Spanakopita has a perfectly crisp and flakey outside with a delicious and comforting cheesy, spinach filling. It’s a classic and savory Greek pie that is a dish that the entire family will love!
You can cook this as a side dish or as an entree. But either way, serve it up with some Greek salad, chicken, and baklava and you will have yourself a Greek meal for the books!
What is Spanakopita?
Ok, I know that the name sounds fancy and intimidating but this recipe is NOT that! Spanakopita is a Greek dish! A savory and creamy spinach pie if you will. It is made with fillo dough which is thin, layered sheets of dough that resemble the texture of tissue paper. It gives this pie the BEST texture and the flakes melt in your mouth when you take a bite!
The filling on this dish is made with Greek yogurt, feta cheese, and an array of delicious spices! You mix it all up together to make a creamy filling that you then cook in your fillo crust. Once this has been baked then you serve it up and you can eat it warm or chilled! That makes this recipe perfect for leftovers because it tastes just as good the next day! It goes so well with this hummus and chicken!
Ingredients in Spanakopita
The ingredients to this are actually pretty simple! Gather them up and hurry and make this. It’s not a recipe that you want to miss out on!
- Frozen spinach: Make sure that your spinach is thawed and well drained.
- Flat-leaf parsley, Chives and Dill: Chop these all up finely.
- Garlic cloves: If you don’t have any fresh garlic cloves on hand then you can use minced garlic. ½ tsp equals about 1 clove of garlic.
- Green onions: These not only bring in a beautiful color to go with the spinach but the flavor they add is so good!
- Lemon juice: You can use fresh lemon juice or from a bottle.
- Extra virgin olive oil: This keeps the recipe light.
- Eggs: The eggs bind all of the ingredients together.
- Feta cheese: Don’t try and substitute this for another cheese. The feta is classic to this dish.
- Greek yogurt: I love how this adds a creamy texture.
- Salt and Pepper: These wil season it all up!
- Fillo dough: Your dough should be fully thawed before baking this spanakopita.
- Butter: I used unsalted butter in this recipe.
Let’s Make Some Spanakopita!
Get out your ingredients because it’s time to make some spanakopita! You are going to love this dish. It is quick and easy and something unique to add to any meal!
- Preheat oven: Preheat the oven to 325°
- Combine spinach and spices: In a large bowl, combine the well drained spinach (I squeeze it in a sieve and then in some paper towels to get all the excess water out), parsley, dill, chives, garlic, and green onions together.
- Add the rest of the ingredients: Add the lemon juice, olive oil, eggs, feta cheese, Greek yogurt, salt and pepper. Stir until thoroughly combined.
- Prepare fillo dough: Brush the bottom and sides of a 9×13 pan with melted butter and add two sheets of fillo dough. Overlap it so the bottom and sides of the pan are covered. Continue to brush the layers with butter, adding more fillo dough until you have about 12-15 layers of dough.
- Add the filling, top with fillo sheets and bake: Spread the filling evenly in the pan and add 2 sheets of fillo dough on top and brush with butter. Repeat with the remaining sheets, about 12-15, layering 2 sheets at a time and brushing with butter. Try to save 2 sheets that have not ripped for the top layer. Brush with butter and bake for 50-60 minutes, until the fillo dough is golden brown. Serve warm or chilled.
Working with Fillo Dough
Because using fillo dough to make this spanakopita can be tricky, I have some tips to help you work with it so that it doesn’t break. But first, know that a couple of the pieces are going to break and tear and that’s ok! Just make sure that you have a few pieces left that are intact for the top.
- Thaw it! Remember to thaw your dough in the fridge about a day before you need to use it. If it’s not thawed then you won’t be able to get all of the layers that you need out of it.
- How to keep the fillo dough plyable: Before you start using the dough, get two slightly damp kitchen towels and put the dough between the two. This will keep the dough from breaking.
- Use the oil: The extra virgin olive oil not only keeps the recipe lighter but it helps your fillo dough. You don’t want to use too much oil but using this to brish on between the layers helps them stick together and not tear.
How to Store Leftovers
Leftover spanakopita is delicious the next day because you can eat it warm or cold! Here is how you can store your extra for later.
- Refrigerator: Once your spanakopita has cooled then place it in an airtight container in your fridge. It will last about 3 days.
- Reheat: You can reheat this in the oven at 325 degrees for about 15 minutes or until heated through.
More Greek Recipes to Try
Salads
Greek Tzatziki Pasta Salad
Appetizers
Greek Chicken Sliders
Dinner
Greek Meatballs (Keftedes)
Spanakopita
Ingredients
Filling
- 16 ounces Frozen Spinach thawed and well drained
- 1 cup Flat-leaf parsley chopped
- 2 Tablespoons fresh chives chopped finely
- 2 Tablespoons fresh dill chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 4 green onions chopped finely
- ½ Tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons robust extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large eggs
- 10 ounces feta cheese
- ½ cup plain greek yogurt
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ¼ Teaspoon Pepper
Crust
- 1 16- oz package of Fillo dough thawed
- 8 Ounces Butter melted
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 325°
-
In a large bowl, combine the well-drained spinach (I squeeze it in a sieve and then in some paper towels to get all the excess water out), parsley, dill, chives, garlic, and green onions together.
-
Add the lemon juice, olive oil, eggs, feta cheese, Greek yogurt, salt, and pepper. Stir until thoroughly combined.
-
Spread the filling evenly in the pan and add 2 sheets of fillo dough on top and brush with butter. Repeat with the remaining sheets, about 12-15, layering 2 sheets at a time and brushing with butter. Try to save 2 sheets that have not ripped for the top layer. Brush with butter and bake for 50-60 minutes, until the fillo dough is golden brown. Serve warm or chilled.
Nutrition
source https://therecipecritic.com/spanakopita/
