Recipe: Spanakopita Strudel

Spanakopita Strudel
Recipe by: Cooking Light, Nov/Dec 1994
Yield: 8 servings
Serving size: 1 (1 1/2-inch) slice

Butter-flavored vegetable cooking spray
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
8 ounces (2 cups) shredded Jarlsberg cheese
reduced-sodium and reduced-fat
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1 (15 ounce) carton nonfat ricotta cheese
3 egg whites
7 sheets frozen phyllo pastry, thawed
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs

Coat a small nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion and garlic; saute 3 minutes or until tender. Combine onion mixture, spinach, Jarlsberg cheese, and next 6 ingredients in a large bowl; stir until well blended.

Place 1 sheet of phyllo on a slightly damp towel, and coat with cooking spray; sprinkle with 2 teaspoons breadcrumbs. Working with 1 sheet of phyllo at a time, coat the remaining 6 sheets with cooking spray. Stack one sheet on top of another, sprinkling 2 teaspoons breadcrumbs between the layers. Spoon spinach mixture along a long edge of stacked phyllo, leaving a 3-inch border; fold border over spinach. Fold over the short edges of stacked phyllo 1 inch. Starting at long side with border, roll up stacked phyllo jelly-roll fashion, folding in the short sides while rolling.

Place the strudel, seam side down, on a 15x10-inch jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Score diamond shapes into top of strudel, using a sharp knife. Lightly spray the strudel with cooking spray.

Bake at 375 degrees for 28 minutes or until golden. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Cut into 8 slices to serve.