Spanakopita

Spanakopita, also known as Greek Spinach Pie, is a wonderful recipe of golden flaky filo dough layers surrounding a flavorful spinach cheese filling. Made with lots of onion and garlic, tons of fresh spinach, ricotta and feta cheeses, and golden flaky phyllo, this recipe is packed with flavor and amazing texture.

What is Spanakopita:

Spanakopita, or spinach pie as it's commonly known as, is a Greek savory pastry.

• Filling: The traditional filling is typically made from chopped spinach, feta cheese, onions, egg, and seasonings.
• Pastry: The pastry is phyllo dough which can be homemade but can also be found premade at most major grocery stores.
• Serving suggestions: You can serve spanakopita warm, room temperature, or even cold. It can be served alongside other Mediterranean inspired favorites or on it's own as a main dish. I love it for breakfast with a poached egg on top.

Why this recipe works so well:

As with all recipes, I put my own personal spin on a traditional recipe to tailor it to my tastes and preferences. There's a few reasons why this particular recipe stands out.

• Lots of vegetables: Not only do I use fresh baby spinach, but there are two whole onions, lots of fresh garlic, and fresh parsley in my Spinach Pie. I've seen other recipes that use frozen spinach and/or much fewer vegetables.
• Extra flaky dough: This recipe uses a few techniques that create the most wonderful, flaky, golden brown phyllo dough that will melt in your mouth.
• Easy to make: As long as you handle the phyllo dough properly, this Spanakopita recipe is easy to follow and bake.

Ingredients needed:

As with most recipes, you can vary or substitute to your liking. This is what I chose to use in my Greek Spinach Pie and I absolutely loved the results:

• Spinach - Use the fresh baby spinach that comes pre-washed
• Yellow and red onions - Each gives a slightly different flavor
• Fresh garlic and parsley - lots of it
• Olive oil - it's worth every penny to find a good quality one
• Eggs - only the best when they come from your backyard chickens!
• Ricotta and Feta cheese - I found equal amounts of both gave the best results
• Phyllo dough - you can't have Spanakopita without it
• Salt - lots of fresh spinach requires salt

How to make Spanakopita:

Full ingredient list and detailed step by step instructions are listed in the recipe card below, but here is a summary.

1. Cook vegetables: Sauté the onions and garlic. Once golden brown, add the spinach, parsley and salt and cook until the spinach has wilted.
2. Combine: Mix the cooled spinach mixture with the eggs and cheese.
3. Assemble: Layer sheets of phyllo dough with olive oil in a baking dish, top with the filling, and cover with additional phyllo dough sheets layered with olive oil.
4. Bake: Place the Spinach Pie into the oven and bake to a perfect golden brown and you're done!

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Recipe tips for the best results:

• Use a very large pan: All of the vegetables will lose most of their volume and will cook down to a small manageable amount, however they will take up a lot of space when raw. Use the largest pan you have for best results and add the spinach in batches, if needed.
• Remove all liquid: To get the best Spanakopita, you will need to ensure as much liquid has been removed from the vegetables as possible. To do this, allow them to fully cool in a colander to allow any excess liquid to drain out. Then, give them an extra squeeze before adding to the phyllo.
• Pre-cut slices: Before you place the assembled Spinach Pie into the oven, pre-cut square or triangle shaped pieces using a sharp knife. Otherwise, the flaky golden top layers will crumble if you cut after it is baked.

Other Mediterranean inspired recipes:

This recipe easily compliments all of your favorite Greek and Mediterranean recipes. Here are some of my favorites:

• Moussaka
• Homemade Baklava
• Tabouli Salad
• Falafel
• Tzatiki Sauce
• Greek Salad
• Mediterranean Farro Salad
• And from my friend Suzy over at the Mediterranean Dish, Lamb Burgers

This recipe was originally published in June 2014 and has been updated with helpful information, ingredient and process photos, as well as recipe tips. Don't worry - the recipe hasn't changed!