Recipe

rolled spinach omelet

A frequently asked question I get about *all of this* (waves hands in the general direction of the internet/air) is where I get my inspiration from. And almost without fail, I will say “not here.” No offense to this space we’ve created, but inspiration hits when I’m not pressed to find it, like when I’m on a bus or in a cab, looking out the window, or traveling — in this case, in DC a few months ago. I was there for the wedding of an old college friend (hi Aaron!) and another friend (hi different Aaron!) had a brunch at her house the next morning to celebrate and the unbelievable spread in her gorgeous house included not one but two rolled omelets and I was riveted. “WHAT IS THIS!” and she said, “This old thing? It’s so easy! I’ve been making it forever!” and I was like, “No. Tell me everything.”


It turns out it comes from an April 2009 Everyday Food magazine, a shuttered Martha Stewart publication that was wonderful in every way. The focus was on weekday cooking for regular people with busy lives but the food was special. It was eventually folded into Living magazine and (I think) has dissipated* from there. This omelet perfectly exemplifies what everyday but special can look like because the ingredients are simple (frozen spinach, cheddar, eggs, milk), the process is quick (hand-whisked, bakes in under 15 minutes), but the presentation is gorgeous enough for the fanciest holiday brunch spread.

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rolled spinach omelet-12

I know the prospect of rolled cakes strike fear in most of our hearts, but the only test I made that was even slightly cracked was overbaked, and it still looked great. It’s also almost impervious to my tweaking; more about ways to do that below. I love how much it looks like a yule log, not a replacement for the best one ever (no bias here whatsoever), but a very green one I find my system crying out for between regular visits to the cookie tin, naturally. You can also make it just for you, just because you’re craving it, and if that sounds appealing to you in this frenetic season, month, time we’re in, well, I think you know what to do next.

rolled spinach omelet-13

* I know I pouted for some time when Gourmet magazine folded, and now I am pouting about Everyday Food, but not all magazine news is bad! Saveur is, in fact, coming back into print next year and you can read more about it here.

 

Previously

6 months ago: Summer Pea Salad with Unexpected Dressing
1 year ago: Baked Brie with Garlic Butter Mushrooms
2 years ago: Short Rib Onion Soup
3 years ago: Gingerbread Yule Log
4 years ago: Unfussy Sugar Cookies
5 years ago: Falafel
6 years ago: Dutch Apple Pie
7 years ago: Union Square Cafe’s Bar Nuts
8 years ago: Pull-Apart Rugelach and Tres Leches Cake + A Taco Party
9 years ago: Decadent Hot Chocolate Mix and Gingrebread Biscotti
10 years ago: Eggnog Florentines
11 years ago: Cashew Butter Balls
12 years ago: Caesar Salad Deviled Eggs
13 years ago: Garlic Butter Roasted Mushrooms
14 years ago: Coffee Toffee
15 years ago: Zuni Cafe’s Roast Chicken + Bread Salad
16 years ago: Chicken and Dumplings
17 years ago: Pecan Squares

 

rolled spinach omelet-15

Rolled Spinach Omelet

  • 1 cup (225 grams) milk, any variety
  • 1/3 cup (45 grams) all-purpose flour or 1/4 cup (35 grams) cornstarch (gluten-free option)
  • 8 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 package (10-ounce or 283-gram) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess liquid
  • 3 scallions, minced (white and green parts)
  • 1 cup (4 ounces or 115 grams) coarsely grated white cheddar
  • Arugula or another salad green, halved cherry tomatoes, and minced chives to serve (optional)

    Heat oven to 350°F. Line the bottom and sides of a 10×15-inch rimmed baking sheet (jellyroll size) with a larger piece of parchment, pressing it into the inner sides and corners.

    In a large bowl, whisk together milk and flour until smooth. Add eggs, salt, and many grinds of black pepper and whisk until the eggs are evenly mixed. Stir in spinach, breaking up any clumps, then scallions. Pour into prepared pan.

    Bake the omelet, rotating it once just so that it bakes in an even layer, until the the edges and most of the center are set (a little runny is fine), about 10 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle the top with cheese and return to the oven for another 2 to 3 minutes.

