Cheesy Spinach Crepes

Crepes have been on my "to-do" list for months, even though I've never had one before. Last weekend, I watched Giada make them filled with peanut butter and jelly and it didn't look too complicated so I decided it was time to give them a shot.

Little did I know it also happened to be Mardi Gras Fat Tuesday and Pancake or Shrove Day in England and it's apparently the traditional time to make crepes. So I was not alone in my crepe-making adventures this week.

Crepes are super thin pancakes. Not having ever enjoyed a real one, I've no idea if mine were better or worse than they're supposed to be. However, I thoroughly enjoyed them anyways. I thought they turned out eggier than pancakes and were more of a thin omelette. I think I may have undercooked them a little, too. It didn't matter though since I have nothing to compare them to, and I thought they were awesome.

I filled my savory crepe with fresh mozzarella, spinach, shallot, and sundried tomatoes. It was incredibly delicious. The batch below makes about 8-10 crepes. You can make them all and reheat them later from refrigerated or frozen, or keep the batter in your fridge for a day or two to enjoy fresh and hot.

Cheesy Spinach Crepes, adapted from Allrecipes

2 eggs

1 cup whole milk

1/4 cup water

1/4 tsp salt

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1 cup all purpose flour

1 large shallot (or 1/2 red onion), minced

3 large hands full fresh spinach, chopped

salt, pepper, and fresh grated nutmeg to taste

4 large sundried tomatoes, packed in oil, diced

fresh mozzarella, diced

fresh grated parmesan cheese

In a blender, briefly pulse together eggs, milk, water, salt, and melted butter. Add flour and blend again until well mixed and no lumps remain. Let batter sit while you prepare the rest of your ingredients.

In a medium skillet, saute your shallot in some butter or olive oil. Add all the spinach, some salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook until all liquid is evaporated and spinach is wilted. Add diced sundried tomatoes. Set mixture aside.

In a crepe pan or medium non-stick skillet, melt a pat of butter over medium-high heat. When It's melted and bubbly, add slightly less than 1/4 cup crepe batter. Quickly swirl pan so batter coats bottom evenly. Cook until it bubbles and sides come away from pan.

Flip (I used my fingers) and cook on the other side for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove to a plate. Add fresh mozzarella cubes, the spinach mixture, and grated parmesan. Roll up like a burrito.

Serve immediately or keep warm in a low oven.

Storing crepes: I made several of the spinach filled rolled crepes and ate them for lunches during the week. They were awesome at room temperature or even reheated a bit in a microwave.

I also made several plain crepes with the remaining batter, let them cool, separated them with waxed paper, and stored them in a ziploc bag. They can either be refrigerated or frozen this way for enjoyment at a later date.

Bonus Dessert Recipe!

Banana Nutella Crepes

Make crepes as described above.

Spread half of the crepe with Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread) and sliced bananas. Fold and dust with powdered sugar. Eat immediately.

ONE YEAR AGO: Spinach Cakes

TWO YEARS AGO: Chickpea and Feta Salad