Ricotta, Spinach, and Mushroom filled Crepe
Medically reviewed by Christiana George Updated Date: December 17, 2022
Before meeting my husband’s family, I would never have thought to use crepes for dinner. The crepes my mother made were always topped with maple syrup. That’s the Canadian way.
My mother-in-law, who is Argentinian from Italian descent, had different ideas. She would fill crepes with cream of corn, top it with pasta sauce and cheese. My sister-in-law, also Argentinian, would fill them with ricotta like manicotti.
The crepes bring the whole dish to a new level. The slightly sweet flavor of the crepes taste so much better than pasta and they are much easier to fill than manicotti tubes.
You can make this with just ricotta, spinach and herbs, but I like to add onions and mushrooms. I saute them in some butter until they are brown before adding them to the ricotta mix.
I also used fresh herbs in this recipe since I have had some success this summer with my little herb garden on my deck. But feel free to use dry herbs. Just remember 1 tablespoon fresh herbs = 1 tsp dry herbs.
Now this recipe may take a lot of time, but it is worth it. You can make the crepes ahead of time and keep them in an airtight container in the fridge. I made mine the night before. You can also skip the cheesy white sauce, but I wouldn’t. I think it compliments it well.
Ricotta, Spinach, and Mushroom Filled Crepe
by The Sweet Chick
Prep Time: 30-40 minutes
Cook Time: 20-30 minutes
Keywords: bake entree crepes ricotta spinach mushroom
Ingredients (9 filled crepes)
For the crepes
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
For the filling
- 1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms ( I used Baby Bella)
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 1 teaspoon butter/margarine
- 3 cups frozen spinach
- 1 container (8 oz.) ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded cheese (mozzarella, Italian blend, or Swiss)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For the red sauce
- 1 jar (24 oz.) pasta sauce (I used Classico marina sauce)
For the cheesy white sauce
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons butter/margarine
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese (mozarella, Italian blend, or Swiss)
Instructions
For the crepes
In a blender or with hand mixer, combine all ingredients. Blend until smooth.
Heat a medium sized nonstick skillet with flared sides over medium-high heat.
Remove from heat. Pour 1/4 cup batter into skillet; lift and tilt the skillet to spread batter evenly across bottom of skillet. Don’t worry if it is not a perfect circle. They will taste just the same.
Return to heat. Cook about 1 minute or until light brown.
Flip crepe with a spatula and cook the other side for about 30 seconds.
Cool crepe on paper towels. Repeat with remaining batter.
For the filling
Heat a nonstick skillet on medium-high and add butter.
Once butter is melted, add onions and mushrooms. Saute until onions are a light golden brown and mushrooms are soft. Set aside.
In a microwaveable container, place the frozen spinach and place in microwave for 2-3 minutes until fully defrosted. Let is cool off.
Once it is cooled off, using a paper towel or a colander, squeeze out as much water as possible from the spinach.
In a medium sized bowl put in the ricotta, egg, parmesan cheese, and shredded cheese. Mix well. Then add the onions, mushroom, and spinach and mix again.
Next add the basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary, salt and pepper. Mix until everything is well blended.
Take a crepe and fill the middle with about 3 tablespoons of the filling. Roll up the crepe like a tube and place in a 9 x 13 glass Pyrex dish. Repeat with the remaining crepes.
For the red sauce
Set oven for 350º F.
Once all filled crepes are in the dish, pour the entire jar of pasta sauce over the crepes. With the back of a large spoon, spread the sauce evenly over all the crepes. Place uncovered dish in oven and bake for 20-30 minutes or until the sauce starts to bubble.
For the cheesy white sauce
While the crepes are baking, in a small saucepan, combine milk and cornstarch and stir until dissolved. Add butter/margarine, salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil, then simmer on medium heat for 1 minute stirring constantly.
Slowly add shredded cheese and whisk until all cheese is melted and sauce is smooth.
Then remove from heat, cover and set aside.
Once crepes are done baking, serve on a plate and pour a little (or a lot) white sauce over the crepes.
You can add some fresh crushed black pepper or grated parmesan on top. Voila, done. Enjoy!
Note
If you want to use dried herbs, just remember 1 tablespoon fresh herbs = 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
Update : This recipe was featured on Yummly.
