These cheesy soppressata pinwheels are my ultimate weakness. The combination of sweet, savory, and umami flavors all rolled up into bite-sized slices makes me giddy. I struggle not to eat a whole tray in 1 sitting. You’ll know what I mean once you try these out!
These puff pastry appetizers are my hybrid adaptation of Ina Garten’s Soppressata & Cheese in Puff Pastry and Lori from Foxes Love Lemons’ Salami & Goat Cheese Pinwheels with Honey.
The pinwheel slices of the puff pastry make for a super festive, beautiful appetizer. These remind me of the cheesy spinach puff pastry pinwheels that my grandmother used to make when I was a kid. I called them “spinach cookies”, and you’d think from the way that I’d devour a tray that they were really cookies.
With spicy soppressata, tangy goat cheese, and honey, these pinwheels have more adult-oriented ingredients than my grandmother’s “spinach cookies”. Don’t let that fool you though, kids love these pastry pinwheels and they can be easily adapted with a few common ingredients (see after the recipe).
These have become my entertaining and potluck go-to appetizer and they will become yours too. Get ready for everyone at the party to ask you where you got the recipe!
Before You Get Started Baking
- Take the puff pastry out of the freezer at least 40 minutes prior to bake time so that they’re thawed when you need to work with them.
- Gather the rest of your ingredients and all tools or equipment before starting so that they’re on-hand for quick preparation.
Suggested Equipment/Appliances
- 2 rimmed baking trays
- 1 Small mixing bowl
- A whisk
- 1-2 basting brushes
Recipe Cook Time and Yield
- Recipe Yield: 8-12 appetizer servings
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 package (2 sheets) of frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 5 ounces Soppressata salami, diced into small pieces
- 3 ounces goat cheese (crumbled goat cheese is easier to work with if you can find it)
- 1 cup packed baby spinach or chopped spinach
- 6 ounces of shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese or shredded gruyere cheese
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 tablespoons lukewarm water
- 1⁄4 cup of honey
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste (optional)
- All-purpose or baking flour, for your work surface
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line two rimmed baking trays with parchment paper or aluminum foil greased with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, whisk the beaten eggs along with lukewarm water until evenly combined. Set the egg wash aside for now.
- On a cleaned and floured surface, gently unroll the puff pastry sheets so that they’re both laying flat. Brush each pastry with the egg wash, making sure to get all the edges and corners.
- Evenly layer the ingredients onto the pastry sheets, starting with the goat cheese, then spinach, soppressata, and lastly, more shredded cheese (either mozzarella or gruyere). Top this with freshly ground black pepper.
- Starting on the short side of the pastry sheets, roll each pastry sheet up like a sushi roll or a jelly roll or a cinnamon roll… you get the idea. Once two tightly rolled logs are formed, slice them carefully into discs that are about 1⁄2 inch thick using a very sharp knife.
- Carefully place the pastry slices onto the baking sheets, leaving a bit of room in between each of them. Brush the pinwheels once more with egg wash.
- Bake the pastry pinwheels for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Rotate the baking trays halfway through the cook time about 10 minutes in.
- While the pinwheels are cooling, brush them with honey or drizzle honey over them before serving. Alternatively, you can serve the honey on the side as a dipping sauce.
Tips and Tricks
- For easier pinwheel slicing, you can wrap the uncut pastry rolls in plastic wrap and leave them in the fridge for 10-15 minutes. The colder pastry dough will be easier to slice through without squishing the roll as you cut.
- Instead of drizzling honey over the baked pinwheels or dipping into it, you can also brush it onto the bare puff pastry sheets instead of egg wash before adding the other ingredients. This will make the whole appetizer a little less sticky overall.
- You can prep and roll the wheels before wrapping in plastic and freezing for use later! Just thaw and slice before baking as per usual. They will keep well if prepped, wrapped, and frozen for up to a month.
- These can be served warm or at room temperature! For reheating, bake the pinwheels for 5 minutes at 350°F.
Substitutions
The following ingredients can be swapped out for your desired alternative at the same quantity included in the recipe:
- Soppressata Salami can be replaced with pepperoni, regular salami, or your favorite vegetarian salami alternative.
- Spinach can be replaced with arugula, or removed altogether if you’re serving people who won’t eat anything green.
- Honey can be replaced with balsamic glaze or fig jam.
- Goat Cheese can be replaced with cream cheese
