greek spinach pie

Foolproof family recipe for Spanakopita! Delicious savory Greek pie made of perfectly crispy layers of phyllo dough and a comforting filling of spinach and feta cheese.

Spanakopita Recipe (Greek Spinach Pie)

oz frozen chopped spinach,

flat-leaf parsley, stems trimmed, finely chopped

yellow onion, finely chopped

garlic cloves,

tbsp Private Reserve extra virgin olive oil

eggs

10.5 oz quality feta cheese, crumbled

dill weed

Freshly-ground black pepper

Private Reserve extra virgin olive oil, more if needed

Before you begin mixing the filling, be sure the spinach is very well drained, and squeeze out any excess liquid by hand.

To make the filling: In a mixing bowl, add the spinach and the remaining filling ingredients. Stir until all is well-combined.

Unroll the phyllo (fillo) sheets and place them between two slightly damp kitchen cloths.

Prepare a 9 1/2" X 13" baking dish like this one. Brush the bottom and sides of the dish with olive oil.

To assemble the spanakopita: Line the baking dish with two sheets of phyllo (fillo) letting them cover the sides of the dish. Brush with olive oil. Add two more sheets in the same manner, and brush them with olive oil. Repeat until two-thirds of the phyllo (fillo) is used up.

Now, evenly spread the spinach and feta filling over the phyllo (fillo) crust. Top with two more sheets, and brush with olive oil.

Continue to layer the phyllo (fillo) sheets, two-at-a-time, brushing with olive oil, until you have used up all the sheets. Brush the very top layer with olive oil, and sprinkle with just a few drops of water.

Fold the flaps or excess from the sides, you can crumble them a little. Brush the folded sides well with olive oil. Cut Spanakopita ONLY PART-WAY through into squares, or leave the cutting to later.

Bake in the 325 degrees F heated-oven for 1 hour, or until the phyllo (fillo) crust is crisp and golden brown. Remove from the oven. Finish cutting into squares and serve. Enjoy!

This is a good recipe for Spanikopita, I changed a few things (used butter for layering phyllo), used 1/3 cup of chopped fresh dill and skipped parsley since I didn't have any - also sauteed the onions and a little garlic.  What makes this so good is you can use thawed spinach and it doesn't need to be cooked so it tastes fresher - overall the recipe was DELISH - also I used 20 ounces of frozen chopped spinach which probably compensated for not having the parsley.

I have made this recipe a number of times and it comes out a smash hit every time. I'm quite generous with the garlic and cheese, since I feel like that is where the unique delicious flavor comes from. I also saute a large box of fresh spinach with coconut or olive oil and then drain it in a collander while I combine the other ingredients. My kids who are NOT fans of vegetables LOVE this recipe. That makes it a terrific hit with me! 

TIP #1: For those doing this the first time: I tried brushing the oil on the layers and felt a bit frustrated. It took so long. Also, the sheets are so big that I struggled handling them without them tearing, and the ends were difficult to tuck. I found a spray bottle of olive oil, and now I unroll the phyllo, spray half the sheet, fold it in half and lay it folded in the pan. Then I spray the top of that half sheet in the pan, and keep repeating on the following layers. It goes SO FAST that way, and it works great.

TIP #2: When she says only cut partway through, this means that if you don't pre-cut it before you bake it, the flaky crust will disintegrate when you try to cut it after you bake it. Always cut the top layers and even into the bottom layers a bit before baking so that you get beautiful squares. 

EXCELLENT RECIPE!

Limit parsley to no more than 1/2 a cup. I used WAY too much the first time. Also sautéing the onions, garlic and parsley first helps cut the ‘green’ taste. Adding 1/2 cup green onions, 1/2 cup of ricotta, 1/2 tsp of nutmeg instead of dill and 1 tbsp of lemon juice takes it up a notch.

If all you want is a decent approximation at spanakopita, then this will do that for you. It’s not great- very 2-dimensional flavor-wise. I added in some lemon juice and used fresh dill and that helped a lot but otherwise...pretty meh. Not enough cheese and this did not make enough filling for a 13x9 pan! I had 3 very wimpy layers. I think next time I’ll definitely sauté the onions, garlic and spinach first (even with frozen spinach) to give it more flavor- and definitely MORE CHEESE- heck I’d double this filling recipe honestly- but the flavors need work. Also 4 eggs is a LOT OF EGGS- use 2 and add more of everything else- ESPECIALLY CHEESE.