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Cherry Cordial Brownie Cookies
Yet another rainy day. Kinda dreary. I don’t really feel like doing anything. I may just sit in front of the TV and eat the rest of these cookies I made yesterday. I used the Cherry Cordial M&M’s that were out during the Christmas season. They taste exactly like the Cherry M&M’s I used last year to make my Dark Chocolate Cherry M&M Cookies. Although I haven’t look for the Cherry ones this year, I know they are usually out for Valentine’s day. So either one you use is good. But you gotta have the cherry flavor in there.
When I was scouring the web for a soft, chewy chocolate cookie recipe to use with these Cherry Cordial M&M’s, I came upon this recipe for Soft and Chewy Brownie Cookies from Averie Cooks. Averie has some fabulous cookie recipes and her food photography always leaves me drooling.
Now I know she says not to use chocolate chips in this recipe because they do not melt well in the microwave, but I used Ghirardelli Baking Chips which I already know melt very well in the microwave. And they taste amazing. Since I needed 12 oz. of chocolate and the baking chips come in a 10 oz. bag, I added some mini chocolate chips to make up the difference and bridge the way between the dark chocolate baking chips and the milk chocolate M&M’s. What intrigued me about this recipe besides the minimal amount of flour, was the fact that you need to leave the batter out at room temperature for 1-2 hours prior to baking. I though this was odd. Usually you put it in the fridge. But, hey, I am always up for something new. I left the covered batter out for about 1 1/2 hours to set.
The result is a batter that has the consistency of a very thick mousse. If it hadn’t been for the raw eggs, I would have stuck me head in the bowl and devoured the batter raw. It’s unlike any batter I have worked with before. I did take a tiny taste and it was INCREDIBLE! I couldn’t wait to bake it. You can just scoop it onto a cookie sheet and gently press in the M&M’s. I choose to make them into heart shapes. I drop an almost full large scoop of the dough into each cavity of my Wilton Heart Shaped Whoopie Pie Pan. The same one I used for my Sugar Cookie Rice Krispie Treats. The round shaped whoopie pie pan works just as well. I just flattened out the dough with a spatula to fit the shape and gently pressed in the Cherry Cordial M&M’s
You have to let the cookies cool completely before trying to remove them from the pan or they will fall apart on you (and you will have to eat them). I think I may have overfilled my pan a bit, but they still came out heart shaped. I tasted one while is was still warm and the gooey chocolate was to die for.
Once cooled, the cookies have a slightly crispy outside with a soft, chewy inside just like a brownie. Since I used the baking chips which are larger than regular chocolate chips, you also get some nice chunks of dark chocolate when you bite into the cookie. The Cherry Cordial M&M’s just heighten the chocolate experience. I may try just mixing them right in the batter next time to add even more cherry flavor.
I have never made brownies from scratch before, never mind brownie cookies. I am so excited they came out right. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
Cherry Cordial Brownie Cookies
by The Sweet Chick
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Keywords: bake dessert snack dark chocolate Cherry Cordial M&M’s brownies cookie American
Ingredients (15 cookies)
- 1 bag (10 oz.) Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate baking chips, divided
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 large eggs
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
- 1 bag (9.90 oz.) Cherry Cordial or Cherry M&M’s
Instructions
Place 5 oz. of the Ghirardelli baking chips in a small microwave safe bowl or measuring cup with the butter. Microwave at 30 second intervals until completely melted and smooth when stirred. Set aside to cool.
In a stand mixer add eggs, sugar and vanilla. Mix on medium for about 8 minutes or until mixture is a pale, creamy texture.
Add the flour, baking powder, melted chocolate, remaining 5 oz. of baking chips, and the mini chocolate chips to the egg mixture. Mix on medium for about 1 minute until fully combined.
Remove bowl from mixer, cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for about 1 hour until set. (The consistency should be that of a very thick mousse after set.)
Once mixture is set, preheat oven to 350°F.
With a large scoop (a little less than full), fill each cavity of the whoopie pie pan. With a spatula, spread the batter out to fill the shape of the cavity.
Gently press 3-5 M&M’s into each shape.
Bake for 10 minutes each batch. Do not remove from pan. Leave in pan until completely cooled, then gently remove with a clean spatula.
Grab yourself a cup of coffee or milk and sit down with your cookie. You are going to want to savor each minute of this dark chocolate and cherry bliss!
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