Spinach Pie (Spanakopita)

It looks like celery juice is a food trend this year.  I’ll pass.  However, I do have an green food option for you if you’re into that sort of thing, except this option is delicious.

I’ve had a lot of spinach pie.  Being Greek, that’s to be expected.  😉  If you asked 10 people to make it then I bet you’d get 10 different varieties.  I’m sure most, if not all, would be delicious in their own way.  When my husband and I visited Greece several years go we had a spinach pie in a spiral form at a truck stop for a few Euros.  That spinach pie turned out to be one of our favorite meals from the vacation.

I had never made my own spinach pie until last year.  I opted to not make my Yiayia’s (grandma’s) version or my mom’s, but they were part of the inspiration for my own creation.  I made a 2 serving spinach pie in a loaf pan for my me and my husband to share for dinner.  I was obsessed with it.  It far exceeded my expectations.  The filling was moist and tasty.

The phyllo crust was crispy and delicious.  Thank you, butter.  Yes, there is a lot of butter going on here, but you use the same amount when you bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies and this has vegetables in it so I’m going to call it healthier than a cookie.  😉

While I love the 2 person recipe for just me and the hubby, I do not want to make 3 separate loaf pans at one time to serve a bunch of it at a family gathering.  So I transformed the recipe to make it in a 9 x 13 pan and I cut the squares into smaller sizes, perfect for an appetizer or a side dish.  You should cut the squares into bigger portions if you wanted to serve a vegetarian dinner for 4 to 6 people.

You can enjoy spinach pie hot, room temperature, or cold.  I love it the best when it’s hot because the phyllo is nice and crispy.  Look at all those buttery layers.  Yum!

Spinach Pie (Spanakopita) Recipe
(Made 18 squares)

Ingredients:

  • 3 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped (equivalent to about 3/4 cup)
  • 3 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons dried parsley
  • 6 teaspoons dried dill
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 12 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (equivalent to about a heaping 1 and 1/4 cups)
  • 16 sheets phyllo dough, thawed
  • 3/4 cup butter, melted (equivalent to 1 and 1/2 sticks)

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter a 9 x 13 inch pan and set it aside.
  2. In a skillet, over low/medium heat, add the olive oil and finely chopped onion, and cook it until it’s slightly browned.
  3. Thaw the frozen spinach and squeeze out the water.  I placed the thawed spinach in a colander and used paper towels to press the water out.  You don’t need to squeeze it like you are trying to get back at a mortal enemy.  Just enough to remove some of the moisture so that your spinach pie doesn’t get soggy.
  4. Add the spinach into the skillet and stir everything together.
  5. Remove the spinach mixture from the heat and set it aside.  Let this rest to get to room temperature.
  6. In a medium bowl, mix together the egg, parsley, dill, salt, pepper, and feta cheese.
  7. Add in the spinach mixture and stir everything together and set this aside.  (Make sure that the spinach mixture is not hot because you don’t want to scramble the egg.)
  8. Make sure that the phyllo dough is completely thawed.  It is super fragile so if it is not, then it will break.  In general, be extra gentle when handling each layer phyllo because it is so thin and it tears easily.
  9. Lay 1 phyllo sheet into the pan and brush melted butter on top of the sheet and up the sides.  Do this for 8 phyllo sheets.
  10. Add the spinach filling on top in an even layer.
  11. Lay 1 phyllo sheet on top of the spinach mixture and brush melted butter on top of the sheet.  Do this for 8 phyllo sheets.
  12. Cut (or score) it into 18 squares (or however big you want the pieces) prior to baking.  Phyllo is super fragile and crispy after it bakes, so this will allow you to portion it later without destroying it.
  13. Bake it in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until the top is golden brown.  (I baked mine for 48 minutes.)
  14. Let it sit for about 5 minutes before serving.

Source:  Tina’s Chic Corner

 

Rating:

Comments

  1. Victoria Cooke says:

    This made my mouth water, Tina. I wish I had a piece of it now.

    1. Tina says:

      Wow! Thanks!!

      1. Carm says:

        How soon ahead can this be made, and baked the day needed. Thx.

        1. Kathleen Carlson says:

          My son talked me into adding chopped, cooked bacon to mine. It was VERY good! But that loses my vegetarian treat for THOSE PEOPLE! LOL

          1. Tina says:

            Kathleen, the addition bacon sounds wonderful! Thank you for stopping by!

