Any food that has a crunchy exterior and creamy interior is always a hit in my books, and these Spinach & Manchego Cheese Spanish Croquettes are just that. These croquettes are super easy to make, packed with a ton of healthy spinach and always make for a crowd favorite.
Croquettes are a simple way of adding great flavors into small egg-like shaped finger foods that are finished off in hot oil to create a beautiful crunchy exterior. The combination of flavors in these croquettes are very simple, yet they all work so well together, a must try and ever so perfect for a tapas party.
If you have never had Manchego cheese, it´s the most famous and delicious cheese exported from Spain. You can find many different varieties of it, from mild tasting to extra aged. For this recipe I chose a mild tasting Manchgeo cheese, just so the croquettes wouldn´t be too over-powering from the cheese.
I highly recommend you try some of this Spanish cheese, not only for this recipe but also to enjoy with a glass of wine. Watch the video below on how to make this Spinach & Manchego Cheese Spanish Croquettes Tapas Recipe or check out the recipe card below, which you can print. Salud!
Equipment I Used to Make this Recipe:
Chef´s Knife
Wood Cutting Board
Non-Stick Frying Pan
Watch the Video Below on how to make this Spinach & Manchego Cheese Spanish Croquettes Tapas Recipe
Spinach & Manchego Cheese Spanish Croquettes Tapas Recipe
Ingredients
- -2 tbsp pine nuts
- -4 cups fresh spinach
- -2 tbsp extra virgin Spanish olive oil
- -2 cloves of garlic
- -1 small onion
- -1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- -1 cup shredded Manchego cheese
- -sea salt
- -black pepper
- -1/3 cup sunflower oil
- -breadcrumbs
- -1 organic egg
- -lemon
- -fresh chives
Instructions
-
Heat a nonstick frying pan with a medium heat and dry roast 2 tablespoons of pine nuts between 4-5 minutes and set aside, then add 2 tablespoons of water into the same pan and add 4 cups of tightly packed bagged spinach, place a lid on top and steam for 2 minutes, remove the lid and mix the spinach, transfer the spinach to a sieve with a bowl underneath and using a wooden spoon push down on the spinach to remove all the excess liquid, once done roughly chop the spinach and set aside
-
Finely mince 2 cloves of garlic and finely dice 1 small onion, heat the same pan with a medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin Spanish olive oil, 2 minutes later add the minced garlic and diced onions and mix with the oil, about 4 minutes later add a 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour and mix together until well incorporated, then add the spinach and season everything with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper and mix together, then turn off the heat and add a generous 1 cup of finely shredded Manchego cheese, the toasted pine nuts and mix everything together, once well combined fold the mixture to make a compact paste, transfer to a bowl and cover with seran wrap and let cool
-
Beat 1 organic egg into a seperate bowl and add 1 cup of breadcrumbs to another bowl, once the mixture is cool enough to handle, use a spoon to grab some of the mixture, compact the mixture between your hands and then form it into the shape of a small egg, then cover with breadcrumbs, dip into the egg wash and then back into the breadcrumbs and set aside, repeat until all the mixture is done (you should end up with 8-10 croquettes)
-
Heat a small frying pan with a medium-high heat and add 1/3 cup of sunflower oil, once the oil get´s hot add the croquettes into the pan and fry between 60-75 seconds per side, transfer to a dish with paper towels and serve immediately, enjoy!
Recipe Notes
If you need any of the above ingredients to make this recipe, you can purchase them through this Amazon Affiliate Link Shop for Ingredients
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Richard
Thanks very much! You have amazing recipes. Can’t wait to try this one.
13 . Sep . 2020Spain on a Fork
Thanks for the comment Richard 🙂 much love!
13 . Sep . 2020Mary
Hi Albert,
Can you eat this as a main meal? If so do you have it with a salad and bread, or do you just have the salad to make it a healthy meal?
Thanks.
18 . Oct . 2018Spain on a Fork
I wouldn´t serve bread with these as they´re already coated in breadcrumbs, they do go perfect with a salad though, thanks for the comment Mary 🙂 much love
18 . Oct . 2018