Spinach Pie

Spanakopita is a savory spinach pie with flaky phyllo crust filled with well-seasoned onion, spinach, eggs, and feta cheese. It's the ultimate in Greek comfort food. Not only is it super easy to make, but this spinach pie recipe is highly nutritious and delicious.

Course dinner, Entree, Side Dish

Cuisine Greek, Middle East

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1

Servings

Calories 318kcal

Author Imma

Ingredients

Prepare the Spinach

2 10-ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or butter
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions, finely sliced
2 teaspoon fresh dill
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, stems trimmed and finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Make the Spinach Filling

3 large eggs
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ lemon, juiced
1½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
⅓ cup parmesan cheese

Assembling the Spinach Pie

1 16-ounce package phyllo dough
½ cup melted butter or olive, or a mix of both

Instructions

Prepare the Spinach

Start by draining all the water from the spinach. Then squeeze out excess water using your hands. This is an important step to prevent your pie from being soggy.
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil or butter; add onions, garlic, and green onions as soon as olive oil is hot (or butter melts). Sauté until soft and lightly browned.
Stir in drained and squeezed spinach, dill, parsley, salt, and black pepper. Sauté for about 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Making the Spinach Filling

Whisk together with eggs, nutmeg, lemon juice, feta, and parmesan cheese in a large bowl.
Then add the spinach and the remaining filling ingredients. Stir until all is well-combined. Set aside.

Assembling the Spinach Pie

Note: Phyllo can be pretty hard to work with, as it dries out and tears easily. So handle with care.
Preheat oven to 350℉/177℃.
Unroll the phyllo (aka filo) dough sheets and place them on a baking sheet lined with a lightly damp paper towel. Then cover with another lightly damp paper towel. If your phyllo sheets are large, 14x18 inches, you can cut them in half, so they fit in the baking dish (14x9-inch) sheets.
Spray a 9x13 rectangular baking or casserole dish with baking spray or brush all sides and bottom with olive oil.
Layer phyllo dough, two sheets at a time, in a prepared 9x13 rectangular baking dish, brushing generously with melted butter between each 2-sheet layer. Be sure to flatten and smooth each layer so it stays flat. Continue layering until you have used up ½-¾ of the phyllo dough.
Spread the spinach filling evenly over the phyllo dough.
Repeat the same process of layering filo dough and using melted butter in between until all the sheets have been used up.
Brush the top layer with melted butter.
If you're using a pie crust instead of filo, score the top of the pie using a sharp knife to make it easier to cut after baking.
Bake at 350℉/177℃ in a preheated oven for about 40-45 minutes, or until the phyllo (filo) crust is crisp and golden brown. Remove it from the oven and let it cool slightly.

Notes

Make sure all excess liquid has evaporated or been squeezed out—no soggy crust on this baby.
Completely cool the spinach before assembling. It will help the filling firm up a little, and the phyllo crust will crisp up better without getting soggy on the bottom
Thawing the phyllo for at least 12 hours in the fridge before using it will keep it from breaking
needlessly.
Allow the phyllo thaw in the fridge WITHOUT opening the package.
Open the package when you're ready to assemble the spinach pie. Lay it out and cover the phyllo with a damp kitchen towel, so the layers don't dry out quickly.
As you assemble the spinach pie, brush each layer of phyllo with melted butter and/or olive oil.
If your phyllo sheets do break, piece them together, saving the best for the top. Once the pie has been cut, no one will know the phyllo leaves broke.
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.

Nutrition