Cream Cheese Pinwheels (Printable version)

Savory, creamy pinwheels with luscious cheese filling in soft tortillas, ideal for parties and quick bites.

# What you need:

→ Filling

01 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened
02 - 1/4 cup sour cream
03 - 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
04 - 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
05 - 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
06 - 1/4 cup chopped fresh spinach
07 - 1/2 tsp garlic powder
08 - 1/4 tsp black pepper
09 - 1/4 tsp salt

→ Assembly

10 - 4 large flour tortillas (10-inch)
11 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

# How To:

01 - Combine cream cheese, sour cream, cheddar cheese, green onions, bell pepper, spinach, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix until completely smooth and well blended.
02 - Lay tortillas on a flat surface. Spread an even layer of the cream cheese mixture over each tortilla, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges.
03 - Tightly roll up each tortilla starting from one edge to form a compact log shape.
04 - Wrap each rolled tortilla in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm up for easier slicing.
05 - Unwrap the tortillas and use a sharp knife to cut each roll into 6 pinwheels, about 1 inch thick. Arrange on a platter and sprinkle with chopped parsley if desired. Serve chilled.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The filling is impossibly creamy and loaded with enough cheese and vegetables to make you feel slightly virtuous about eating party food
  • These disappear faster than you can say 'I should have made a double batch' and nobody ever believes how embarrassingly simple they are to assemble
02 -
  • I learned through one very sad party experience that skipping the refrigeration step results in squashed, messy pinwheels that still taste great but look like you dropped them on the floor
  • The filling needs to be room temperature to spread smoothly, so don't try rushing this with cold cream cheese straight from the fridge
03 -
  • Use unflavored dental floss to slice through the rolls instead of a knife if you want picture-perfect pinwheels that don't squish at all
  • Let the cream cheese sit on the counter for a full hour before starting, because cold cream cheese is the enemy of smooth, lump-free filling

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