    Remove from the oven and slide the omelet and it’s parchment onto a large cooling rack. Grab a clean kitchen towel to use to protect your hands from the heat as you roll. Begin rolling the omelet from a shorter end, lifting the parchment to help roll the omelet tightly. I find it can help as you lift the parchment over the roll with one hand, to use the edge of a spatula to keep tucking the log under as you roll. Roll the omelet onto a serving plate.

    Garnish the serving plate with greens, tomatoes, and chives, if using. (You can dress them in a bowl first with a drizzle of olive oil, teaspoon of white wine vinegar, salt and pepper, if you wish.) Serve the omelet in 1-inch slices.

    Do ahead: You can make this ahead in one of two ways: 1. Mix the eggs, milk, flour, spinach, and scallions and keep in the fridge overnight. Bake right before serving. 2. Make the omelet in full and reheat it when needed. I’ve not reheated the whole omelet before, however, just 1-inch slices for breakfast in the days that follow. I microwave it for 30 seconds. The omelet keeps surprisingly well!

    Notes:

  • The original recipe calls for 2 packs of frozen spinach but I prefer one, which you can see, leaves it still very green. My changes, reflected in the recipe above, were to reduce the spinach, nix the dijon mustard (it wasn’t adding a lot), plus I add minced scallions, and I skip oiling the pan by using a large piece of parchment instead.
  • I also tested several variables: this works with nondairy milk. If you’d like to make it gluten-free, you can use cornstarch instead of flour.

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112 comments on rolled spinach omelet

    1. Jane

      I sometimes make Deb’s Spinach Sheet Pan Quiche sans crust in a 9×13 and I think that’s thin enough to roll out. You could try that one and adjust the flavorings according to this.

      1. Deb Watrous

        Addendum: I used fresh spinach and steamed it in the microwave, squeezed out the liquid and chopped it before adding to the egg mixture

    1. deb

      In 2009, I was invited to visit its test kitchen in the Starrett-Lehigh Building. They were working on a recipe for moussaka and we got to try it; it was unreal. I don’t think it was ever published and I was distraught. They limited ingredient lists to 10, if I remember correctly, but it never felt like it in the results.

  1. Lyra

    Because I don’t have a jelly roll pan, I went and did the math. Jelly roll pan holds about 15cups, and a 9×13 holds 8 so if I’m scaling then it’s multiply everything by about 0.53 (4-5 eggs) to do a half-sized omelette?

    1. Bev

      I would halve the entire recipe and the result will just be a tad thinner than Deb’s, which might also be a benefit in rolling it up (Deb says it’s harder to roll smaller “slabs”, so thinner might be a little easier?) Just a guess…

      1. Deb

        This was delicious and very pretty to serve to guests. Used Gruyère instead of cheddar and served with fried goat cheese rounds on the salad. May have been overkill but it went well with the eggs. I also went the gluten free route with cornstarch and it stuck (a lot) to the parchment. I’ll grease it up next time. Any reason you can’t just use a gf flour mix instead of cornstarch?

        1. Cindy Foley

          I had the same issue. It rolled beautifully in the beginning and then cracked and fell apart because it wasn’t completely set in the middle. I’m going to use 2/3 cup milk next time to see if that will help and then I’m going to increase the oven temp to 375. Lots of potential! Gorgeous green color!

      1. Toni McCormick

        We nuked (microwaved) 1/2 a roll few days after making it and it was even BETTER! As I mentioned in an earlier post, my filling was rather thick. We also found some leftover (Trader Joe) fondue which we smeared on the outside and wow, this baby just keeps on delivering!

  2. Priscilla

    This would work with just regular fresh spinach too, right? I’m in a part of the world where I’ve never seen frozen spinach…

      1. BeachGirl

        Made this with Aarowroot starch, coconut milk & goat cheddar. Baked full recipe in a small lipped cookie sheet. Checked at lower time, let go full amount. Rolled up easily. Was delicious and looked impressive. My mom thought I got restaurant takeout. May replace my holiday overnight yeasted waffles (also from SK) thanks for another winner Deb!

