The dish in your photo looks like a stack of Turkish-style gözleme, with a golden, blistered flatbread surrounding a filling of spinach/greens, lentils, herbs and cheese, served with a cool garlic-yogurt dip. Gözleme is traditionally a thin stuffed flatbread cooked on a griddle; fillings vary widely.
T
The Guardian
+1
The recipe below is designed to reproduce the look, texture and filling shown in the photo rather than claiming the photograph came from a particular recipe.
Yield
6 large stuffed flatbreads
Prep: 45 minutes
Resting: 30 minutes
Cooking: 25–30 minutes
Total: about 1½ hours
1. Ingredients
For the flatbread dough
500 g (about 4 cups) all-purpose flour
1½ tsp salt
300 ml warm water, approximately
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp plain yogurt, optional, for a softer dough
Extra flour for rolling
A simple flour-water-salt dough is traditional for many gözleme recipes, although yogurt and other variations are common.
Z
Zaffaron
+1
For the spinach & lentil filling
250 g cooked brown or green lentils, well drained
350–400 g fresh spinach
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
100–120 g feta cheese, crumbled
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander/cilantro, optional
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp smoked paprika
½–1 tsp Aleppo pepper or mild chili flakes
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp dried oregano
1–2 tsp lemon juice
Salt, cautiously, because feta is salty
50–75 g grated mozzarella or mild melting cheese, optional
Lentil-and-spinach filling is a particularly good match for the photograph; lentil, spinach and feta combinations are also used in modern gözleme recipes.
T
The Guardian
Optional nut component
For the slightly richer, restaurant-style version:
30–40 g pine nuts, lightly toasted
Pine nuts are used in some spinach-and-feta gözleme recipes.
N
Napoleon
For a nut-free version, simply leave them out. The recipe works very well without them.
2. Garlic-yogurt sauce
250 g thick Greek yogurt
1 small garlic clove, finely grated
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint or dill
½ tsp dried mint
Pinch of salt
1–2 tbsp water, if necessary, to loosen
Mix everything together and refrigerate while making the flatbreads.
For the sauce shown in the photograph, keep it thick rather than runny.
3. Make the dough
Step 1
Put the flour and salt in a large bowl.
Add the warm water gradually while mixing.
Add olive oil and yogurt.
Step 2
Knead for approximately 6–8 minutes, until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.
It should feel soft but shouldn’t stick excessively to your hands.
Too dry → add 1 tbsp water.
Too sticky → add a small amount of flour.
Step 3
Form into a ball, lightly oil it and cover.
Rest for 30 minutes.
This resting period makes the dough substantially easier to stretch and roll thin. Similar gözleme recipes also rely on resting the dough before shaping.
Z
Zaffaron
+1
4. Prepare the filling
Step 1 — Cook the onion
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add onion and cook for 6–8 minutes, until soft and lightly golden.
Step 2 — Add garlic and spices
Add:
garlic
cumin
paprika
chili/Aleppo pepper
black pepper
oregano
Cook for another 30–60 seconds.
Step 3 — Add spinach
Add the spinach in batches.
Cook until completely wilted, approximately 3–5 minutes.
Step 4 — Remove excess moisture
This is very important.
Transfer the spinach mixture to a sieve or colander and press out excess liquid.
If the filling is wet, the flatbread can become soggy and difficult to seal.
Traditional spinach gözleme recipes similarly emphasize removing excess liquid from spinach.
Z
Zaffaron
+1
Step 5 — Add lentils
Mix in the cooked lentils.
Lightly crush perhaps ¼ of the lentils with the back of a spoon. This helps the filling hold together while leaving plenty of whole lentils for texture.
Step 6 — Finish
Allow the mixture to cool for 5–10 minutes.
Fold in:
4. Prepare the filling
Step 1 — Cook the onion
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
feta
parsley
coriander
lemon juice
optional mozzarella
optional toasted pine nuts
Taste before adding salt.
5. Divide the dough
Divide the dough into 6 equal balls.
Cover them with a clean towel so they don’t dry out.
6. Roll the flatbreads
Take one dough ball.
Roll it on a lightly floured surface into a very thin circle, approximately 25–30 cm / 10–12 inches across.
It should be thin enough that you can almost see the work surface through it.
Add filling
Place roughly 1 to 1¼ cups of filling over one half of the dough.
Leave approximately 2 cm / ¾ inch around the edge.
Don’t overfill it—the photograph has generous filling, but an overfilled gözleme is much harder to seal.
Fold
Fold the empty half over the filling.
Press out any large air pockets.
Press and crimp the edges firmly with your fingers or a fork.
Trim any excess dough if necessary.
7. Cook
Heat a large cast-iron or non-stick skillet over medium to medium-high heat.
You generally don’t need much oil in the pan.
Place the stuffed flatbread in the hot pan.
