Savoury crepes or sweet pancakes? I knew only one word for crepes or pancakes as a child. In Slovakia, we call them palacinka /ˈpalatsiŋka/. Just later, I learned that “palacinka” is a crepe.
So, crepes or pancakes?
I believe it’s everyone’s preference. Pancakes and crepes are like cousins in the breakfast food family.
Crepes are thin and delicate, made with a thin batter spread thinly in a pan and cooked until slightly crispy on the edges. On the other hand, pancakes are fluffy and thick, made with a leavening agent like baking powder, which gives them their characteristic puffiness.
I like both pancakes and crepes, each for a different reason.
Pancakes are a quick solution for breakfast or brunch. They are thick and usually served flat with sweet sauce, fruit, maple syrup and bacon. Also, you can add some extra ingredients to the pancake batter, like peanut butter, bananas, or walnuts.
On the other hand, crepes are a bit classy, and you can get a sweet or savoury filling. Also, you never get a crepe served flat; it’s either rolled or folded.
If you want to read more about crepes/pancakes, I found quite an interesting article here.
What do you need to make these savoury crepes
I often made crepes from flourless batter, perfect for a low-carb diet. The recipe for the flourless pancakes is part of this post.
But if you are not watching your carbs intake, try this truly fantastic THE BEST CLASSIC CREPES (SLOVAKIAN)
Ingredients:
FOR FLOURLESS CREPES
- Eggs
- Cream cheese
- Monk fruit, erythritol or regular sugar (optional)
- Salt
- Butter or coconut oil for frying
FOR SPINACH FILLING
- Spinach
- Onion
- Butter
- Garlic or garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Egg
- Herbes de Provence or thyme
- Double cream – optional
NOTE:
While you can use fresh or frozen spinach, when you go for frozen spinach, always buy chopped spinach, not whole leaves. Because frozen spinach has quite a thick stem, it could make this filling stringiness.
If you go for fresh spinach, baby leaf spinach is the best.
FOR TOPPING
- Parmesan
How to make savoury crepes
CREPES
- Mix eggs, cream cheese, salt, monk fruit/sweetener/sugar in a medium bowl. Although sugar is optional, it gives the flourless crepes a nice flavour.
- Heat the non-stick pan on medium heat, lightly oil with butter or coconut oil.
- Pour 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake onto a non-stick pan using a ladle.
- Cook from one side for 1-2 minutes or until the edges are dry. Flip with a spatula and cook until browned on the other side.
- Transport onto a plate and repeat with the remaining batter. When the pan is too dry, oil it with a brush.
- You will get approx 8-9 pancakes.
SPINACH FILLING
- If you use fresh spinach, wash and drain it before you use it. Then, chop or blend it. Use only chopped frozen spinach. (see the note in the article)
- Melt butter in a pan. Keep the heat on medium. Add finely chopped onion and cook for 5 minutes or until golden.
- Add spinach, garlic, salt, pepper, and herbs to the pan. Cook for 2-5 minutes until the spinach is wilted.
- Beat an egg lightly and add it to the spinach. Stir the mixture until well combined.
- If using double cream, add it at the end and cook for another minute.
ASSEMBLING SAVOURY CREPES
- Heat the oven to 180℃
- Brush the oven-proof dish with butter so the crepes don’t stick.
- Fill each pancake with spinach filling, roll it up, and place it in an oven-proof dish.
- Sprinkle with grated (shaved) parmesan.
- Bake for 10 min or until the top is golden brown.
What to serve spinach and parmesan crepes with
While these crepes make for a perfect meal on their own, why not try to serve it with:
- with a soup
- with meat patties
- or some salad for a healthy meal
Moreover, they can be stored in an airtight container for up to two days, making the perfect cold lunch.
Variations in Serving
Instead of the baked parmesan topping, you can swap it for tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese as an alternative.
Instead of adding egg to the spinach, add cheddar cheese, stilton cheese, ricotta, or sliced mushrooms. Ideas are endless.
However, this spinach filling is really extraordinary. I learned the recipe in Austria. If you enjoy savoury meals, try some new recipes to expand your culinary horizons.
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SAVOURY CREPES WITH SPINACH AND PARMESAN
Cooking Tools
- Pancake frying pan nonstick
- Large bowl
- sauce pan
- Grater optional
- Rectangle oven-proof dish ceramic or glass
Ingredients
For pancakes
- 6 whole Eggs
- 1/2 cup Cream cheese - 140g
- pinch Salt
- 1 tbsp Unsweetened protein powder - optional
- 1/2 tsp Sweetener like Monk fruit or Erythritol - or sugar or stevia drops-optional
- 2 tbsp Butter - or coconut oil for frying-divided
For spinach filling
- 1 small Onion - finelly chopped
- 250 g Fresh baby spinach - or 120g frozen chopped spinach
- 1 tsp Butter
- 1/2 tsp Garlic powder - or one clove of garlic – minced
- Salt and pepper - to taste
- 1/2 tsp Herbes de Provence - or Thyme
- 1 Egg
- 1-2 tbsp Double cream - optional
For topping
- 5 tbsp Grated parmesan - or shaved
- 1 tsp Butter - for brushing the oven-proof dish
Instructions
Pancakes
- Break eggs into a large bowl and whisk until frothy6 whole Eggs
- Add the rest of ingrediets and whisk until smooth.1/2 cup Cream cheese, pinch Salt, 1 tbsp Unsweetened protein powder, 1/2 tsp Sweetener like Monk fruit or Erythritol
- Heat the non-stick pan on medium heat, lightly brush with butter or coconut oil.2 tbsp Butter
- Pour the batter with the ladle onto the nonstick pan, using approximately 1/2 ladle (1/4 cup) for each pancake.
- Cook from one side for 1-2 minutes or until the edges are dry. Flip with a spatula and cook until browned on the other side.
- Transport onto a plate and repeat with the remaining batter. When the pan is too dry, oil it with a brush.You will get approx 8-9 pancakes.
Spinach filling
- If you use fresh spinach, wash and drain it before you use it. Then, chop it or blend.Use only chopped frozen spinach. (see the note in the article)
- Melt butter in a pan. Keep the heat on medium. Add finely chopped onion and cook for 5 minutes or until golden.1 small Onion
- Add spinach, garlic, salt pepper and herbs and mix thoroughly for 2-5 minutes, until spinach is wilted (or cooked if cooking from frozen)250 g Fresh baby spinach, 1 tsp Butter, 1/2 tsp Garlic powder, Salt and pepper, 1/2 tsp Herbes de Provence
- Lightly beat an egg, add to the spinach and stir til mixed.1 Egg
- Add double cream if using and cook for another 1 minute.1-2 tbsp Double cream
Assembling
- Heat the oven to 180℃.
- Brush the oven-proof dish with butter.1 tsp Butter
- Fill all pancakes with the spinach filling, roll them and place one next to the other in the oven-proof dish.
- Sprinkle with grated (shaved) parmesan.5 tbsp Grated parmesan
- Bake for 10 min or until the top is golden brown.
- Serve immediately. The spinach pancake shouldn't be reheated. But you can also eat it cold.