    1. Even easier option: wash your spinach leaves, shake the water off pretty much, stick them into an airtight bag or container and freeze. No blanching required. You can break off as much as you want and then chop it. I grow spinach and this is how I deal with the extra when it’s coming in fast.

    1. deb

      I made a version with the cheese inside instead of out and you didn’t get a defined roll appearance — ended up looking more like a solid log. I like the flavor of the cheese but I’m sure it can be omitted.

    1. deb

      I’ve never made the Korean version but I love Japanese rolled omelets. They’re very different though; cooked in a pan, no flour, milk. I absolutely love it.

  3. Avra

    This looks amazing, and I am waiting for someone to tell me how to successfully adjust it to fit in smaller pans (I only have a toaster oven and a 9×13 is the max I can do).

    1. Deb

      Reduce everything by roughly 20-25%: 6 eggs, 3/4 cup milk, 3/4 cup cheese, 8oz spinach, etc. A 9×13 is approximately 20% smaller than a 10×15. It may not be an exact reduction across all ingredients but I think this recipe can handle a little flexibility.

  4. Kris

    I made this tonight and we loved it! I had only a whole sheet pan that was 11.5×16.5 inches so I 1.25x with great results. Made gluten-free and dairy-free with cornstarch option, soy milk, and Chao brand creamy shredded “cheese.” I think would be even better with Boursin style cashew cheese and will try that next time. I did add the Dijon since I thought the non-dairy cheese would be less flavorful. Mine stuck a bit to the parchment, maybe due to the milk substitution? Would oil next time. Thanks Deb!

  5. Ilene

    I love your website and all your recipes. I also own all 3 of your cookbooks!

    I have a suggestion. Is it possible to add a picture of the recipe when people choose “print recipe “? I think that would add huge value. Just a thought to consider.

    Happy holidays

  6. Sara

    RIP EDF, thanks for lentil soup, chicken pot pie and lighter general tso’s… it was good accessible food. Glad your still here Deb contributing to *this*(waves also into the eather)

  7. Diane

    Spectacular presentation, and delicious! I followed the suggestion to increase the ingredients by 25% because I only had a half sheet pan, not a jelly roll pan and the result was perfect. I will make this every time I have company for breakfast or brunch.

  8. Anne N.

    We made this, but although it eventually wes delicious, we could not get the cook time right. I must have not gotten enough water out of the spinach, as that is the only error I can think of that led to the eggs not cooking in the right time.
    Really delicious outcome though!

    1. Wendy Dodson

      I had the same issue of the eggs not being anywhere close to done in the allotted time for the recipe. Oven temp according to oven thermometer was about 360* when I put the pan in the oven. My spinach was well squeezed, milk and flour were weighed. I will make again but will not add the cheese until at least 16 or 17 minute mark. End result tastes good but was not pretty.

  9. Darrah Haffner

    Hi Deb,
    I just learned about “cook mode” – you should add links to your recipes! So that those of us slow cookers and readers don’t continually have to re-unlock our screens. Life changer!

        1. Christina

          I save all my online recipes in an app called “Copy me that” (https://www.copymethat.com/) and it does this for you. It’s basically a personal database that lets you schedule specific recipes in a calendar so you I can plan more than a day in advance. It’s fantastic and fully half of mine is Smitten Kitchen recipes!

  10. Emma

    I used cornstarch and soy milk and had to bake it for almost twice as long for the bottom to cook through; it was gloopy for a while. Not sure if it was the soy/cornstarch combo or being at 7000 feet, but if you find that it’s gloopy, don’t try to roll it, leave it in!

  11. Yael

    Sorry that this is unrelated to the recipe, more of a technical website question – I noticed that on the front page, under the most current recipe, instead of then showing other recent posts in chronological order the page now shows older recipes (I think from what’s been linked in this current post). Other recent recipes are only shown in thumbnails lower on the page. Is that intentional or a bug?

    1. ari

      Noticed this, too. And the recipes below the main have changed, in a way that leads me to believe there is a “holiday food” highlight function. Very confusing, though.

    2. Erin

      Making this recipe right now, but came to the comments specifically to see if others had noticed this, and to find out if this is the new format for the website. I can’t tell if the recipes that show on the front page are related. Perhaps timely recommendations?

