Cheesy Bacon & Spinach Christmas Wreath

Golden puff pastry wrapped around a creamy filling of bacon, spinach, French onion and plenty of cheese. An easy Christmas bring-a-plate recipe made for work parties, weekend barbecues and relaxed festive gatherings.

Christmas entertaining in Australia often comes with the familiar question: what can I bring?

I wanted something that carried the flavours of the old-fashioned spinach cob loaf we all know, but could be picked up, shared and taken along without carrying a bowl of dip and a hollowed-out loaf of bread.

Cream cheese, spinach, French onion, crisp bacon and plenty of tasty cheese make the filling rich and savoury, while a sheet of puff pastry turns it into a golden Christmas wreath. It looks festive enough for the Christmas table, but underneath it all, the recipe is deliberately simple.

Make the filling, spoon it onto the pastry, fold over the points and bake. Better still, one batch makes two wreaths, which is rather handy when one mysteriously starts disappearing before you've left the house.

Prep: 20 min · Cook: 25 min · Yield: 2 wreaths · Cuisine: Australian · Category: Baking

Ingredients

Cheesy Bacon & Spinach Christmas Wreath

• 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 300 g bacon, finely diced
• 250 g block cream cheese, softened
• 250 g frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 40 g French onion soup mix
• 125 g tasty cheese, grated
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C conventional or 180°C fan-forced. Line two large baking trays with baking paper.
2. Add the bacon to a frying pan over medium-high heat and cook until golden and beginning to crisp. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel and set aside to cool slightly.
3. Place the thawed spinach into a clean tea towel and squeeze firmly to remove as much liquid as possible.
4. Add the cream cheese, spinach, cooked bacon, French onion soup mix and grated cheese to a large bowl. Mix until thoroughly combined.
5. Place one sheet of puff pastry in the centre of each prepared baking tray.
6. Place a large dinner plate upside down on top of one pastry sheet. Trim away the four corners that sit outside the plate to create a roughly round shape. Repeat with the second sheet.
7. Place a small bowl upside down in the centre of each pastry round and press gently around it to mark a circle.
8. Remove the bowl. Cut the marked centre circle into 8 equal triangular points, cutting from the middle out to the marked line and leaving the surrounding pastry intact.
9. Divide the filling evenly between the two pastry rounds. Spoon it in a thick ring around the outside of the marked centre circle, keeping a small border around the outside edge.
10. Bring each centre pastry point up and over the filling towards the outside edge, pressing the tip gently onto the outer pastry to secure. Repeat with the remaining points to form the wreath. Brush the exposed pastry with beaten egg and scatter with sesame seeds.
11. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the pastry is well puffed and deeply golden and the filling is hot through.
12. Leave the wreaths to stand on the trays for 10 minutes before transferring to a serving board. Serve warm.

Serving Suggestion

Set the wreath out on a board alongside a bowl of Mediterranean Risoni Pasta Salad for a bring-a-plate spread that covers both the rich and the fresh. For a festive afternoon with friends, serve it warm with a round of Lychee and Elderflower Martini, then finish the table with Traditional Christmas Mince Pies or a Frozen Panettone Ice Cream Pudding for dessert.

Notes

Removing as much moisture as possible from the spinach is important. Excess liquid can soften the pastry underneath the filling.

Use block cream cheese rather than spreadable cream cheese. Its firmer texture helps the filling hold its shape while the wreath bakes.

The filling can be prepared ahead and refrigerated until needed. Let it soften slightly before assembling so it is easy to spoon around the pastry.

One full batch makes two wreaths. For a smaller gathering, halve the filling ingredients and use one sheet of puff pastry.

The Grace Table Tip

For a bring-a-plate event, prepare the filling earlier in the day and keep it refrigerated. Assemble and bake the wreath shortly before leaving so the pastry stays crisp and the centre is still beautifully creamy when served.

Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in a moderate oven or air fryer until the filling is hot and the pastry has crisped again.