This was so good! I ended up adding garlic and a little less feta (the husband doesn't like it very much) and it was amazing!

Great recipe....very adaptable to more or less as you like. Even adding ricotta and green onions...I have dabbled several times with different versions. Each one was throughly enjoyed. Also try it with Tzatziki....yummy...even easy enough for begginers...impress your friends with this!! Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!!!

This recipe was amazing!  I was afraid to try it at first, but turned out so delicious.  I used swiss chard instead because we grew so much in our garden and didn't know what to do with it.  I will definitely do this again.  Thank you so much!

This is a GREAT spanakopita recipe!! I did use butter in place of EVOO on the phyllo layers, but followed all other directions exactly. It was a huge hit! the layers were flaky, the insides were a perfect. SO GOOD! Thank you!

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/OutC2XkQ.mp4

Spinach/Spanakopita

The traditional Greek spanakopita recipe (spinach pie) with crispy phyllo and juicy spinach stuffing! Discover how to make it to perfection just like yiayia

Spanakopita recipe (Authentic Greek spinach pie)

red onions,

spring onion, finely chopped (optional)

garlic,

spinach, washed and roughly chopped (18 ounces)

nutmeg

feta cheese, crumbled (7 ounces)

eggs, beaten

fresh dill, chopped (optional)

butter

salt and pepper

all-purpose flour (10.5 ounces)

olive oil

tbsp red wine vinegar

salt

water (1/2- 3/4 of a cup)

To prepare this spanakopita recipe start by making the phyllo dough first. (For step by step instructions Homemade phyllo dough). Alternatively use commercial phyllo dough.

When done, heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.

To prepare the filling for this spanakopita recipe, sauté the onions in a large knob of butter until soft and turning golden. Add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the spinach in batches and cook until wilted. Cool, then tip into a bowl (leaving behind any excess liquid from the spinach) and mix in the nutmeg, feta, eggs, spring onion and season.

For this spanakopita recipe you will need a non stick baking pan, about 25cm. Put the first sheet of filo in the pan and sprinkle with olive oil, letting the excess hang over the sides. Keep going with the rest of the sheets, turning a little before adding each additional pastry sheet and sprinkling with olive oil. Use 2-3 phyllo sheets, depending on how thick your phyllo is. Tip in the filling of the spanakopita and fold over the excess pastry to cover. If you like to prepare a larger pan of spanakopita for a big crowd, double the ingredients for the filling and use a 25*35 cm baking dish. Layer the 2-3 phyllo sheets to form the bottom of the spanakopita, tip in the filling and top with 2-3 more phyllo sheets.

Brush the top of the spanakopita with olive oil and scar with a sharp knife. Bake in preheated oven for about 60 minutes until the phyllo is crisp and golden.

Leave the spanakopita cool down for 10-15 minutes before cutting into pieces. Serve the spanakopita with Greek salad. Enjoy!

This was the main course for the vegetarians at Christmas lunch but...the meat eaters gobbled it up too! Followed the recipe exactly and it was perfect.

I followed all the steps and it wasn’t hard to make.
The dish came out great!
I don’t need to buy spinakopita when I know how to make it now.
Thank you!

Your description isn't really much different than the recipe presentex here. Not sure why you would characterize it as "American"

I really hope someone can answer this question. Feel free to email me at mcnerney.patty@gmail.com. I love dill, especially in spanakopita. My husband would absolutely love this dish, if there were not dill in it. Does anyone know if cilantro could be substituted for the dill? Or is there something else I can use? Thank you so much for this recipe!

You can leave out the dill. In many regions of Greece it isn't used.

This was my first time working with phyllo dough.  This recipe was so easy to follow and my spanakopita turned out delicious! Thank you so much for sharing this very tasty recipe!

My simplified method for spanakopita, Greek Spinach Pie, is to pour the clarified butter over the assembled filled phyllo. So much faster! And the results are just as crisp, flaky and delicious as if you buttered every layer individually. Cut the pie into however many pieces you&#39;d like, larger for a main dish, medium for a side dish, and small for appetizers for a crowd.