  12. Fran Russell

    Wow!!!! Looks absolutely amazing. I’m going to make this spinach rolled omelette several times before our next big family gathering to try and get it perfect! SO wish there were a video because my attempts at a jelly roll cake have failed miserably! 🤣

  13. di jackson

    oh my gosh, that looks fabulous and easy..i want to make it for new year’s day…i would like to serve it with a sauce…can you think of one that might work?

  14. Rebecca

    Made this for Christmas morning; it was tasty but it turned out a mess! As soon as I started rolling it, it cracked and I basically ended up with a spinach omelet pile. Not sure why. I followed the recipe pretty religiously, using the cornstarch option. I did notice it was pretty gloopy when I went to sprinkle the cheese, so I gave it some extra cooking time and did a minute under the broiler before taking it out as I was very nervous about undercooking. It did not taste overcooked in any way (it even still seemed a touch wet) but maybe that was the underlying cause for the cracking?

  15. Northeastern food fanatic

    Looks yum. Trying to figure out how to cut it in half for two people.

    For the editors among us and others who care, please change “it’s” to “its”:

    “Remove from the oven and slide the omelet and it’s parchment onto a large cooling rack.”

    Thank you!

  16. Wendy Dodson

    Made this for us this morning. Like Anne N. ours eventually reached the edible stage but there was NO way it was done in the time allotted according to the recipe. My pan is 11″ x 15″ so a little bigger than a normal jellyroll pan and therefore the eggs were a bit shallower. Oven thermometer registered about 360* when I put the pan in the oven. Spinach was well squeezed. I was glad I had sprayed the parchment with non-stick spray. End result was not pretty but tastes good. I will make again but will bake the omelet at least 16 or 17 minutes before I add the cheese.

  17. Annie Charters

    This looks so good! I remember Everyday Food fondly, I still have tons of pages that I tore out in a binder in my kitchen.

  18. Sydni

    Yum! Turned out delicious and beautiful, even after taking it out of the oven underdone, rolling it halfway, then sticking it back in the oven. Super easy to make, too!

  19. Janet Miller

    I was so excited to make this! But….the cooking time was not nearly long enough. I left it in much longer and it was still wet and stuck to the parchment and oozed everywhere. I finished in microwave, but it wasn’t as pretty as I had hoped. I will try again with longer bake time!

  20. Long time reader, second time commenter

    I loved Everyday food as well and remember this recipe. Reminded me of the first vegetarian cookbook I received. It was from my grandma and nearly every recipe was a roll. 😆
    Just made an Apple pie cake recipe I’ve had and make every year since Everyday printed it in 2003. Two family members that are novice and kitchen challenged even gave it a whirl. Thanks for keeping the recipes alive and bringing that same “simple but fantastic / low input to high output ratio” to your recipes. Love, love, love!

  21. Jordan

    I loved Everyday Food and still have all my old copies. I still enjoy leafing through them and hope that perhaps there is a space one day for a reincarnation (or at least something similar.) Happy New Year!

  22. Robin

    Just made this and I was able to roll it! It is so delicious and my 10 year old says it’s amazing so that is a huge win. I subbed feta as that was what I had on hand. It basically tastes like spanakopita!

  23. pjcamp

    Pretty good, especially with a little salsa, and not at all hard to make. Mine was quite a bit larger and had more rolls than yours. Yours looks like it was maybe cut in half before rolling. It is quite a bit denser than I expect from an omelette but the flavor is good. I agree, one pack of spinach is plenty.

  24. Faye

    I made this for Christmas morning and served it with a cream cheese I whipped up with roasted tomatoes and onions so that we had a plate of green and red. It was beautiful, festive and delicious. I was surprised at how easily it came together. My roll cracked a tiny bit, but it wasn’t really noticeable.

  25. Amy

    This is delicious! I made it for Christmas morning because I am tired of strata, and it went over well with all. I also made it again twice between Christmas and New Years because I have my 2 boys home from college (aka locusts when it comes to food!) and it was great to slice and reheat any time of the day when people got up or just needed a high protein, healthy snack. This is going to be made many more times in this house!

