer to help give a nice golden color.
• Make sure the oven is hot before putting the pies inside. Let it baked for 10 minutes or till it is golden brown.

What do you serve with this recipe?

Sabanekh fatayer can be served either breakfast, snacks, or dinner. This Lebanese spinach pie is best to serve with Hot tea, cheese, and other dipping sauces like hummus.

Also, because this is finger food, they are usually eaten with other pastries or bread. Other delicious pastry or bread recipes include Zaatar Bread, Mini Pizza, Cheese Roll, or other small bread.

Variation

Chicken Fatayer- This recipe is an Arabic style meat pie that has fillings of chicken, bell pepper, and different Middle Eastern spices

Cheese Fatayer- This is a Lebanese cheese pie that is mixed with feta & mozzarella cheese and parsley.

Frequently Asked Question

Other Middle Eastern Recipes to Try

If you love Middle Eastern food, here are other delicious baked recipes that you can make at home

• Shawarma Pizza
  
• Zaatar Bread
  
• Cheese Manakish

📋 Recipe Card

Spinach Fatayer (Lebanese Spinach Pie)

Saif Al Deen Odeh

Spinach Fatayer, also known as Sabanekh, is an Arabic pastry pie that has fillings of onion, sumac spices, olive oil, lemon, and fresh spinach.

5 from 25 votes

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 25 mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Arabic, Middle Eastern

Servings 12 Serving

Calories 145 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Dough for the Fatayer

• 2 cup All purpose flour
• 2 tablespoon Extra Virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 1 tablespoon Sugar
• 1 tablespoon Instant yeast
• 1 ¼ cup Warm water
• Egg Yolk (For giving a golden color of the dough)

Spinach Fillings

• 500 grams Fresh Spinach
• ¾ cup Red Onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon Sumac Spices
• 2 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt and Black Pepper for Taste

Instructions

 

Fatayer Dough

• Add all-purpose flour, salt, sugar and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large bowl
• Separately, mix warm water with yeast in a glass.
• Pour the yeast mixture into the bowl. Mix well together
• If your hand is sticky, add more flour. Or if the if it has more flour, add 1//4 cup of water.
• While Kneading and mixing, add one tablespoon of olive oil. This will give the dough a soft and fluffy texture.
• After that, cover with the cloth and leave it for 1 to 2 hours.

Spinach Filling

• Add olive in the pan. Once it is hot, add onion and stir it for few minutes.
• Add the spinach and sauteed for additional minutes or till it is cooked
• Add sumac spices, salt and black pepper in the spinach. Mix them well before turning off the heat.

Assembling the Spinach Fatayer

• Use the rolling pin or your hand to make a large circle dough.
• Use the small cup to press down and divide into many pieces
• On the circle dough, add 1 to 1 ½ tablespoon of spinach filling mixture.
• Grab both sides of the dough to close them together, followed by the closing back part to form a triangular-shaped.

Baking the dough

• Preheat the oven to 400 F or 220 C
• Brush each dough with egg yolk to have a nice golden color. Put all the fatayer in a tray
• Lastly, transfer the tray into the oven
• Baked it for 12 to 15 minutes or till the dough has a nice golden brown color.
• Serve with hot tea, Arabic salad or other finger food. Bon Appetite.

Notes

If you don't have fresh spinach, you can use frozen spinach.

If you don't have sumac spice, you can use 2 tablespoon of lemon juice.

Nutrition

Calories: 145kcalCarbohydrates: 19.5gProtein: 3.8gFat: 6.3gSaturated Fat: 0.9gSodium: 132mgPotassium: 286mgFiber: 1.8gSugar: 1.5gCalcium: 48mgIron: 2mg

Keyword Lebanese Spinach Pie, sabanekh, spinach fatayer

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