  2. Brooke Norris says:

    Do you know how well it freezes? Thanks!

    1. Tina says:

      Hi Brooke. I have frozen it up to 2 months (after I cooked it). I cover dish with plastic wrap & tin foil for maximum sealing. I take it out of the freezer the night before or morning of so that it thaws out & I pop it back into the oven just until it’s warmed through. The time in oven will depends on how frozen/cold it still is. Sometimes I keep tin foil on the top of the dish (but for safety always remove plastic wrap) so that it doesn’t brown anymore.
      I hope that helps.

      1. Brooke Norris says:

        It does! Thanks! Do you know if I could freeze the individual servings?

        1. Tina says:

          You definitely can freeze individual servings, but I have not tried that because if I have any leftovers I place them in refrigerator. We usually eat the leftovers cold or microwaved for few seconds.

          You might want to experiment with reheating smaller frozen servings. Microwave will maintain moisture but the phyllo will not be crispy. The oven will make phyllo crispy but the filling may dry out. Either way, it’s totally fine to do, but just depends on your preference.

          1. Brooke Norris says:

            Thank you so much! 🙂

      2. Tonya says:

        Wondering how this works freezing it first. Have you experimented with prepping and freezing before baking the first time? In other words, freezing it raw?

        1. Tina says:

          Tonya, I have tried freezing it raw and freezing it after cooked. While both work great, I prefer freezing it raw because I think the spinach filling is more moist that way. I cover the dish with plastic wrap & tin foil for maximum sealing in the freezer. I take it out of the freezer the night before or morning of so that it thaws out & I pop it into the oven for cooking. The time in oven will depend on how frozen/cold it still is.
          I hope that helps.

  3. Linda says:

    Could you give the recipe proportions for the smaller version that you made for you and your husband?

  4. Renee says:

    I need to make this now. My favorite place to eat spinach pie was at the MN renaissance festival, but the vendor retired and the place that replaced them sucks. They didn’t use phyllo dough at the old place though, she uses a regular pie crust recipe and it was very good.

    1. Tina says:

      Festivals have the best food. If you end up trying this I’d love to what you think. I appreciate you stopping by!

  5. Chris says:

    Looks good! Have you ever tried adding garlic?

    1. Tina says:

      No, but I do love garlic!

  6. Sandy Curry says:

    I would like to use fresh spinach, as I usually have it on hand. Since it cooks quickly, would it work to add it to the skillet in Step 4 instead of the frozen spinach?

    1. Tina says:

      Yes, I think it would work. If you try that, I’d love to know how you make out. Thanks so much for stopping by!

  7. Rosie says:

    Hi Tina, I spotted this recipe on pinterest and it looked so awesome I had to visit 🙂 I adore spinach and I love finding new recipes too. This looks so beyond delicious and I can’t wait to try making it. My Hubby will love it for sure! Thank you so, so much for sharing, I’m off to pin to my yummy recipes board. Have a fabulous week, hugs from the UK x

    1. Tina says:

      Oh thank you so much! That means a lot to me! I love talking with my readers, especially those from outside the US because I know sometimes the ingredients or measurements may be different. Please do not hesitate to ask any questions that you may have on this or any other recipe.
      I hope you love this spinach pie as much as me & my family. My mom has already asked me to make it for the holidays. 🙂

  8. Rahimah Abdullah says:

    Hi Tina…thank you for sharing this recepi. Im from asia and It s my first time to get this recepi from pin interest. I love making pie and its good to try this recepi as my collection. Thanks again…

    1. Tina says:

      Hi there! Pinterest is popular here in the U. S. I think it is a great way to find and collect ideas.
      Thank you so much for visiting my blog! Some ingredients and measurements may be U.S. centric so please let me know if you have any questions. 🙂

      1. Lesly says:

        By George, Tina! That’s a truly cosmopolitan set of measurements🤣. Spoons, ounces, heaping 1 and 1/4 cups! I’m pretty tri-lingual with recipes, but can’t even begin to visualise sticks of butter. So I’m off to Google, and can’t wait to make it tomorrow x

        1. Tina says:

          LOL! Yes, sometimes I give different options because everyone has their preferences and I try to please everyone. 🙂 Let me know if you have any questions and I am happy to help.

