Recipes
Vegan Borek
Serves 4-6
| Prep Time: 30 mins
| Cook Time: 1 hr
| Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins
You may need: Sweet Nigella Blend
Discover The Recipe
Borek is a delightful Turkish/Middle Eastern classic savory pastry pie filled with a variety of fillings including spinach and feta, minced meat, cheese, or vegetables that is also popular in the Balkan countries. Our Vegan Borek is easy to customize to your diet / tastes, including adding classic meat fillings if desired. Layers of flaky phyllo dough are stuffed with (vegan) feta, spinach and fresh herbs. Our Turkish-inspired Sweet Nigella Blend spice adds a slight peppery note up front from the nigella seed, a very mild heat from chili flakes, a lemony-tangy flavor from sumac, and a sweet, warming finish from cinnamon, cardamom, and star anise. Try Sweet Nigella Blend on flatbread, roasted eggplant, grilled foods, stews, or sprinkle over hummus.
Ingredients
Vegan Borek Filling:
3 16oz packages of frozen spinach, defrosted and drained
1/2 cup vegan feta
1/4 cup chopped dill
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 tsp Piquant Post Sweet Nigella Blend
Salt and pepper to taste
Glaze:
1/3 cup vegan butter, melted
1/3 cup plant based milk
1/4 cup olive oil
Borek Pastry:
1 package phyllo dough, defrosted (about 20 sheets)
Notes
Although phyllo dough is usually made with butter, there are many brands on the market that are made with vegetable oil, making them almost accidentally vegan. Just be sure you read the ingredients well if you want to make sure that you’re avoiding animal products.
Make sure that you have completely thawed the phyllo dough before attempting to make this! If it’s still frozen it will break and crumble when you try to unroll it. We recommend thawing it in the refrigerator.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Chop the frozen spinach and drain in a colander. Place the spinach in a mixing bowl and add the vegan feta, dill, parsley, and Piquant Post Sweet Nigella Blend. Mix until well combined and the season to taste with salt and pepper. Whisk together the glaze ingredients and set aside.
Brush the glaze onto the bottom and sides of a 9”x13” baking dish. Unroll the defrosted phyllo sheets and place a single sheet into the bottom of the baking dish. Brush a thin layer of the glaze over the sheet of phyllo. Repeat with 10 more sheets of phyllo, brushing each one successively with the glaze. After layering the 10 sheets, distribute the filling evenly into the pan.
Layer the rest of the phyllo over the filling, brushing with glaze in between layers. After all the phyllo has been added to the pan, slice the borek into 12 equal pieces with a very sharp knife. Place into the preheated oven and bake uncovered for 45 mins-1 hour, or until the top is browned.
Sprinkle with more Piquant Post Sweet Nigella if desired. Serve warm straight from the oven!
Alternatives & Substitutions
Borek is traditionally made with spinach but we think it would be great with baby kale or chard. Simply blanche the kale or chard in boiling water for 15 seconds and then shock the greens in ice water to stop the cooking process.
Alternative fillings for borek include minced meat, other cheeses, veggies, and even potatoes!
If you’re looking for more Sweet Nigella recipes, try our vegan Stuffed Cabbage Rolls, Turkish Flatbread (Lahmacun), Nigella Lamb Chops, or try our authentic Turkish Kofta with Tzatziki, or our other version of Bulgur Meatballs (Bulgurlu Kofte).
Be sure to leave comments and feedback on your meals and experiments in the comments for others to read.
Post pictures of your masterpiece meal on social media and tag us. We repost!
Vegan Borek
Serves
4-6
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 30 mins
Piquant Post spice you'll need: Sweet Nigella Blend
Ingredients
Vegan Borek Filling:
3 16oz packages of frozen spinach, defrosted and drained
1/2 cup vegan feta
1/4 cup chopped dill
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 tsp Piquant Post Sweet Nigella Blend
Salt and pepper to taste
Glaze:
1/3 cup vegan butter, melted
1/3 cup plant based milk
1/4 cup olive oil
Borek Pastry:
1 package phyllo dough, defrosted (about 20 sheets)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Chop the frozen spinach and drain in a colander. Place the spinach in a mixing bowl and add the vegan feta, dill, parsley, and Piquant Post Sweet Nigella Blend. Mix until well combined and the season to taste with salt and pepper. Whisk together the glaze ingredients and set aside.
Brush the glaze onto the bottom and sides of a 9”x13” baking dish. Unroll the defrosted phyllo sheets and place a single sheet into the bottom of the baking dish. Brush a thin layer of the glaze over the sheet of phyllo. Repeat with 10 more sheets of phyllo, brushing each one successively with the glaze. After layering the 10 sheets, distribute the filling evenly into the pan.
Layer the rest of the phyllo over the filling, brushing with glaze in between layers. After all the phyllo has been added to the pan, slice the borek into 12 equal pieces with a very sharp knife. Place into the preheated oven and bake uncovered for 45 mins-1 hour, or until the top is browned.
Sprinkle with more Piquant Post Sweet Nigella if desired. Serve warm straight from the oven!
Notes
Although phyllo dough is usually made with butter, there are many brands on the market that are made with vegetable oil, making them almost accidentally vegan. Just be sure you read the ingredients well if you want to make sure that you’re avoiding animal products.
Make sure that you have completely thawed the phyllo dough before attempting to make this! If it’s still frozen it will break and crumble when you try to unroll it. We recommend thawing it in the refrigerator.
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