Festive Spinach Tortilla Roll-Ups

Rolls-ups (or pinwheels) conjure up some of my fondest memories from childhood. Mom making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but rolled up in a tortilla and cut into slices for easier eating. Ham and cheese with mustard was also another favorite. That said, roll-ups have come a long way and now have many tasty options that make them the perfect party food and passable appetizer. The flavor variations are endless.

These Festive Spinach Tortilla Roll-Ups use color to celebrate the season. The base of this recipe is a combination of cream cheese and sour cream, along with a package of ranch dressing mix. The tortilla is spinach flavored, or you can use sun-dried tomato or a combination of both. With pimentos, green chilis and green olives, your final dish will have a festive presentation. We took the extra step of cutting out a star from the yellow pepper to top off the dish, but more on that later.

Making the Roll-Ups

Start by prepping your ingredients so that assembly of the roll-ups is super easy. With a 5" Petite Santoku, roughly chop the green olives so they are bite-size.

For the yellow pepper, cut it in half with a 7-5/8" Petite Chef knife, remove the core and set aside the half pepper that is mostly flat. Chop the other half and then with a 2-3/4" Paring Knife, take the flat half of the pepper and cut out a star freehand.

Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together the cream cheese, sour cream and ranch dressing mix until thoroughly combined. The ranch dressing mix is salty so if you prefer less salt flavor, use one-half or three-quarters of the package. Add the pimentos, green chilis, green olives, chopped yellow pepper and cheddar cheese and mix until everything is combined.

Lay the tortillas on a flat surface and using a Spatula Spreader, spread the cream cheese mixture onto each tortilla, leaving a half-inch from the edge of the tortilla clean.

Roll the tortillas up tightly and wrap each roll in plastic wrap. The roll-ups need to be refrigerated for at least two hours and overnight if possible, so the cream cheese mixture is firm. This will make cutting the slices easier. Once the roll-ups are firm, remove the plastic wrap and use the Double-D® edge of the Spatula Spreader to cut the ends off each tortilla and then cut the tortilla into half-inch slices.

For serving, stack the roll-ups in layers to form a tall tree and then place the cherry tomatoes around each stack like ornaments. We went a different route and placed the roll-ups flat on a long serving platter and formed them into a tree, placing the tomatoes on top of the roll-ups. Either way, top the tree with the yellow pepper star and you have a fun appetizer for the holidays.

Festive Spinach Tortilla Roll-Ups are the grown-up version of pinwheels, with a more sophisticated taste and presented as an appetizer. A balance of creamy and salty with a nod to the holiday season, they are perfect for any gathering. We do recommend using both the spinach and sun-dried tomato tortillas to create even more color but working with only the spinach tortillas turned out just fine. Quick, easy and delicious!