Spanakopita (Greek Spinach and Feta Pie)

spanakopitapIn spite of huge efforts I wasn’t able to make this dish look even half as luscious as it was in reality, so I hope you will trust me if I say that this first attempt at home-made Spanakopita was a tremendous success. I liked its freshness, its difference of textures and its pleasant lightness and was extremely proud to add another dish to my humble list of Greek recipes. I was particularly thrilled to learn that dill, a wonderful herb reminiscent of my childhood, is a perfect company for both spinach and feta. I think that not only avowed carnivores, but even those who turn their nose at spinach would change their view after tasting a piece of this vegetarian pie.

I am of course not the author of this recipe and owe the excellent result entirely to my Greek friend Katerina, from Culinary Flavours, whose fascinating blog has never ceased to inspire and motivate me to explore the extraordinary world of her country’s cuisine. Katerina’s version gives a lighter, fresher, more aromatic and simply better result than any Spanakopita I have ever tasted. First of all, contrary to most sources, her recipe calls for fresh, raw spinach; moreover, the filling is generously seasoned with fresh dill (not present in many Greek recipes I had seen before) which suits perfectly both feta and spinach. The presence of cracked wheat is a very clever idea, preventing the mushiness. Thank you so much, Katerina, for this marvellous recipe, for your constant encouragement and inspiration!

Most of you have already tasted spanakopita or have at least heard about it. As a quick reminder, this Greek pie consists of the phyllo pastry layers filled either with spinach or with both spinach and cheese. Spanakopita is baked as a pie or made into smaller individual triangles and eaten as snacks. Thanks to Katerina, I now know that “Spanakopita” is a simplified name for this pie. Technically “Spanakopita” contains only spinach, while the cheese and spinach version is traditionally called “Spanakotiropita”. Since Katerina says even Greeks call both Spanakopita, I felt comfortable leaving the name which is more known abroad.

I have followed Katerina’s recipe quite closely, but reduced the amounts by half (which I regretted afterwards since Spanakopita disappeared in no time at all). I couldn’t resist adding some garlic which proved to be a good idea (at least for a garlic addict!). The only thing I omitted was Katerina’s impressive homemade phyllo pastry I wasn’t brave enough to try. I strongly encourage you to visit Katerina’s blog, admire her home-made phyllo pastry and browse through her inspiring, clearly explained – not only Greek – recipes. You will certainly find real treasures.

Before going to the recipe details, I would like to express my gratitude to A_Boleyn for her regular encouragement which led me to buy my very first package of phyllo pastry, the step which in turn led to my very first Spanakopita.

TIPS: Garlic is my own idea and its presence is not necessary.

Strangely, both me and my husband preferred this dish completely cold. We thought it tasted even better the following day, straight from the fridge, so if you have leftovers, taste them cold before reheating. Maybe you will prefer spanakopita this way too.

If you don’t have cracked wheat I suggest substituting it with semolina.

If you cannot find fresh dill, the best would be frozen dill here. Dried dill loses its refreshing aroma.

Preparation:

Ingredients (fills a 20 x 20 cm baking dish:

1 small package (250g/oz) phyllo pastry

350 g fresh spinach

200 g feta

a handful of chopped fresh dill

1 spring onion, chopped

1 egg

4 flat tablespoons cracked wheat or semolina

salt, pepper

(2 garlic cloves, chopped)

1 tablespoon olive oil + more for brushing phyllo pastry sheets

Preheat the oven to 175°C/350°C.

Wash the spinach, drain it and squash well in your hands to diminue its volume.

Stir-fry the garlic and the onion for a couple of minutes.

Put aside.

Put the spinach into a big bowl, add the stirred-fried garlic and onion, the dill, the seasonings, the egg and the cracked wheat.

Crumble the drained feta and either combine it with spinach now or put it into the dish afterwards as a second layer.

Divide the phyllo pastry sheets in two equal parts.

Grease the baking pan.

Layer the first half in the greased dish, brushing every layer with olive oil and leaving some pastry “hanging” out of the dish, so that you will be able to close the pie at the end.

Place the spinach mixture over the pastry sheets.

(Add the crumbled feta on top if you haven’t mixed it with spinach).

