Greek Spanakopita is a savory spinach and cheese pie with layers of flaky phyllo crust. This recipe includes spinach, feta, eggs, leek, parsley, dill, nutmeg surrounded by a hearty, flaky commercial or homemade phyllo dough brushed with olive oil for a completely satisfying dish. This tasty pie makes a great snack, a main course with a side salad or soup for lunch, or a side item with lamb or kabobs for dinner.
Spanakopita Origins
While known as Greece’s signature dish, spanakopita recipes vary throughout the country. During vegan-type religious fasts, cheese and eggs are eliminated. While spanakopita’s origins are unknown, it’s been enjoyed for the past 400 years. Let’s check out my version which is a combination of ingredients from the different regions of Greece.
Greek Spanakopita Recipe Ingredients
For my Greek Spanakopita recipe ingredients, you’ll need spinach, leek, parsley, dill, salt, black pepper, nutmeg, extra-virgin olive oil, eggs, feta, and phyllo sheets (store-bought or homemade).
Preheat Oven & Prepare Baking Dish
Spanakopita is not difficult to make, but it has several steps. Begin by preheating the oven to 350˚F (177˚C). Prepare a 9×13-inch (3 quart) baking dish by brushing olive oil along the sides and bottom of the dish.
Prep the Filling Veggies & Herbs
For the filling, prep and chop the veggies and herbs. For ease, I prefer to use thawed from frozen spinach, but you could use fresh spinach. Remove the thawed spinach from a 24-ounce (or two 12-ounce packages) package. Squeeze the spinach to remove any excess liquid and set it aside. Clean, chop, and rinse 1 leek and set it aside. Chop 1 cup flat-leaf parsley and ¼ cup fresh dill and set them aside.
TIP: If using fresh spinach, you’ll need the extra steps of rinsing, chopping, sautéing, and draining the spinach prior to using it in the dish.
Sauté Leek & Heat Spinach
To sauté the leek, heat a large skillet (~12 inches) on the stove over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once hot, add the leek and sauté a couple of minutes until soft.
TIP: Oil is hot enough when a small piece of leek sizzles when placed in the oil.
Add the spinach and use a spatula to break it up. Stir the mixture until combined, heated through, and any liquid has evaporated. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in parsley and dill.
Place the spinach mixture in a large bowl and set aside for about 10 minutes to cool. If any liquid remains, drain it from the mixture.
Combine ALL Filling Ingredients
To the cooled spinach mixture, stir in ½ teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoons of black pepper, ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Crack and beat 3 large eggs separately and add them to the mixture. Crumble a 7 or 8-ounce block of feta cheese over the spinach mixture and stir. Set the filling aside.
Assemble the Spanakopita
Unroll & Cover Phyllo Sheets
In a small bowl, pour in ~¾ cup of olive oil. Now that all the ingredients are ready, unwrap and unroll the phyllo sheets. Place them stacked and covered to prevent drying out. Remove the top cover from the stack of phyllo sheets. I used my homemade sheets in the pictures. Homemade are thicker than store-bought because a rolling pin cannot get them as thin as a commercial machine. Nevertheless, you can use either one.
TIP: Place stacked phyllo dough on a baking sheet to flexibility to move it around the kitchen as needed. Use a damp towel to cover the top of the phyllo stack to prevent them from drying out too much.
Stack Phyllo Sheets in Baking Dish
Remove 1 phyllo sheet and recover the stack. Brush olive oil over the top and place it in the baking dish so it overhangs by at least 2 inches over the sides. Repeat with another phyllo sheet. Overlap the two to cover the dish. Repeat with another set of 2 sheets of phyllo over the first set and brush them with olive oil. This is now a total of 4 phyllo sheets used.
TIP: If using store-bought phyllo sheets, you’ll need to add another 2 layers to equal 8 sheets of phyllo stacked in the pan.
Add Spinach Filling Mixture
Stir the spinach mixture again to ensure all the ingredients are well combined. Spoon the mixture in the baking dish dispersing it evenly over the sheets of phyllo.
Top Spinach Filling with Another Stack of Phyllo Sheets
Repeat with stacking phyllo sheets. Top the spinach filling with another 2 sheets of phyllo that overhang and brush each with olive oil. Repeat with another 2 sheets of phyllo placing them on top of the previous two and brush the tops with olive oil including the overhanging edges. This is a total of 4 phyllo sheets on top of the spinach filling.
