Sandwich pinwheels make a fun addition to lunchboxes, kind of like little sandwich sushi. These green pinwheels feature spinach tortillas along with some fresh baby spinach, pastrami, sliced cheese, and cream cheese. They are super easy to make and take less than 5 minutes, making them just perfect for a busy morning. They would make a great healthy lunch for St Patrick's Day!
If you love changing up the sandwiches in your lunchbox why not try this Spicy Buffalo Chicken Wrap next? It is definitely a favorite around here.
Before jumping to the recipe please note that the below information contains HOT TIPS for this recipe. We try and answer all your questions to guarantee a perfect lunchbox recipe every time.
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🥯 Easy Sandwich Pinwheels with Spinach
These super green sandwich pinwheels are great for little and big lunchboxes alike.
Featuring a spinach tortilla, fresh baby spinach, pastrami, sliced cheese, and cream cheese, they are super easy to make and add a fun pop of color to your lunch.
They would make a great and healthy addition to a lunchbox for St Patrick's Day or any day when you need a little color.
🧂 Ingredients You Need
We are keeping this nice and simple, so you will only need:
- large burrito-sized spinach tortillas: of course, these will absolutely work with regular tortillas, I simply use spinach tortillas to keep the theme green;
- cream cheese spread: this will need to be slightly softened to room temperature so that it is easy to spread;
- Thousand Island dressing: this can be found alongside other dressings in the grocery store, if you do not have it you could use another creamy dressing of choice that would pair with the ingredients used in the pinwheel. I have used Ranch dressing before and it worked well;
- pastrami deli meat: you can use any other deli meat of choice;
- slices of Swiss cheese: you can use any other sliced cheese if preferred, just be mindful that it will change the overall flavor;
- baby spinach: fresh baby spinach is better for this type of pinwheel recipe than English spinach as it is a lot more tender, so not only will it roll more easily, but it will be easier to bite through, especially given that it will not be cooked.
That's it, that's all you need.
No go forth and make some sandwich pinwheels!
📋 How To Make Pinwheel Sandwiches
If you haven't made a pinwheel sandwich before, don't worry, it is super easy, although I do have a few tips to make them perfect.
- Mix: start by mixing the cream cheese and dressing in a small bowl until it is well combined.
- Spread: using about 1-2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture onto the tortilla, being sure to get the mixture right to the edges of the tortilla. This is important for the pinwheel to hold together completely once wrapped.
- Layer: starting at the left side of the tortilla, layer 2 slices of pastrami, 2 slices of cheese, and about ½ a cup of the baby spinach onto the tortilla. Don't worry if this looks a bit messy, it will look fine once rolled up.
- Roll: starting at the pastrami side again, tightly roll up the tortilla. Be sure to tuck in the baby spinach towards the end of wrapping the roll.
- Neaten: cut off the very ends of the roll (you can either have a nibble on these or chuck them out).
- Slice: slice the roll into pinwheel sandwiches
- Repeat: repeat this process for all of the pinwheels
That's it, you are good to go.
Pack your perfect little pinwheels into lunchboxes, or store them in an airtight container in the fridge until their presence is required.
💭 Important Teaching Tips
There is nothing technical about making sandwich pinwheels so I have no great tips except to pack an ice pack in the lunchbox if you do not have access to a fridge for storage throughout the day.
🥢 Useful Products
Completely not necessary if you have spread the cream cheese mixture to the very ends of the tortilla as advised, but if you find that the pinwheels are not holding together as well as you would like then you can use little cocktail skewers to hold them together.
This is also handy if you aren't in fact packing these in a lunchbox, but are instead serving at a lunch, as it makes them easier for guests to pick up individual pinwheels.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Pinwheels are perfectly fine served all by themselves.
In a lunch box, I would pair spinach pinwheel sandwiches with some fresh fruit, a Bakery Style Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin, some trail mix, fresh chopped veggies, roasted red pepper hummus, and seed crackers.
Yummo.
👪 Frequently Asked Questions
Technically yes. They can be frozen without spoiling for about 2 months. However, serving them fresh ensures the ingredients are at their peak and the pinwheels will not be soggy when served.
Yes. They should keep well in the fridge for about 24 hours.
Pinwheel Sandwiches are sandwiches made with a tortilla wrap which gets layered with filling and then rolled. They are then cut into individual portions and served as little pinwheels.
They are also known as rolled sandwiches and can be made from bread with the crusts removed if preferred.
Easy Sandwich Pinwheels with Spinach and Pastrami
Materials
- 4 large burrito sized spinach tortillas
- ⅔ cup cream cheese spread
- ½ cup Thousand Island dressing
- 8 slices pastrami deli meat
- 8 slices Swiss cheese
- 2 cups baby spinach
Instructions
- Add the cream cheese and the Thousand Island dressing in a small bowl. Mix until well combined with no lumps.⅔ cup cream cheese spread, ½ cup Thousand Island dressing
- Spread about 1 or 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture onto the spinach tortilla, making sure to spread to the very edges.4 large burrito sized spinach tortillas
- Starting at the left side of the tortilla layer 2 slices of pastrami, 2 slices of Swiss cheese, and about ½ cup of baby spinach onto the tortilla.8 slices pastrami deli meat, 8 slices Swiss cheese, 2 cups baby spinach
- Starting at the pastrami end, tightly roll up the tortilla, tucking in the baby spinach toward the end of the roll.
- Cut off the very ends of the roll and discard (or have a nibble) and then slice the roll into desired size for pinwheel sandwiches.
- Repeat the above steps for each pinwheel.
- Serve immediately or store in the fridge for later use and enjoy!
Notes
- Store: in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
- Substitutions: you can sub the pastrami for any deli meat and you can sub the Swiss cheese slices for any other cheese slices of your choosing. Be mindful that this may change the flavor of the sandwich. You do not have to use a spinach tortilla, a regular tortilla will work just as well.
- Tips: be sure to spread the cream cheese mixture to the very ends of the tortilla to ensure the pinwheels stay rolled up. You can also use mini cocktail skewers to hold them together if preferred.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Kris
This was absolutely tasty and so easy to make! The kiddos loved it which is always a win in my book!
Sarita
This is literally the only way I can get my youngest to eat spinach!
Jenn
These are so cute! I loved making them and my kids didn't even notice the spinach in them!
Sue
What a fun twist on a sandwich! These make delicious little bites that are hard to resist! No one noticed the spinach LOL.
Sherry
My daughter loves these easy sandwich pinwheels in her lunchbox for school. They hold up well, are easy to eat with little hands, and she loves the taste. And I love how easy they are to make on busy school mornings.