  9. Johanna says:

    I love this recipe idea! Im throwing my parents 50th Wedding Anniversary party and am having a Mediterranean themed food / chartucery table. Can this be prepared the day before and refrigerated till baking and still turn out flaky? Thanks Jo

    1. Tina says:

      How fun! Yes, I have prepared it, chilled it (don’t bake it) & baked it the next day & it comes out beautifully & crispy philo top. I like to take it out of the fridge a few hours before I bake it so that it’s not as cold & bakes quicker.

      I have baked it & reheated it in the oven the next day but I personally don’t like this method because I think it comes out drier.

      I hope that helps!

      1. Linda Motley says:

        Thank you for a DELISH, DISH, WE LOVED IT, will add garlic and more cheese next time.

        1. Tina says:

          Yes! I’m so happy you loved it!

  10. RdMc says:

    “Get back at a mortal enemy”…I laughed out loud! This looks delicious, trying as soon as possible, thank you!

    1. Heather Wilks says:

      I loved that comment too!

  11. Jeanne says:

    I have made this before. Always a hit. Great tip on scoring it before baking. I will try it. You’re right it flakes so easy after baking. Thx

    1. Tina says:

      Awesome! Thank you for stopping by!

  12. Irene says:

    Made this for Greek Easter! It was delicious.

    1. Tina says:

      Wonderful to hear! Thank you for stopping by!

  13. Jane Quinn says:

    Can you assemble this ahead of time and cook it later?

    1. Tina says:

      Yes definitely.

  14. Leslie says:

    I made individual spanakopita rather than a pan and I therefore had left over filling which I used in a quiche. It was soooo good.

    1. Tina says:

      Sounds amazing! I love the individual size when I’m making it as an appetizer for a party. 🙂

  15. Dorothy says:

    I reheat leftover spanakopita by warming it for 10 seconds then crisp it in a skillet. Warm and crispy. Mmm

  16. Nana Gail says:

    To make cutting the pie easier, my Greek friend Cyrus told me to place the pie in the freezer for about 10 minutes before baking. Remove from freezer and cut into portion size and then bake. Just a quick slice when done gets you easy neat portions.

    1. Tina says:

      Great tips!

  17. Paula says:

    My husband is Lebanese and his mother always uses lemon juice not dill and no feta at all for her filling but I thought what the heck this Italian Irish gal is gonna try her hand at authentic Greek Spanakopita fully expecting the hubby to say his mom always does this or that 🙄 BUT…. to my surprise he scarfed it up and requests this often!! I am sworn to secrecy however he even says he prefers this over theLebanese version lol lol …..it’s our little secret … and of course all of your readers too 😉

    1. Tina says:

      Paula, you made my week! 🙂

  18. Adrienne Sieni says:

    I just made this for the first time today and it was fantastic!! It will now be part of the rotation!!

    1. Tina says:

      Yay! So happy to hear that! 🙂

  19. Brittany says:

    This made me so happy!! There was this fantastic Greek restaurant in my small hometown that made deep dish spanokapita perfectly. Then I moved to Vancouver BC and i am yet to find a good greek restrunt and was sick of the triangle spanokapita with peppers in them. I tried this out and it was very similar im so happy! My partner works at a work camp and part of the way I keep sane when hes gone for 3 weeks is planning the special meals i’ll make him, this’ll be one of them for his next week off. Do you have a taziki recipie? I tried making one and it was so spicy that it became a game at his construction site to see who could it those most of it before their mouth burned off XD.

    1. Tina says:

      It’s only Monday but you have already made my week, Brittany!

      I do have a tzatziki recipe: http://tinaschic.com/2019/05/tzatziki-cucumber-yogurt-dip/

      What kind of spice do you add to your recipe? My recipe does not have any heat to it.

  20. Shica says:

    Can you omit the egg?

    1. Tina says:

      Hi Shica. Yes, but the spinach mixture might not hold together as well (which I do not think is the end of the world).

  21. Stacie says:

    One of my favorites. Could I cut the phyllo dough to 4 layers top and bottom? I find I peel a few layers when I order it out. I love the filling.

    1. Tina says:

      Yes, absolutely. One of the great things about this recipe is that you can adjust it to how you like it. 🙂

  22. Donna says:

    This is really good. My guest really liked it. Ended up using a half a sick with f extra butter. It wasn’t browning in the oven for me, so I used the broiler. You have to be careful because I’m almost burned it.

    1. Tina says:

      I’m so glad that you and your guest enjoyed this! 🙂

  23. Kathy Davis says:

    Are the spice measurements correct as written? 3 tablespoons dried parsley and 6 teaspoons of dried dill (which is actually 2 tablespoons). I just want to make sure there isn’t a typo on the amount of dill.

