Spanakopita Recipe - Maureen Abood (2024)

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This Greek Spinach Pie is traditionally made by buttering layer after layer of phyllo. Try my easy Spanakopita recipe using my simplified method for a crisp, gorgeous pie.

My recipe for spanakopita is one my Sitto learned at her Greek Orthodox Church and shared with me. The original includes the best of everything, and my original post went to the heart of a grandmother who never had children of her own yet amassed an unbelievable number of children and grandchildren. A woman I take after in a whole bunch of ways.

Spanakopita, or spinach pie, is traditionally made as phyllo dishes always are: separating the delicate sheets of phyllo and buttering each layer, with a rich filling in between. It takes some doing to keep the phyllo from drying out while all of that buttering is taking place!

But now, with my fabulously simplified method, spanakopita can be pulled together in a fraction of the time. The secret here, my hack, is to pour the butter over the whole assembled and cut pie, allowing the butter to absorb before baking. Game changer!

What is Spanakopita?

Spanakopita is a traditional Greek spinach feta pie. Layers of thin, crisp phyllo pastry are filled with a luscious filling of spinach, cheese, herbs, and eggs. The phyllo assembly typically calls for buttering each thin layer individually, which is time-consuming and takes some finesse because the phyllo can dry out quickly.

Why you’ll love my Easy Spanakopita Recipe

Time Saver. Move over, time-consuming Spanakopita. No more carefully brushing butter on every single sheet of phyllo dough! This recipe stacks the phyllo dough on the bottom and on top of the filling. You’ll cut the dough into sections before baking and pour the clarified butter all over the top of the Spanakopita. It takes longer to bake it than it does to make it! And this simplified method results in a pie that tastes just as fabulous as the original method, but much more quickly.

Loaded with Flavor. This crisp, rich, cheesy favorite uses fresh crumbled feta cheese, fresh chopped dill, yummy spinach, and buttery baked phyllo for a WOW in every mouthful!

Spinach. It’s no wonder this green leafy vegetable is considered a superfood. It’s packed with nutrients, low in calories, and high in fiber. A win-win ingredient.

Phyllo Dough. If you’ve never baked with phyllo dough, fear not! You won’t have to separate the individual sheets of delicate dough. This recipe makes it easy to create spanakopita without any fuss.

Perfect for any Occasion. This spanakopita shines as a main course and is “company worthy”. It can complement any buffet as a side dish, perk up a brunch/ lunch, or even be cut smaller for appetizers.

Ingredients you’ll need for this recipe:

Frozen Spinach. I prefer the ease and convenience of frozen spinach because I usually have it on hand and it tastes as good as fresh spinach when it’s all baked in. Of course, you can use fresh spinach after you wilt it and just like the frozen, you’ll need to drain and squeeze out any excess moisture.

Feta Cheese. For the best and most robust flavor get the feta cheese in a block and crumble it yourself. Precrumbled feta cheese will work too so no worries if that’s what you have.

Cottage Cheese. Cottage cheese offers a mild flavor and creaminess to the cheese mixture.

Cream Cheese. I like cream cheese because of its smooth texture and it adds a nice tang to the taste.

Eggs. To bind the cheeses and the spinach together.

Scallions. These are young onions, the cousin of garlic, leeks, shallots, and chives. Scallions add the perfect amount of onion flavor without being as strong as red or yellow onions.

Fresh Dill. This awesome herb is what gives the filling its pop. It’s a game-changer in Spanakopita. I love fresh chopped dill but you can use dried dill in a pinch.

Clarified Butter. Clarified butter, also called ghee, is simply butter with the solids removed. I use this kind of butter exclusively with any of my phyllo dough recipes because it gives the crispy texture and golden brown color to the dough. Regular butter has solids that turn to liquid when baked which can cause soggy phyllo dough. You can easily make your own clarified butter or you can purchase butter ghee at your local grocery store. I prefer butter ghee rather than oil-based ghee.

Phyllo Dough. Use the 9 x 14-inch package of one pound of phyllo dough, which contains 2 packages of 20 sheets each. Because there are generally two sizes of phyllo readily available, I call this size the “short box” of phyllo. The “long box” of phyllo contains one sleeve of sheets that are 14 x 18 inches. If you use the long box of phyllo, simply cut that stack in half crosswise to make two stacks that fit in your 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan. Generally to prevent sleeves of open phyllo dough from drying out, a kitchen towel over top is key. For this recipe, the phyllo stacks go directly into the pan so the dough doesn’t have time to dry out.

How to Make Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)

For the Filling:

Step 1. Squeeze the spinach in the sink to remove as much excess liquid as possible.

Step 2. Stir the feta, cottage cheese, and cream cheese until well incorporated.

Step 3. Add eggs and stir to combine. Stir in the scallions, spinach, dill, salt and pepper.

For the Phyllo Crust:

Step 1. Brush the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan or baking dish with clarified butter.

Step 2. Unwrap one of the packs of phyllo dough and unfold it on the counter. Trim the long edge to fit in the pan. Place the whole pack (20 sheets) in the bottom of the pan.

Step 3. Spread the spinach mixture over the phyllo dough.

Step 4. Unwrap the remaining pack of dough and unfold it on the counter. Trim to fit in the pan. Place the whole stack on top of the filling.

Step 5. Use a sharp knife to cut the phyllo dough into even sections, cutting all the way through to the bottom of the pan.

Step 6. Pour the melted Clarified butter over the entire top of the phyllo dough. It may look like it’s resting on top but give it a minute, it’ll seep down into the cuts. You can tilt the pan to move the butter, so it covers the dough completely.

Step 7. Bake the Spanakopita for 40-50 minutes or until golden. Cool for 10 minutes.

Tips for making Spanakopita this easier way:

Be sure your knife to cut is sharp. Precutting the phyllo dough before baking is the key to having the clarified butter soak into all the layers from the top to the bottom of the pan. A freshly sharpened knife will make it easy to cut through all the layers of dough.

Make this ahead of time and bake later. The Spanakopita can be made ahead and left in the refrigerator, covered, for a day, then baked when you’re ready. Or you can make it ahead and fully bake it, let it cool completely, and refrigerate. Then when you’re ready to serve just reheat in the oven at 350 degrees until warmed through.

Substitutions and Additions:

Substitute dried dill if you don’t have fresh dill. Use two teaspoons of dried dill for this recipe if you can’t get fresh herbs.

Use fresh parsley if you don’t have dill. Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley is another great herb commonly used in Spanikopita.

Ricotta Cheese can be substituted for cottage cheese. It’s a classic that works well in this recipe too.

If scallions aren’t available, substitute chopped onion and garlic, a clove, can also be included.

How to store Spanakopita:

Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Reheat slices on a cookie sheet in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 -13 minutes, or until heated through.

Freeze baked Spanakopita in a freezer-safe dish for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating in the oven.

Frequently Asked Questions

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