Mediterranean Filo and Roasted Vegetable Strudel

This delicious Mediterranean Filo and Roasted Vegetable Strudel has been in the making for some time now.  I have been waiting for the right seasonal vegetables and for when tender, fresh herbs are widely available to assemble this.  I have to say, it has been well worth the wait!

To make this savory strudel, I use filo dough instead of the traditional strudel pastry and a very flavorful filling of several roasted vegetables, fresh herbs and two kinds of cheeses.  This recipe is very flexible in that you can easily use other seasonal vegetables or cheeses you might have in your refrigerator instead of the ones I used.  The result will be equally delicious.

The strudel can be assembled ahead of time and baked when you need it, which makes it wonderful for when you need something last-minute.  Besides serving it as a great first course or appetizer, you can also serve it as a mid-week lunch along a fresh green salad.  It is hearty, healthy and very satisfying!

Ingredients for the Mediterranean Filo and Roasted Vegetable Strudel

For this yummy summertime recipe, we will need a box of good quality filo pastry, extra virgin olive oil, lots of “hardy” vegetables for roasting, a couple of cheeses and, of course, fresh herbs.  Here is the list of ingredients that we need to make this recipe:

• Filo Pastry:  good quality filo makes it easy to work with it (I used a medium-thickness filo for this recipe; Fillo Factory #7)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil:  for roasting the vegetables and for brushing on the layers of filo pastry, which will make the strudel nice and crispy
• Mini Peppers:  red, yellow, or any color you like
• Fennel:  choose a firm, young fennel
• Zucchini:  a small, young zucchini works best here
• Eggplant:  I prefer the small Italian eggplants, because they do not have as many seeds as some other varietals
• Sweet Potato:  a small, peeled sweet potato
• Shallot:  use either a large shallot or a medium red onion
• Garlic:  two whole cloves, unpeeled
• Feta Cheese:  Greek Feta cheese–made with sheep’s milk–will give the filling a wonderful, tangy, creaminess
• A Second Cheese:  I grated some Asiago cheese as the second one here, but you can use your favorite
• Herbs:  fresh, tender thyme and fresh mint is a great combination for this dish
• Optional Toppings:  sesame seeds, white or black or both

How to make the Vegetable Strudel in 8 easy steps!

1. Start with prepping the vegetables:  wash them, trim them and cut them into large chunks

2.  Cook the vegetables:  place them in a large pan, season with salt & pepper, drizzle with olive oil and roast them in a hot oven

3.  Gather all the components:  the roasted vegetables, the cheeses, the fresh herbs and the defrosted filo pastry

4.  Assemble the strudel:  place the mixture of vegetables along the long side of a stack of 3 filo sheets

5.  Form the strudel roll:  roll up the filo stack to enclose the savory filling

6.  Bake:  place the strudel on a baking sheet, score the tops, sprinkle with some sesame seeds, and bake

7.  Cool:  remove from the oven and allow them to cool slighlty before slicing completely

8.  Serve:  slice each strudel into eight pieces and enjoy!

To make ahead:

You can make this delicious filo strudel with roasted vegetables in advance:  once you bake it, let it cool and then refrigerate it to store for up to three days.  To warm it up, place it in a moderate oven for about 10 minutes or until warm throughout.

How to serve it:

This recipe makes two savory strudels, for a total of 16 pieces, and it can serve 8 people as a great first course or appetizer.  It is delicious and very flavorful on its own, but I find that a drizzle of balsamic reduction, or balsamic syrup compliments the flavors of the sweet roasted vegetables and the crispy filo extremely well!

This new recipe is another collaboration with Fillo Factory. You can find their filo dough at many grocery stores, including Whole Foods and smaller local stores.  I love the quality of the Fillo Factory products and I always make sure to stash a couple of boxes in the freezer!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Mediterranean Filo and Roasted Vegetable Strudel

 

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Prep time

50 mins

Cook time

1 hour 15 mins

Total time

2 hours 5 mins

 

A delicious and very satisfying summer dish of roasted summer vegetables, cheeses and fresh herbs enclosed in layers of crispy filo pastry!

Author: Marilena Leavitt

Recipe type: Appetizer/Lunch

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium shallot or red onion, chopped
• 3 mini red peppers
• 3 mini yellow peppers
• 1 small eggplant, about 9oz., cut into ¾”-1” pieces
• 1 small zucchini, about 8oz., cut into ¾” pieces
• 1 medium fennel, stalks removed, cut into ¾” chunks
• 1 small sweet potato, about 7 oz., cut into ¾” chunks
• 2 cloves garlic, whole, unpeeled
• --- ---- salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 TBSP. fresh thyme, stems removed, minced
• 2 TBSP. fresh mint, minced
• 3 oz. Greek Feta cheese, crumbled
• 3 oz. Asiago cheese, grated
• 16 oz. filo dough, thawed (you will use only 8 sheets of filo for the recipe)
• ---- ---- more extra virgin olive oil (for brushing)

Instructions

1. Remove the filo that has been thawed overnight in the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for about an hour before using it.
2. Preheat the oven to 425° F.
3. Wash, trim and prepare all the vegetables for roasting and place them in a large sheet pan, lined with parchment paper. Season generously with sea salt and freshly ground pepper and drizzle with the olive oil. This prep will take about 10 minutes (Tip: I like to group the vegetables together by roasting time so I can pull out the more tender vegetables that usually cook faster earlier than those requiring a longer roasting time). Roast for about 40 minutes, tossing gently once during that time. After that time, remove the peppers, the garlic and the sweet potatoes that will be done first. Spread the remaining vegetables on the baking sheet and return to the oven to roast for another 10 minutes, at which point they should all be soft and caramelized. (50 minutes total).
4. Remove the sheet pan from the oven and allow the remaining vegetables to cool. Once they cool, place in a bowl and add the two cheeses and the fresh herbs. Toss gently and set aside.
5. Lower the oven temperature to 350° F.
6. Place one filo sheet on work surface. Brush it with some olive oil. Top with a second filo sheet, brush some olive oil and repeat with a third sheet of filo. Spoon half of the vegetable and cheese mixture along one long side of the filo, about one inch in from edge. Fold the short ends over, as seen in the photo (above). Starting at the long-filled side, roll the filo up tightly.
7. Place the filo strudel seam-side down on a baking sheet. Brush with some more olive oil and sprinkle with some sesame seeds (optional). Using a sharp serrated knife, score the top of the strudel through the filo, making eight, evenly spaced cuts. Be careful not to cut all the way through the filo dough. Repeat with the rest of the filling and three more filo sheets. Return the unused filo in the refrigerator to use later. (Prep time is about 40min).
8. Bake the strudel until golden brown, about 25 minutes.
9. Let the strudel cool slightly. Using a serrated knife, cut the strudel at the score marks into eight pieces and serve.

Notes

Notes: 1. Optional serving with a balsamic reduction drizzle is highly recommended!
2. If you want to use a thinner filo (like #4), use four sheets of filo instead of three.

3.5.3240

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