Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)

A savory spinach and feta cheese filling is wrapped between buttery, flaky layers of phyllo dough in this traditional & delicious Greek spinach pie.

I really love this dish. It's so hearty and nourishing - the spinach & feta filling is savory, cheesy, salty & packed full of spinach-y nutritional goodness, and it's all wrapped in a buttery, flaky phyllo dough blanket with a crispy crunchy top. MMM!

This is my mom's recipe, and I have to give her a big shout out for taking the time to remake it and write down all of the deliciousness. My mom is an incredible cook, and a lot of her recipes aren't actually written down (they are just in her head, she's that good), so sometimes asking for a recipe is a lot more work than you'd think it would be! So thanks, Mom!

A couple important tips for you!

Tip 1: Make sure your phyllo dough is thawed to room temperature! I'm going to share a slightly embarrassing story with you in the hopes of saving you from making the same mistake I made. The first time I tried to make this, for some reason I decided to NOT look at the package directions and I was thinking the phyllo dough should come straight out of the freezer. I think I was confusing it with puff pastry which is easier to work with when it's cold? Anyway, when I went to unroll the frozen log of dough, it all broke apart and I basically ended up with phyllo confetti. I panicked, FaceTimed my mom, and ended up ordering pizza for dinner that night. It happens...

So make sure you follow the instructions on the package for thawing the dough before you use it!

Side note: I think phyllo dough is one of those secret ingredients that is under-utilized. For example - these Mushroom and Goat Cheese Phyllo Bites are absolutely incredible and a large part of that is the crispy crunch brought by the phyllo cups!

Tip 2: The pre-cut is essential - it will make it much easier to serve! Precutting the phyllo dough while it's uncooked & flexible keeps the crispy top of the spinach pie from shattering into a mess of crumbs when you recut it after it's baked. Use a sharp knife (I prefer a serrated knife - I have this one) to cut the uncooked pie & establish your individual pieces. Cut them smaller for an appetizer, larger for main course (I usually do 12 main course sized pieces).

This Greek spinach pie is perfect as an appetizer or as a main course. The savory, cheesy, crispy flavors will have you making all kinds of yummy noises!

5 from 6 votes

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Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)

Prep Time

45 mins

Cook Time

1 hr

Resting Time

15 mins

Total Time

2 hrs

 

A savory spinach and feta cheese filling is wrapped between buttery, flaky layers of phyllo dough in this traditional & delicious Greek spinach pie.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Servings: 12 entree-sized portions

Ingredients

For the filling

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 20 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped (about one .75 oz. clamshell)
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest (about 1 medium lemon)
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 16 oz sheep's milk feta, crumbled
• 4 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded (1 cup)
• 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• salt, to taste
• 6 large eggs, whisked

For the pastry/assembly

• 2 Tbsp butter, melted
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 8 oz phyllo dough at room temperature
• cooking spray

Instructions

For the filling

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until transparent and fragrant, about 5-6 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. 

2. Wrap the thawed spinach in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out as much water as you can. Add squeezed spinach to the bowl, separating with your fingers, and stir to combine and slightly cool the onion/garlic mixture. Add the dill, parsley, lemon zest & juice, crumbled feta, mozzarella, fresh pepper, and cayenne and gently fold mixture together. Before adding the eggs, taste for seasoning and add salt if desired (feta can be salty so you might not need much, I usually add about 1/2 tsp to help season the eggs that are about to be added, but adjust to your preference). Gently fold in eggs and set aside.

For the pastry/assembly

1. Melt butter in a small bowl and mix with olive oil. Brush mixture lightly all over the inside of a 9x13 baking dish. Lay down 3 sheets of phyllo dough, staggering dough to cover the bottom and up the sides of the pan, lightly brush again with butter/oil mixture. Repeat 3 sheets at a time, brushing with butter/oil mixture until you have laid down 9 layers of dough.

2. Add spinach mixture and spread evenly into the pan. Fold the edges of the phyllo dough that you layered up the sides over the top of the spinach mixture. Repeat dough layering over the top, brushing with butter/oil mixture every 3 layers. When you have 4 sheets of phyllo left, gently ruffle the phyllo dough and place on top for a pleated, pretty presentation and crispier top. Once you have the ruffled sheets of dough on top, spray with cooking spray to lightly coat the entire top of the pie. 

3. Use a sharp knife (I prefer a serrated knife) to cut the uncooked pie & establish your individual pieces (smaller for an appetizer, larger for main course). Cutting the pieces before you bake it will make it much easier to serve and prevent the crispy top of the spinach pie from shattering into a mess of crumbs when you cut it for serving.

4. When you are finished assembling and ready for the oven, immediately turn the oven down to 350. Bake for 1 hour, checking the top occasionally for over browning. If it starts to get too brown, lay a piece of foil over top while baking.

5. Remove from oven and let set for 15 minutes. Recut through your existing cut lines and serve!

Recipe Notes

Sheep's milk feta is highly recommended, true Greek feta is made of mostly sheep’s milk and some goat’s milk, and it's creamier & much less salty than cow’s milk cheeses.