    1. Tina says:

      Hi Kathy. They are correct. I happened to use a teaspoon for the dried dill because the dill is in a small container. I should have converted it to 2 tablespoons for ease of directions. Thanks for asking!

      1. Kathy Davis says:

        Thanks! I ended up making it last night (recipe as written), and my family loved it! Super delicious and easy. A definite keeper.

  24. Smita says:

    What can I use for eggs substitute?

    1. Tina says:

      Smita, I have never used an egg substitute for this recipe. I may suggest that you try omitting it. The filling may not be as firm without the egg, but I do not think that that is a bad thing.

  25. Elaine Connolly says:

    Can you use another kind of cheese such as shredded mozzarella instead of feta?

    1. Tina says:

      Elaine, I think most cheeses would work here and I think shredded mozzarella would be delicious, however, the texture of the filling will be slightly different (not necessarily a bad thing at all but more of a heads up).

  26. Brenda says:

    Looks delish. What do you serve with this? I think it’s not a main dish??

    1. Tina says:

      Hi Brenda! I serve spinach pie in a variety of ways:
      1- appetizer
      2- main course with a side salad (light dinner, especially in the summer because we’ll eat it room temperature or cold)
      3- side dish with roasted chicken and potatoes
      4- side dish with pastitsio

      I hope that helps! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

  27. DiDi says:

    I planning to make your recipe for Easter! I have a ton of fresh dill growing right now. Do you have a recommendation for subbing it in for the dried?

    1. Tina says:

      Hi DiDi. I have never tried fresh herbs in my spinach pie. I found the below information for suggested subbing fresh/dried:
      https://www.simplyrecipes.com/how_do_i_substitute_dried_herbs_for_fresh/

      I hope that helps. Let me know how you make out if you try it.

      1. DiDi says:

        I ended up using half dried and half fresh dill to use up some of what I had. It turned out great! Everyone at Easter loved it. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe and ideas!

        1. Tina says:

          Wonderful to hear that, Didi! Happy Easter and thank you so much for stopping by! 🙂

  28. DiDi says:

    Thanks so much! Baking it up today. 😋

    1. Tina says:

      I also think that herb measurements can be tricky because everyone has their own tolerance or preference to them. I always try to air on the side of less when I am making a new recipe (then add more next time if needed) because I think too much herbs can ruin a dish.

      Good luck, Didi! I feel like I can already smell those wonderful aromas coming from your kitchen.

  29. MaryAnn says:

    Delicious! I used fresh dill & parsley.
    Taking some tomorrow for birthday at a winery

    1. Tina says:

      MaryAnn, I am so glad that you love this! Sounds like a wonderful celebration. 🙂

  30. Heather Wilks says:

    Hi Tina,
    I love your recipe and have made it several times with great success. Totally delicious and reheats perfectly. But, I would love mine to look as neat as yours does. Today I trimmed off around the edges with kitchen scissors before baking, but it still puffed out. My husband has suggested that perhaps you trim the phyllo first before putting it into the tin. Is that what I need to do? Very grateful you’ve helped me come to terms with phyllo.
    Heather – Melbourne, Australia

    1. Tina says:

      Hi Heather! I am so happy that you love this recipe!

      I do not trim the phyllo dough. If I had to guess, the product that I use is different than what is available by you. I am thinking this because I know that my nuno (godfather) uses phyllo sheets that are bigger and thicker than what I use (he is from NYC) and so his spinach pie looks different than mine.

      I use a brand where the sheets are 9 inches x 14 inches (https://athensfoods.com/products/phyllo-dough-sheets/).

      If you cut it smaller, would it still puff out? If yes, I wonder if it would be better if you use less number of phyllo sheets to help compensate for the variation of the thickness?

      I hope that helps.

      1. Thanks Tina. I think you’ve nailed it. My phyllo sheets are very thin, but I think they’re slightly larger. Next time, I’ll trim them to 9 inches x 14 inches before I place in the pan. I really appreciate your quick response!

        Best wishes from Australia.

        1. Tina says:

          I am happy to help, Heather! Have a lovely holiday season!!
          I really appreciate you stopping by my blog! 🙂

  31. Jayne says:

    Absolutely delicious I didn’t change a thing. Can’t wait to make again

    1. Tina says:

      That’s wonderful to hear! Thank you so much for stopping by and letting me know!!

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