TIP: If using store-bought phyllo sheets add a third and fourth layer of 2 phyllo sheets to equal another 8 total sheets of phyllo. For homemade phyllo, you’ll use 8 total phyllo sheets and for store-bought phyllo, you’ll use 16 total phyllo sheets.
Add Final Touches & Score
Roll up Overhanging Phyllo Edges
Roll up the overhanging phyllo edges to just inside of the pan to seal the filling. While unnecessary, you can create an edge design. Brush olive oil over the crust edge and top to ensure moisture all over the dough.
Score Phyllo Dough into Serving Pieces
Use a knife to score the phyllo dough into desired serving sizes. I find scoring into 12 squares produces appropriate serving sizes. For 12 servings, you’ll score the dough 4 rows down and 3 rows across. You only need score the dough not cut all the way through the filling.
Bake
Bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown and the phyllo crust is crispy.
Cut Through Scoring to Release Steam
While warm, cut the pieces completely through where scored to allow steam to escape preventing soggy bottoms. You can serve it now or allow it to cool to room temperature about an hour before serving.
Greek Spanakopita Close-Up Views!
Notice the rolled top edges in the dough. Check out the crispy layered top as the filling shrunk while cooking. The bright green spinach interior adds a beautiful earthy color. Can you spot dots of feta cheese and leek?
Make-ahead Suggestion
Make and assemble the spanakopita the day before you want to bake and eat it. Cover and store it in the fridge. The following day, uncover the dish and bake as directed.
Storing Suggestion
Spanakopita is best eaten the day it is made because the phyllo crust softens in the fridge from the filling moisture. However, if it is still good and tasty even if it’s no longer crispy. Store baked spanakopita covered in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Heat in the microwave or oven before serving. For longer storage, place individual sliced pieces in a freezer bag or sealed container for up to several months. When ready to eat, remove desired slices from freezer, heat in the microwave or oven and enjoy.
Greek Spanakopita Final Thoughts
This is an easy, simple, and pretty homemade main dish or side dish great for any day of the week, weekend, or for a special guest. Serve with a salad for a full meal or as a side dish with meat like lamb or kabobs. The spinach, egg, and cheese with the hearty phyllo crust is surprisingly very filling. Greek Spanakopita may sound like a French quiche, but it is very different. The Greek Spanakopita has a filling that is very spinach heavy, there isn’t any milk or cream, and the crust is layers of flaky, paper-thin dough brushed in olive oil instead of a single pie crust. If you like spinach, this is a must try recipe.
Baker’s Thoughts
If using pre-made phyllo dough (commercial or homemade), this recipe comes together easily and quickly. Using frozen spinach instead of fresh makes it quicker, too. Sautéing the leek and spinach only takes a few minutes. Chopping the leek and herbs takes a few minutes. Mixing the ingredients is easy, peasy. The most time-consuming part of this process is brushing olive oil on each phyllo sheet and layering them in the baking dish. All in all, this dish comes together pretty quickly; however, you can prepare it the day before you want to bake and eat it.
Taster’s Thoughts
This Greek Spanakopita recipe is spinach heavy with nuances of egg, cheese, and herbs with a crispy, hearty phyllo crust. The cheese adds saltiness and flavor, the herbs add depth and freshness. The dill is defined in my recipe, but you can decrease the dill if you want less of that flavor. The crunchy olive oil crust adds additional richness, texture, and flavor to the overall dish. We really like the thick rolled crust on the edges of the pie. YUMMY! I can eat that all by itself. The extra-virgin olive oil is clearly defined in the crust. In fact, the rolled crust is pretty and appears to be the focal point of the dish. The individual slices are gorgeous with the bright green filling surrounded by a crispy crust with eye catching rolled edges. While there is a lot of spinach, the feta cheese, egg, and heavy crust make this dish hearty and satisfying. Altogether, this recipe makes a nice meal in flavor, appearance, and satiety. With the temperature getting cooler, it’s a nice hot meal to have on a cool day. We love it and will be eating more.
