Easy party appetizers with Mini Sausage and Spinach Phyllo Cups. Italian sausage, mushroom, spinach, ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses baked in crispy bite size party snacks.
Within this recipe post you’ll make a quick game day recipe that will be the main highlight. Plus you’ll learn what phyllo dough is…it’s definitely not the same as puff pastry.
Less than a week to the big game and I’m getting my appetizers planned. I’ll be enjoying it with friends in the comfort of a living room with appetizers and beverages to go with it.
Bite size bit of food and dips are ideal for watching the game. I have a perfect recipe for you that’s beyond your usual dip or breaded starter. This year make Mini Sausage and Spinach Phyllo Cups.
Flaky, crisply bite size party appetizers that pack football field sized flavor. I’m not sure if that analogy makes sense, but let’s go with it to match the theme.
Mini phyllo cups filled with cheesy, creamy and sausage(y) goodness. Spinach and cheese are wonderful together, and made even better with Italian sausage.
Italian sausage is the perfect way to pack lots of flavor into these little cups. It’s already seasoned and can substitute beef in most dishes. I use ground Italian sausage almost exclusively in Italian dishes.
The hot flavor adds a subtle heat that’s mellowed by the cheeses. If you’re not into spicy at all you can substitute with the mild Italian sausage variety.
Enjoying the game with friends and family doesn’t have to involve complicated dishes. Just cook and brown the sausage with mushroom, then mix with chopped spinach, ricotta, Parmesan and mozzarella cheese.
Bake till warm and crispy then enjoy the big game with these bite sized Sausage and Spinach Phyllo Cups.
What is phyllo dough and is it the same as puff pastry?
Phyllo (or filo) dough is very thin unleavened dough often used for making pastries like baklava. Phyllo pastries are often made by layering many phyllo sheets with olive oil, then baked for crispy, flaky dough. Phyllo cups are pre-baked and shaped for easy filling.
It’s different from puff pastry, which is dough that has layers of butter between the dough. It’s folded and rolled into the dough many times to create thin layers that puff up when baked.
Recipe at-a-glance:
Flavor profiles: Slightly spicy Italian sausage with savory cheese and fresh spinach flavor.
Texture: Soft and tender mixed with a bit of crunch
Dietary Options/Substitutions: For gluten-free you could substitute phyllo cups with GF bread.
Leave a comment below and star rating if you made this recipe or want to share your thoughts.
Are you following me on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter? Also, sign up for our newsletter to get all our recipes and cooking tips.
Mini Sausage and Spinach Phyllo Cups
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon light olive oil
- 1 medium white onion, diced
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
- 2 cups frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- ¾ cup mozzarella cheese
- ¾ cup Parmesan cheese
- 45 mini phyllo dough cups, frozen
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Heat oil to medium-high heat in a large non-stick pan or skillet. Add onion and cook 3-5 minutes, stirring often until softened. Stir in Italian sausage, salt and pepper. Cook 7–10 minutes more, breaking up meat as it cooks, until browned. Stir mushroom into pan, cook 5 minutes more. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
- In a large bowl stir together spinach, cumin and all cheeses. Stir in sausage mixture until combined.
- Place phyllo cups on a large foil lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Fill each with mixture, about a tablespoon in each to create a mounded top. Bake at least 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and cups are crispy. Bake in multiple sets depending on sheet size and serve right away.
Recipe adapted from Mantitlement
These look and sound like the perfect snack and appetizer for so many different occasions. We will definitely be enjoying a bunch of these!
These cups were the perfect delicious appetizer! So tasty and easy to make.
These phyllo cups have all of my favorite flavors! They look absolutely amazing and I love the minimal prep time.
I definitely need to make these phyllo cups appetizers for the games this Sunday! Love the savory sausages mixed with spinach!
On New Years Eve, my family always makes a whole bunch of appetizers for dinner and this one looks so perfect!! Saving it for then, thank you so much for the recipe 😉