Cook approximately:
2–3 minutes → flip → 2–3 minutes
Then flip once or twice more until both sides have:
golden-brown patches
darker toasted spots
crisp edges
no raw dough remaining
Gözleme is traditionally cooked on a hot griddle/sac and develops characteristic brown “eyes” or spots on the surface.
S
Saveur
Finish
Brush the hot flatbread very lightly with:
melted butter, or
olive oil
Stack finished flatbreads under a clean towel.
This keeps them soft inside while the exterior remains pleasantly crisp.
8. Recreate the presentation in your photograph
For the stacked restaurant-style appearance:
Cook all six flatbreads.
Cut each into halves or quarters.
Stack 4–6 pieces slightly offset from one another.
Place one whole or partially cut flatbread in front.
Put the garlic-yogurt sauce in a small bowl beside it.
Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Add a few chili flakes.
Serve with lemon wedges.
For even more color, add a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of sumac.
Nut information & allergy notes
Does this recipe contain nuts?
Not necessarily.
The basic recipe is nut-free if you omit pine nuts.
If using pine nuts
Pine nuts are generally classified as a tree nut, so someone with a tree-nut allergy should avoid them unless their allergist has specifically advised otherwise.
Other important allergens
The recipe normally contains:
Ingredient Potential allergen
Wheat flour Wheat/gluten
Feta Milk/dairy
Yogurt Milk/dairy
Butter, if used Milk/dairy
Pine nuts Tree nuts
Tahini, if added Sesame
Classic gözleme commonly contains wheat/gluten and, in spinach-and-cheese versions, milk/dairy.
M
Menuella
+1
Cross-contact warning: if this is being prepared for someone with a serious allergy, check the labels of flour, cheese, yogurt, spices and any packaged lentils, and use clean equipment. A restaurant or commercial kitchen may also process several allergens.
Nut-free substitution
Instead of pine nuts, use:
toasted sunflower seeds
pumpkin seeds
extra lentils
finely chopped roasted chickpeas
If the person has a seed allergy as well, simply omit them.
Vegetarian / vegan options
Vegetarian
The recipe as written is vegetarian.
Vegan
Replace:
feta → vegan feta or mashed white beans
yogurt → unsweetened plant yogurt
butter → olive oil
A lentil-spinach gözleme can be made vegan by using olive oil and omitting dairy cheese.
T
The Guardian
Tips for getting the photograph’s texture
For crispy outside: cook on a properly preheated dry skillet and don’t use too much oil.
For soft layers: don’t roll the dough excessively thin and keep finished flatbreads covered with a towel.
For visible lentils: use whole cooked green/brown lentils rather than red lentils.
For bright green spinach: don’t overcook it.
For a thick filling: squeeze the cooked spinach extremely well.
For the dramatic golden surface: use medium-high heat and let the flatbread remain undisturbed for 1–2 minutes before flipping.
For a more cheesy pull: add 50–75 g mozzarella alongside the feta.
Nutrition — approximate
This will vary substantially with the amount of cheese, oil and size of each flatbread. A spinach-feta gözleme can be around 500+ kcal per large serving, depending on the dough and fat used.
Z
Zaffaron
For a lighter version, reduce cheese and butter and use a little olive oil for cooking.
Quick Q&A
Q: Can I use canned lentils?
Yes. Drain and rinse them extremely well, then pat dry. Excess water is the enemy of crisp gözleme.
Q: Can I use frozen spinach?
Yes. Thaw it completely and squeeze out as much water as possible before adding it.
Q: Can I make the dough ahead?
Yes. Refrigerate the covered dough for up to about 24 hours. Bring it toward room temperature before rolling.
Q: Can I freeze gözleme?
Yes. Cool completely, separate with parchment, wrap well and freeze. Reheat in a dry skillet rather than microwaving if you want the exterior crisp.
Q: Why is my flatbread tearing?
Usually the dough is either too dry, insufficiently rested, or being rolled too aggressively. Give it another 10–15 minutes to relax.
Q: Why is my filling leaking?
Usually too much filling or insufficiently sealed edges. Keep a clean border around the filling and firmly press the edges together.
Q: Can I bake instead of pan-fry?
Yes, although you won’t get quite the same griddled texture. Pan cooking is preferable for the characteristic gözleme crust.
H
Hungry Traveler
Q: Can I use chickpeas instead of lentils?
Absolutely. Coarsely mash cooked chickpeas and use them in roughly the same quantity.
Q: What can I serve with it?
The garlic-yogurt sauce shown in your photograph is ideal. Also try tomato-cucumber salad, lemon wedges, olives, ayran, or a tomato-pepper salsa.
Q: Is this an authentic Turkish recipe?
The gözleme technique and format are Turkish, but the exact spinach-lentil-cheese combination here is an image-inspired variation. Gözleme fillings vary considerably by region and household.
T
The Guardian
+1
Best version for the photo: use green/brown lentils + spinach + feta + a small amount of mozzarella + toasted pine nuts (if no nut allergy), and serve with thick garlic-mint yogurt. That combination will give you the layered, green-and-golden appearance shown in the image.