Check out my YouTube video on making Greek Spanakopita. “Herbaceous Greek Spanakopita: Spinach, Cheese, & Egg Pie with Fresh Herbs & Flaky Phyllo Crust”
Herbaceous Greek Spanakopita: Savory Spinach, Egg, & Cheese Pie
Ingredients
Spinach, Leek, & Feta Filling Mixture
- 24 oz (1½ lbs / 680 g) frozen chopped spinach thawed, squeezed, and drained
- 1 leek white and light green parts (chopped, rinsed, and drained)
- 1 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley chopped
- ¼ cup (1 pkg / .5 oz) fresh dill chopped
- ½ tsp (3 g) salt
- ½ tsp (1.5 g ) ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp (.5 g) grated nutmeg
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil divided
- 3 eggs beaten
- 200 g (7 -8 oz pkg) block of feta crumbled
Phyllo Crust
- 1 lb phyllo sheets 16 sheets from a store-bought package (OR 8 sheets from a homemade recipe)
- ¾ – 1 cup olive oil for brushing on pan and phyllo sheets
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F (177˚C). Prepare a 9×13-inch (3 qt) baking dish by brushing olive oil along the sides and bottom of the dish.
- Drain thawed (from frozen) spinach to remove any excess liquid. Clean, chop, and rinse the leek and set it aside leek. Chop parsley and dill and set them aside.TIP: If using fresh spinach, you'll need the extra steps of rinsing, chopping, sautéing, and draining the spinach prior to using it in the dish.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add 2 tbsp olive oil. Once heated, add the leek and sauté until soft. Then, add the spinach and use a spatula to break it up. Stir until combined and heated through and liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and stir in parsley and dill.TIP: Oil is hot enough when a small piece of leek sizzles when placed in the oil.
- Place spinach mixture in a large bowl and set aside for about 10 minutes to cool. If any liquid remains, drain it from the mixture.
- Stir in salt, pepper, nutmeg, 2 tbsp olive oil, beaten eggs, and crumbled feta. Set aside.
- Unwrap and unroll the phyllo sheets. Place them stacked and covered with a slightly damp kitchen towels to prevent drying out.
- Remove the top cover from the stack of phyllo sheets. Take the top phyllo sheet and brush it with olive oil. Place it primarily on one side of the baking dish so it overhangs by at least 2 inches over the sides and covers half of the bottom. Press it gently in the dish to fit the pan. Repeat with another phyllo sheet brushing with olive oil and placing it on the other side of the dish to cover the remaining bottom and overhanging the dish. Repeat with another 2 sheets of phyllo over the first set and brush them with olive oil. If using store-bought phyllo sheets, add another 2 layers to equal 8 sheets of phyllo stacked in the pan.TIP: Homemade phyllo sheets only needs 4 sheets total layered on the bottom of the dish while you'll need 8 sheets total using commercial brands. Homemade sheets are usually thicker than machine-rolled commercial products thus requiring half the amount.
- Spoon the spinach filling in the baking dish over the sheets of phyllo. Spread the mixture evenly in the pan.
- Top the spinach filling with another 2 sheets of phyllo that overhang and brush each with olive oil. Repeat with another 2 sheets of phyllo placing them on top of the previous two and brush the tops with olive oil including the overhanging edges. If using store-bought phyllo sheets add a third and fourth layer of 2 phyllo sheets each to equal another 8 total sheets of phyllo.TIP: As with the top, use another 4 sheets of homemade phyllo dough or 8 sheets of commercial brand phyllo sheets.
- Roll up the overhanging phyllo edges to just inside of the pan to seal the filling. While not necessary, you can shape the edges to create an edge design. Brush olive oil over the crust edge. Use a knife to score the phyllo dough into desired serving sizes (consider scoring into 12 squares). Only score the dough.TIP: Scoring the dough before baking makes it easy to cut through the pie completely once the crust hardens and becomes crispy.
- Bake for 50 -60 minutes or until golden brown and the phyllo crust is crispy. While warm, cut the pieces completely where scored. While it can be eaten immediately, you can cool the pie to room temperature about an hour before serving.TIP: Cutting completely into serving pieces immediately out of the oven allows steam to escape, preventing the bottom phyllo crust from becoming soggy as it cools.
Video
Notes
Check out these holiday recipes.
3 Simple & Flavorful Pie Crusts
Sweet Potato Swirled Babka Bread
Grandma’s Yeast Rolls (The Berry Family Recipe)
French Pain d’Épices (Spice Bread)
Greek Vasilopita New Year’s Cake
Spanish King Cake (Rascón de Reyes Epiphany Bread)
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