Easy Spanakopita Recipe

frozen chopped spinach, thawed

feta cheese, crumbled

small curd cottage cheese

cream cheese, softened

eggs, whisked

scallions, finely sliced (both white and green parts)

black pepper

dill

butter,

phyllo

Heat the oven to 350°F. Squeeze the spinach in the sink to remove as much liquid as possible.

In a large bowl, combine the feta cheese, cottage cheese, and cream cheese until well incorporated (it helps to stir the room-temp cream cheese in a small bowl first to loosen it and smooth it out).

Add the eggs and mix well. Stir in the scallions, spinach, salt, pepper, and dill.

Brush the bottom of a 13” x 9” x 2”-inch glass or metal (not dark) pan with a teaspoon or two of the clarified butter.

Remove one sleeve of the phyllo from its wrapping and gently unfold it. Trim the long side by an inch so it will fit into the pan. Lay the entire stack in the bottom of the pan and smooth to fit.

Spoon the filling over the phyllo and gently spread the filling evenly over the phyllo.

Remove the other sleeve of the phyllo from its wrapping and do the same as with the first: trim the long side by an inch so it will fit into the pan. Lay the entire stack over the filling layer and smooth to fit.

Use the tip of a sharp chef&#39;s knife to mark where your cuts will be around the edge of the pan: one mark on the short side and three marks on the long side, evenly spaced. Then cut the length of the phyllo down the middle, making sure to cut all the way through to the bottom of the pan. Make three cuts crosswise to get 8 large pieces, again cutting all the way through to the bottom of the pan.

Pour the melted clarified butter evenly over the assembled and cut pie. Use the tip of the knife to again cut through where the cuts were made previously to ensure the butter gets fully absorbed.

Bake for about 50 minutes, or until golden brown. Let the spanakopita rest for a few minutes, then cut from the pan and serve.

Spanakopita is one of Greece's most beloved dishes. It's a savory mixture of spinach, cheese, and herbs all baked into a flaky phyllo crust. Spanakopita is surprisingly easy to make. Follow these instructions for my streamlined but doubly delicious method.

lbs spinach

scallions (about 6 oz), chopped

3/4-lb (12 oz.) Feta cheese, (or up to 1 pound if you love Feta)

cheese

herbs (dill, mint and flat leaf parsley), chopped

1-lb box Phyllo dough

Spanakopita (Greek Spinach and Feta Pie) is a classic Greek spinach pie. It is packed with herby feta filling and flaky phyllo dough. Spanakopita is a delicious vegetarian dish that's perfect for any occasion—from mezze platters to weekday dinners.

Traditional Greek Spanakopita (Spinach and Feta Pie)

500 g (1 lb) fresh spinach (or 300 g frozen, well-drained)

onion

200 g (7 oz) feta cheese, crumbled

eggs,

parsley

Salt and pepper,

100 g (7 tbsp) melted butter

Prepare the spinach

If using fresh spinach, blanch in boiling water for 1 minute, drain, and squeeze out all excess liquid. Chop finely. If using frozen, thaw and drain very well.

Sauté onions

Heat olive oil in a skillet and gently cook the onions or scallions until soft, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Make the filling

In a large bowl, combine spinach, crumbled feta, sautéed onions, beaten eggs, dill, parsley, and a bit of black pepper. Mix well. Taste before adding any salt—feta can be salty.

Prepare the phyllo

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Lightly grease a 9&#215;13-inch baking dish. Keep the phyllo dough covered with a damp towel while working.

Assemble the pie

Lay 6–8 phyllo sheets into the baking dish, brushing each sheet with butter or oil. Let edges hang over slightly.

Add filling

Spread the spinach mixture evenly across the base layer of phyllo.

Top with more phyllo

Layer another 6–8 sheets on top, brushing each with butter or oil. Fold in the overhanging edges.

Score the top

Using a sharp knife, cut the top layers into squares or diamonds (don’t cut all the way through).

Bake

Bake for 45–50 minutes, or until deeply golden and crisp.

Cool and serve

Let the pie cool for 10–15 minutes. Cut through and serve warm or at room temperature.

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