Take the second half of the phyllo sheets and layer them on top, greasing every sheet with olive oil. Trim the excess pastry layers which go out of the dish (do not cut the lower pastry sheets which were left to hang out of the dish!).

Turn the “hanging” sides of bottom pastry sheets inside, so that they close the whole pie.

Cut the pie into square or rectangular portions.

Brush with olive oil, spray with water and bake for about one hour or until the pie becomes golden at the top.

Serve warm or cold.

56 Replies to “Spanakopita (Greek Spinach and Feta Pie)”

  1. Thank you for the mention. I wish I had added fresh dill to mine. By the way, I have to say that frozen spinach is a great product and nothing to be ashamed of using throughout the year when fresh spinach may not be available. And it’s a lot more convenient than steaming all that spinach. 🙂 If you squeeze out your cooked spinach well, the filling won’t get mushy.

    I agree that spanakopita is good cold (or warm or fresh out of the oven).

    1. Thank you so much again for the encouragement! Dill was a huge revelation here! Actually I meant the difference between cooked spinach and raw one (I have nothing against the frozen one). Most recipes include a spinach cooking step before the baking stage but this one didn’t and it gave excellent result.

  2. I love the recipe but usually make it in the form of small piroshki like finger food for a single bite for drinks gatherings. It is fabulous as it can be able to be made ahead and baked in multiple trays in the oven: the flaky phyllo pastry makes it a wonderful morsel indeed!

  3. Yum! I had spankopita when I went to Greece a year ago and it was by far one of my favourite Greek pastries! There’s just something about that salty savoury spinach filling sandiwched between layers and alyers of thin crispy pastry – I am salivating just typing this! And looking at your photos of course! Good call on the garlic- I am a complete addict too (high five) and will be adding garlic to mine for sure!

    1. Thank you so much, Shuhan. Katrina has been making me dream of a trip to Greece for quite a long time… welcome to the garlic fanclub 😉

  4. Lovely looking spanakopita Sissi — your spinach/feta layers came through beautifully and what a nice idea adding the fresh dill. I have no trouble imagining how quickly this would disappear. Have I told you that I am a small expert when it comes to this dish? Haha, hardly but… as the story goes, our eldest son’s caregiver was a Greek grandmother who routinely made gorgeous native dishes for us including, yes, this classic pie. In fact, she made batches of it for our son’s baptism and it was the hit of the day! :). So I not only love the taste of spanakopita but I also have very fond memories of Yaya and her delicious home cooking and hospitality. Thank you for bringing back that flood of memories – xo.

    1. Dear Kelly, I’m thrilled to learn you have such a sentimental link to spanakopita but it also makes me nervous… I am sure you had much better spanakopita than this first attempt I present! Thank you so much for kind compliments.

  5. Nice looking spanakotiropita, nicely trimmed sides. That must have been challenging. And you used olive oil instead of butter for brushing the filo, good idea.
    In Aust I noticed that spinach cheese rolls were quite common (spinach and cheese in puff pastry). I guess they got the idea from the Greeks.

    1. Thank you so much,Mr. Three-Cookies. Butter?? I have always associated. Greek cuisine with olive oil. I think spanakopita is quite famous and maybe transformed a bit in every country.

  6. Are you kidding Sissi?! You are much to modest my friend. This is the best looking spanakopita I’ve ever seen. I don’t know if it’s because of where I live and that I really don’t know what a good spanakopita taste like or looks like, but when I first saw this picture in my mailbox, I thought “WOW! That’s perfect!” If it taste as good as it looks, and it sounds like it does, I will gladly pay shipping to have you make me a huge batch! 🙂 I love dill, and I didn’t know it was in spanakopita, but then that’s probably due to my previous statement. I’m sure Katerina is smiling from ear to ear right now for her inspiration of getting you to make such a gorgeous dish with her recipe.

    1. Dear MJ, thank you so much for kind compliments. To be frank, before preparing Katerina’s spanakopita I also had no idea what the real thing should taste like (I realised it only after having tasted this one).

  7. You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself Sissi – It truly does look delicious… every bit as much as it no doubt was! I love how you can make out the beautiful layers of feta and spinach (you layered it right, instead of mixing it… at least it looks that way). I think it’s much more appetizing than everything being in a big mush together, and the pastry looks perfectly golden, flaky and crisp. I’d eat this in a heartbeat!

