Mini Cheesy Popeye Puffs
When I was a kid my parents told me to eat my spinach so I could grow up to be like Popeye the Sailor Man.
Thank goodness I didn’t because I kind of like being a girl and I get sea sick.
Anywhoo, have you ever seen Popeye? He’s pretty rough and gnarly looking. He pops open Spinach cans with his teeth.
Not exactly what little girls aspire to be.
These mini spinach puffs have a soft, light, creamy texture, kind of like a souffle, that melts in your mouth.
They’re easy to make by adding fresh baby spinach, cream cheese, Parmesan, eggs and garlic to a food processor or blender and whizzing it up until until you get a fairly thin, vibrant green batter that you can pour or ladle straight into mini muffin pans.
They make a great side dish for dinner or brunch (appetizers too!) and are a fun way to get kids and fussy eaters to eat their spinach.
Just don’t tell them they’re going to grow up to be like Popeye.
Mini Cheesy Popeye Puffs
Ingredients
- 6 ounces cream cheese regular or low-fat
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 clove garlic sliced
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
- 8 ounces fresh baby spinach
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Microwave the cream cheese in 15 second increments until it's soft enough to stir with a spoon.
- Add the eggs to a bowl of a food processor or blender, then add the cream cheese, parmesan, garlic, salt and pepper. Top with the spinach leaves, if they don't all fit add them gradually.
- Pulse until well combined and the spinach is all chopped up, scraping down the sides if needed.
- Spray a non-stick mini muffin pan with cooking spray. Ladle or pour the spinach mixture into the cups filling almost to the top. You may have to cook in 2 batches depending on the size of your muffin tin.
- Bake 23 - 25 minutes until they are golden around the edges and set in the middle. Let cool five minutes then turn the muffin pan over and tap them out. If some of them stick run a butter knife around the edges and tap them out again.
- Serve warm.
