True Story: Aaron convinced me to come to dinner and cooked me a full Greek dinner from scratch before I ever agreed to go on a date with him. The way to my heart was obviously through my stomach! And we have had a love affair with Greek food ever since so this spanakopita inspired recipe of cheesy spinach bites in appetizer form is a new favorite.
Please note that this article contains affiliate links, and we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases made through links in this post. You can read our full disclosure on our disclosure page.
Who doesn’t love food cooked over a campfire? Actually, we know a lot of people who don’t and we just have to feel sorry for them. Because we love to cook over a campfire, especially in a pie iron. These are sometimes called camp cookers, pudgy pies, or even hobo pies, but we use the term pie iron. Whatever you choose to call it, know that these trusty tools make extremely delicious food cooked over the campfire.
What we love about Cheesy Spinach Bites:
- A tasty appetizer
- Reminiscent of spanakopita
- Veggies while camping
The Ingredients for Cheesy Spinach Bites:
- Crescent roll dough (makes these bites a hand pocket)
- Cooking spray (don’t want those pockets to stick)
- Cream cheese (we love the veggie blend for this one)
- Fresh ground black pepper (to taste)
- Fresh spinach leaves (baby spinach works well)
- Red bell pepper strips (or orange, or yellow, or even green if that is all you have)
The Process
- (Optional) Preheat your pie irons over the fire while getting your supplies ready.
- Open your pie irons and coat both sides with cooking spray.
- If you are using the sheet of dough, cut it into four equal pieces. If you are using the precut rolls, separate into groups of two rolls.
- Insert one piece of dough in the bottom of your pie iron. Spread it up the sides of the iron to create a cup.
- Sprinkle fresh ground black pepper, then add strips of red bell pepper, and fresh spinach leaves.
- Spread 1-1 ½ tablespoons cream cheese on another piece of dough.
- Place this square of dough, cream cheese side down, on top of your veggies and pinch edges together to seal.
- Carefully close your cooker, making sure to latch it.
- Place pie irons over the campfire and cook, turning every ten minutes or so, until the dough is baked. Check often as they will burn.
Equipment needed
- Pie iron(s): We have a double pie iron from Rome, a double from Field & Stream, two singles from Field & Stream, and two single Coghlan’s Camp Cookers. Pie irons also come in circles and waffle (which sell out all the time) versions. We recommend a square or rectangle for this recipe. The Field & Stream are no longer available, but Rome makes a nice square as well.
- Cutting board and knife: You need a clean surface on which to place your dough and something for spreading the cream cheese.
- Heat resistant gloves: If you are going to be working around a fire, at some point you will probably get burned. These gloves can help prevent that.
More Recipes to Enjoy
- Fried Onions and Potatoes in the Pie Iron
- Pie Iron Cheesy Tots
- Pie Iron Stuffed Hash Browns
Cheesy Spinach Bites in a Pie Iron
Equipment
- Pie Irons
- Cutting board and knife
- Heat Resistant Gloves
Ingredients
- cooking spray
- 1 tube crescent roll dough
- 4-6 tbsp softened cream cheese
- 1 handful baby spinach leaves
- 1 red bell pepper cut into strips
- Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- (Optional) Preheat your pie irons over the fire while getting your supplies ready.
- Open your pie irons and coat both sides with cooking spray.
- If you are using the sheet of dough, cut it into four equal pieces. If you are using the precut rolls, separate into groups of two rolls.
- Insert one piece of dough in the bottom of your pie iron. Spread it up the sides of the iron to create a cup.
- Sprinkle fresh ground black pepper, then add strips of red bell pepper, and fresh spinach leaves.
- Spread 1-1½ tablespoons cream cheese on another piece of dough.
- Place this square of dough, cream cheese side down, on top of your veggies and pinch edges together to seal.
- Carefully close your cooker, making sure to latch it.
- Place pie irons over the campfire and cook, turning every ten minutes or so, until the dough is baked. Check often as they will burn.
Tag us on Instagram @campinganswer and show us a photo of your favorite camping appetizers!