    1. Thank you so much, Charles, for kind words and compliments. Actually I have mixed everything together (I wanted to make layers but forgot about them) but it didn’t become mushy in my opinion for two reasons: raw spinach and cracked wheat.

  8. Sissi, I think your Spinach and Feta Pie looks fantastic! You’re so modest, and I am sure Katrina is so proud you made this! This is a great way to eat spinach and my kids will love phyllo’s crispy layers! Beautiful and successful dish!

    1. Thank you so much, Nami. I am glad you like the way it looks. It was definitely a success in terms of taste!

  9. I have heard about this dish but never made or tasted it. But dill does sound like a great addition to this Greek dish! this spanakopita looks so wonderful…I wonder, why did I not taste it before? Adding raw spinach is a great thing to do in these great-looking dishes…atleast the kids will readily have spinach in this way. We love feta cheese! Sissi, thanks for the wonderful post!

  10. What an absolutely gorgeous version of this classic Greek dish; I find that the Greeks put too much butter on the pastry and it makes it really so greasy — but yours is not, it’s exactly what I would enjoy. I usually make this traditional pie in single, two bite hors d’œuvres portions, little triangular pillows but I’m really loving your pie version. It’s making me very hungry. My dear Grandmother used to make her own phyllo and my Mom always remembered when she did, she would use a clean white sheet on the dining room table and stretch the pastry to see through proportions. Like you, I have not had the courage to attempt it either. I’m very pleased that a fellow Canadian (Maria, aka A Boleyn) was the one to encourage you to try it; I always have a package in my freezer!

    1. Thank you so much, Eva. If one wants, phyllo sheets can absorb tons of fat, but I found this moderate amount enough to make it delicious. I had no idea your grandmother was Greek!

  11. Sissi, my Spanakopita was very similar to yours, which I posted last year. You made it absolutely perfect, and flawless with the phyllo pastry,,,store bought! I remember my grandmother would pull the dough so paper thin, over a floured table cloth on the dining room table, and walk around the table stretching the dough and folding it to thin perfection…I’ll never forget that since I was a young child!

    Your post has been up for a few days and I just got around to commenting…glad I did; now I want to make spanakopita again a.s.a.p.!

    1. Thank you so much, Elisabeth. Was your grandmother Greek too? I cannot imagine making it on my own, like Katerina did. Too lazy 😉

  12. First of all I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the good words you say about me in your post! I don’t know if I deserve such credit! Your spanakopita looks absolutely perfect! I am drooling in front of my computer and this is not a lie! very smart idea to add garlic! I will try it myself to see how it tastes! I am so happy you liked my spanakopita and be sure that you made the real thing! Thank you once more for everything you said about me in your post!

    1. Dear Katerina, thank you so much for such a kind and moving comment. I meant everything I said about your blog and I think I could fill a whole post with compliments about it! I am extremely flattered by your approval. I was a bit scared you wouldn’t like the garlic idea (I’m addicted… and somehow couldn’t resist adding it). Thank you so much again for inspiration, your constant encouragement and help!

  13. Sissi, your spanakopita look awesome…yes, I have seen it at Katerina’s post…you did an incredible job here, delicious!
    Hope you are enjoying your week my dear 😀

  14. One of my favourites! I ate so much of this when I was in Greece—from the kitchens of friends’ Aunts to streetside bakeries. I miss it very much and can’t wait to recreate this. Your filling looks so perfectly creamy.

  15. What a beautiful spanakopita! I love the flakiness of phyllo dough. I could probably eat that all day. Good tip about trying it cold. I’ve never thought about trying it cold but will definitely try now. It also cuts out the extra work of reheating it. 🙂 Looks delicious as usual Sissi!

    1. Thanks a lot, Gomo. I tried it cold because it was so good, I just wasn’t able to wait until it heats 😉 I’m glad I did!

  16. Spinach and feta is such a great combination and espeically wrapped with a crunchy thin layers of phyllo. That plate you have there is a plate of flavor. Thank you and I hope you are having a great week, Sissi!

  17. This looks so good! This made it to my ‘must try’ recipe file. Can’t wait. All I need is feta cheese. Write it down on my shopping list… it’s going to be fun!

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