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Spanakopita Greek spinach pie
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Authentic Greek Spinach and Feta Pie - Spanakopita

The authentic Greek recipe for spanakopita, spinach and cheese pie. A baked spinach pie with herbs and feta cheese covered with crunchy phyllo. Easy to make and healthy.
Course appetizer. entree, Snack
Cuisine Greek, Mediterranean
Keyword Pie, Spanakopita, Spinach
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 10 pieces
Calories 252kcal
Author Elena Paravantes

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 Celsius)
  • Heat a medium pan with one tablespoon olive oil.
  • Sauté the onions until soft.
  • Add the spinach (make sure you have squeezed out the water).
  • Sauté spinach with onion for a few minutes.
  • Add the herbs, nutmeg and sugar and sauté for 2-3 minutes more. Set aside and let it cool.
  • Grate half of the feta and crumble the rest.
  • In a small bowl beat the egg and add the feta.
  • Add the egg mixture to the spinach and add the other tablespoon of olive oil. Mix so that all the ingredients are blended.
  • Brush a pan that is about 10 X 15 inches with olive oil.
  • Place a sheet of phyllo in the pan and brush with olive oil. Repeat with 5 more phyllo sheets.
  • Spread the spinach mixture evenly.
  • Cover with 6 more phyllo sheets brushing each one with olive oil. Cut the phyllo hanging over the pan or roll in.
  • Score the top with a knife (do not cut all the way through, just through the top phyllo sheets) for about 10-12 pieces.
  • Bake for about 40 minutes until phyllo is golden.
  • Remove from oven and let the pita cool. Cut in pieces.
  • Enjoy at room temperature or if you want the phyllo crunchy, warm in the oven before serving.

Notes

Working with Phyllo

  • Most likely your phyllo will be frozen. So, make sure you defrost in the refrigerator before using. Do not open the package before it has defrosted. Once it is defrosted, and you open the package do not attempt to pick up a sheet of it has not defrosted completely because it will break.
  • Now that you are ready to work with  make sure that you keep it covered completely with a damp kitchen towel, work with one sheet at a time.
  • Make sure most of the surface of the phyllo is covered with olive oil, otherwise you will have a paper like texture not a crispy one.

Make Ahead and Storing Spanakopita

Spanakopita is one of those dishes that are easy to make ahead and store. There are 2 ways:
  1. You can assemble the pie, wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it. When you are ready to bake it, just remove from the freezer and bake, and you will have freshly baked pie to serve.
  2. Another way, is to assemble the pie, bake it, let it cool completely, cut it in pieces, wrap and freeze. When you are ready to serve, just heat up the pieces at 325 until warm and crispy and serve.

What to Serve with a Spanakopita

Vegetable pites are such a great way to eat well. Spanakopita is a complete vegetarian meal combining vegetables, starch, dairy and good fats. You really do not need anything else. Vegetables cooked with herbs wrapped in the thin phyllo provide 1-2 servings of vegetables and about 1/2 to 1 serving starch. It can easily be consumed as a meal or as a snack and in Greece we often have them for breakfast. But here are some serving suggestions:
  • As a side, it is a great accompaniment to meat or fish.
  • For a buffet, serve the spanakopita cut in squares on a large platter or you can make spanakopita triangles
  • If serving as a main, I often accompany it with a small tomato salad, some olives and a bit of cheese. But as noted above, I often serve it as is especially for lunch.

Nutrition

Serving: 1piece | Calories: 252kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 17g