Herbaceous Greek Spanakopita: Savory Spinach, Egg, & Cheese Pie
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.
Servings: 12
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 9x13-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
If frozen, whether store-bought or homemade, thaw phyllo dough in the sealed packaging in the refrigerator overnight. Keep the dough covered and sealed until ready to use it.
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.