  26. D Ann Lungberg

    Made this today and followed exact recipe, based on full-size baking sheet I increased measurements by 1.25% and based on other comments I increased baking time to 16 minutes before adding cheese. It was perfect and delicious and got rave reviews from husband and son, who are serious critics of any new introductions to our menus. This will become a regular entree at our house. I so appreciate Deb and her recipes at Smitten Kitchen, which are always amazing and have greatly expanded our menu selections.

  27. Kathleen

    This recipe takes me back! I had a very similar recipe from a Sunset magazine cookbook that was called something like Cooking For Two — a present from my grandmother when I had my first apartment. I think the omelet part was identical, but it will filled with a filling that was part cream cheese, part blue cheese, and chopped fresh tomatoes. It was beautiful when rolled and really tasty.

  28. Toni McCormick

    Making it this weekend. I have some smoked Salmon & whipped cream cheese I’d like to add. Should I do it AFTER the cheese is melted & before rollup OR should heat for 1 min w the potential for the cream cheese to melt?

      1. Toni McCormick

        Should have included this (conversations are SO MUCH more detailed in my head)! After the omelet is done — decided to sub out cheese for cream cheese & smoked salmon prior to rolling up & serving.

  29. Priya

    Hi Deb. Always look forward to new recipes on Smitten Kitchen. Have never had a failure yet.
    One question – has search been disabled recently? These days, when I look for recipes using any key words (full name of dish, ingredient etc.), I receive a reply of ‘no results found’. Could you please check. Thanks

    1. deb

      Bummer. Search is working for me. Are you having trouble on desktop or mobile? And what browser are you using? I can have people take a look once I know!

      1. Marie

        I am also experiencing problems, either “no results” or a long list of other ( somewhat related recipes) before getting to the one I want. That happened yesterday when looking for “goulash” for example

  30. Neha

    Hi Deb, promise this is a comment and not a thinly veiled complaint! Is there somewhere else I should be following along to see recipes and content from you? Have noticed stuff slowing down here a bit, which if it’s just slowing because, you know, life, I completely understand, too. But in case there’s another place I can or should be checking out more regularly, I’d love to know.

    1. deb

      You can follow along on the Smitten Kitchen Instagram (@smittenkitchen) where I often share event announcements, updates, weekly menus, and I often create videos for recipes that don’t get cross-promoted here easily. I usually share an recipe or two a day there from the archives.

      You can also subscribe to The Smitten Kitchen Digest, my newsletter that goes out weekly. It’s free and contains news and notes, seasonal recipe suggestions, and sometimes even interviews with cool cookbook authors.

  31. Margaret Clark

    I used to make the EDF version often and forgot about it. Thank for the reminder – such a tasty recipe. I loved EDF and miss it so much.

  32. Sandie

    Wow! Delicious omelet and easy. I used parchment paper and it was very easy to roll. We enjoyed it for breakfast with thick cut bacon and fruit. Will definitely make again.

    1. Toni McCormick

      Just made this. Even though I “over-stuffed” w leftover holiday fillings & cause the roll to split it was still delicious! It wasn’t easy to spread the filling–things that can be sprinkled are better for roll. But SO many options–Latin inspired w chorizo, salsa, black beans are next time.

  33. Lily

    Oh man this was insanely DELICIOUS (one of several SK dishes I made for toddler’s bday brunch!) One thing that I thought might be helpful to share was that I made the egg mixture the night before and forgot to leave enough time to defrost the spinach. I left it in a container over night in the fridge and then in the morning tossed the still somewhat frosty spinach into a tiny sieve and pushed out the liquid before adding to the egg mix (also let it sit in sieve for a bit while I did other things). Cannot wait to make this again!

    1. Toni McCormick

      I forgot to mention in previous post I used fresh baby that I briefly zapped in the wave then ran it thru food processor. It IS delicious~ so versatile! Thank you Deb for sharing!!!!

  34. Kate

    This was great. I made it as written, and it was so much prettier than any other green eggs (I was tempted to add ham!) recipe I’ve come across. The cheese kind of glued the roll layers together, which I hadn’t expected but liked. Also, it reheated well on the stovetop, just as an fyi. Thanks, Deb!

