Spinach vegetable Crepes
Spinach crepes with vegetables is something I’ve had growing up. It was one of my favorite dinners at home. I always loved the colors of the dish and it always reminded me of the holidays so i thought it was a perfect time for me to share this recipe. The crepes have a delicious spinach flavor and the color just makes it even better. Filled with vegetables this is quite healthy especially if you make the crepes with half whole wheat. It is also eggless. Serve it with an assortment of sauces so everyone can make their own. Easy to make this is a perfectly delicious dish for the holidays or any other day to be honest.
Happy Cooking!
Servings: 7-9 crepes
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 45 mins
Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
For crepes:
1/2 cup spinach purée- used 11/4 cup of spinach to make 1/2 cup puree
1/4 cup milk
1/3-1/2 cup water
1/2 stick (4 tbsp) unsalted butter melted
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder- optional
1 cup flour - can use half flour and half whole wheat flour
A pinch of Black pepper
For vegetables:
1-2 tbsp Olive oil
1 med onion finely chopped
5-6 med garlic cloves
2-2.5 cup chopped mixed veggies, blanched. I used carrots, beans, corn and peas (frozen mix). You can even use cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini or any of our choice.
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1-2 tsp Salt
1/4-1/2 Pepper
1 tsp Chilli flakes
1 tbsp Fresh parsley
Sauces to serve with: White sauce, Pizza sauce or Pesto sauce.
Directions:
Prepare sauces for serving- Either white, pizza or pesto sauces. I recommend using white with either pesto or pizza sauce.
For making crepes: Blanch spinach and puree it with 3-4 tbsp of water till smooth and no lumps.
In a bowl add flour, salt, black pepper and garlic powder and whisk it together.
Make a well in the middle and add the spinach puree, melted butter, milk and water to it and whisk together, The consistency should be thinner than pancake batter, more like a buttermilk. Add 1-3 tbsp of water if needed to get it to the consistency.
Cover it and let it rest for 30 mins.
For making vegetable filling- In a pan add 1-2 tbsp of olive oil. Add onion and garlic and cook it for 8-10 mins till they are well cooked and start caramelising slightly.
Add chopped bell peppers and cook it for 2-4 mins.
Add the blanched vegetables and cook it on a low-medium flame.
Cook till the veggies til they are soft and well cooked.
Add salt, pepper, chilli flakes and chopped parsley and mix it in.
Keep aside and warm it up while serving!
To make the crepes you can use any of these 3 methods. For each, you will need to keep the pan on a low- medium flame. Keep it greased with little butter and makes sure it is warm and starting to sizzle. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter on to the pan and spread it out. Make sure to work fast so that you can spread it out easily. Once you pour the batter and spread it out, let it cook for 2-3 mins till the bottom side is cooked and starts browning slightly. Flip it over using a spatula and your hand and let the other side cook for 1-2 mins. Flip it over and the crepe is ready. Make sure the bottom side is cooked before flipping so that you do not have raw batter or that it breaks. Video shows all three; (sometimes the first crepe doesn’t come out perfect)
Rotate the pan circularly using its handle. This is easy (easiest to flip) but gives a thicker crepe
Pour the batter and using a laddle or a cup spread it out in a circular motion- like you would to make a dosa. This is easy but gives an uneven crepe but you can spread it out thin.
Use a crepe spreader and rotate it circularly till all the batter is spread out. Make sure you do not lift it in between and only when its all spread out and starts cooking. It is not as easy as the other methods because it can 2-3 tries to get used to the circular motion without lifting but gives the thinnest crepes.
Make sure crepes are warm and serve it layered with sauces and veggies. Garnish with cheese and chilli flakes.
Notes/Tips:
It is easier to make the sauces and keep them ready and then make the crepe batter. when the crepe batter is resting, i like to make the vegetable filling.
Make sure the batter consistency is correct. It should be thinner than pancake/dosa batter and more like a buttermilk consistency which can pour easily.
Use whichever vegetables you like. Make sure they are chopped small.
You can even add paneer or tofu or chicken to the filling.
I like to serve it with 2 sauces. I recommend using white with either pesto or pizza sauce.
While making the crepes- please see the video to to get a clearer idea of how to spread & make them.
