Cheese Borek

Name: Cheese Borek
Prep time: 13 min
Cook time: 23 min
Total time: 36 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Algerian
Ingredients: 1 beaten Egg; 1 bunch Parsley; 2 cloves minced Garlic; 3/4 teaspoon Red Pepper; 6 oz Gouda Cheese; 6 oz Emmentaler Cheese; 12 Phyllo Dough; 1 1/2 cups Unsalted Butter

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Side recipe with Algerian flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 40 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Step-by-step instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk together egg, parsley, garlic and crushed red pepper. Mix in Gouda and Emmentaler.
One sheet at a time, place phyllo dough on a flat surface and brush with about 1 tablespoon butter. Cut lengthwise into 4 strips. Place a rounded teaspoon of the egg mixture at one end of each strip. Fold corner of strip over the filling, forming a triangular fold. Continue folding the length of the strip in triangular folds to form a small stuffed triangle. Repeat with remaining phyllo dough.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly butter a large baking sheet.
Arrange stuffed phyllo triangles in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Serve warm.

Why this works on a weeknight

Cheese Borek lands at about 36 minutes total — a little longer than our 30-minute target, but most of that time is hands-off simmering, which is why it earned a spot in our Sheet-Pan Dinners collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Cheese Borek actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🍳 Sheet-Pan Dinners Side Algerian