  35. This was very tasty, satisfying, quick and easy to make, but some in my family get ill from undercooked eggs, and even in my fast oven, 12 minutes wasn’t long enough to cook it through. I’ll make again and leave it in longer before attempting to roll, and may add herbs and garlic.

  36. Kathy

    Good Morning. This recipe looks wonderful. For inspiration go to My favorite cookbook of all time , the Frog Commissary cookbook published in 1985
    The soufflé roll with spinach mushroom filling!! So easy and can be prepped ahead for brunch
    I worked in Philly in the 70’s near the Commissary. ( I know I’m dating myself) What a place. The most amazing thing is all the recipes still hold. Loved seeing when you spoke at the Philly library.

  37. Deanna Olson

    Just made this again, it is so delicious and simple. I halved the recipe and put it in a quarter (?) sheet pan, with parchment paper that I also sprayed with cooking spray. I used fresh spinach, chopped, and I added the Dijon from the original recipe. I also used cornstarch to keep it gluten free. Cooking time is the same for me- ten minutes, then top with cheese, and back in for two more minutes. It rolled perfectly, and my husband called it “restaurant food”. Thanks again, Deb.

  38. Kelly

    This is a welcome addition to my future brunch menus! I remember this publication from Martha (I thought it was even older than 2009). I got a lot of great recipes from that one! And Gourmet! I still pull out my trusty Gourmet cookbook for so many of the classics. Going to go read the Saveur article now…..

  39. Carol J

    First time commenter, longtime fan! Just for fun, I searched online for Everyday Food magazine old issues, and lo and behold, Eat Your Books (,com) has most of them indexed, with some of the recipes taking you to the Martha Stewart website. I like using Eat Your Books for searching inside my cookbook collection, including Deb’s cookbooks, for all the recipes in my books that include a specific ingredient. Anyway, if anyone wanted to see some of the recipes that were in those old magazine issues, you can find them there.

  40. Rosemary Leicht

    My daughter and I were just discussing how much we missed Martha Stewart Living! I had forgotten about Everyday Food which I also loved. Such great recipes.

  41. Laura L Gillespie

    I also adored Everday Cooking!

    Made this as written and it came out perfectly. A delicious, pretty, brunch hit! Do not be intimidated to try it.

  42. Toni McCormick

    My 2nd time making this–in the oven now. It does seem to take longer–I’m using convection too–closer to 18 minutes. My grand plan was to have the mix, cheese & pan prepped the night before but that didn’t happen. Using fresh baby spinach, I nuked it for about 3 mins on 50% power then dumped all the ingredients into the Vitamix and whirled away. This method DID make the egg mixture greener (St. Paddy’s day brunch, anyone?). Added dry mustard, garlic, Crystal hot sauce, French spices (Deb I SO hoped you made it G. Detou during your Paris visit.) Rushing too much and added the cheese w the mix. Still forgiving. NEXT time (and there WILL be many next times) A roasted pepper puree (for the Italian/Irish Day in New Orleans). SO many options! ALMOST makes me want to have a brunch!

  43. Katie

    I had an Italian friend who made something similiar for our cooking group. She used arugula instead of spinach and then stuffed it with softened cream cheese and prosciutto before rolling it. Delicious!

  44. Erin

    I was almost deterred from making this by the number of comments saying it didn’t turn out right– at least on the rolling front. I followed the instructions as written, erring on the long end of the cook times, and it turned out perfectly. Overall a delicious, easy spring dinner. Thanks for the recipe!

  45. Just to let you know that I made a 1/2 recipe with 8×8 pan for our family tonight, and we just loved the spinach roll! So fresh and tasty, and simple, and also looked pretty cool! I rolled it up tight with the parchment attached, waited for it to cool a bit, and then unrolled and gently peeled off the paper and rolled back up. Thank you so much for all the information that you provided. The recipe was easy to follow, and everything worked like you wrote that it would. I have made jelly roll desserts many times, so the method was very familiar. What a great addition to special family menus in the future. This is a “keeper”. Thanks!