The Greeks really know their way around food, and a Greek spinach pie is certainly no exception. They call it spanakopita, and it’s a pie made with phyllo dough and filled with spinach and feta – Yum!
Greek Spinach Pie
We love pies at home, but we don’t often make them with phyllo dough. However, we’re going to start doing that because this pie was a huge hit with both kids and adults.
It’s also really surprising how easy it is to make. I’ve always thought that making such a beautiful pie with phyllo dough must be really difficult, but it wasn’t at all.
Our taste buds immediately transported us back to Greece when we took a bite of this pie. It has those good, simple Greek flavors that we love, and it doesn’t take much to achieve them.
Ingredient notes
Phyllo Dough – Frozen phyllo dough sheets. You can find them in larger supermarkets; we found them at Føtex here in Denmark. They need to thaw in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours before use, but then they are really easy to work with.
Spinach – Frozen spinach, which should be thawed and drained before use.
Feta Cheese – We used real feta cheese, but you can also use salad cheese or, for example, a puck cheese.
Eggs – Eggs are needed in the spinach mixture to set it and make it firm when baked. They add richness to the pie.
Thyme – I’m not sure if it’s entirely Greek, but it pairs really well and provides a lovely flavor.
Lemon – A bit of lemon zest in the egg mixture gives a fresh touch to the spinach.
Nutmeg – You don’t need much, but it adds that final touch.
How to make spanakopita?
This pie tastes delicious and is actually not that difficult to make.
First, place the phyllo dough in the bottom of a springform pan, remembering to brush with oil between each layer. Once the dough is ready, fill the pie with an egg mixture with spinach, feta, and delicious spices, then fold the phyllo dough over to seal the pie.
Once the pie is ready, it goes into the oven and bakes for about 45 minutes until it’s delicious, golden, and crispy.
After that, it’s ready to eat.
Find the full recipe further down this page.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can actually do that. Some people choose the slightly richer puff pastry for the pie, so you can do that if you’re not a fan of phyllo dough.
Other greek recipes you might like
Tips and tricks for the recipe
- Brush oil or melted butter between the layers of phyllo dough. We use oil here, but melted butter works just fine too.
Serving suggestions
- Serve the pie as a light lunch dish.
- Serve as a side dish with Greek meatballs or chicken skewers.
Do you love spinach?
Try our recipe for Spinach roulade with salmon
Recipe for Spinach Pie with Feta
Here’s our recipe for a classic Greek spanakopita, adapted to our liking. The classic version probably doesn’t include feta, but we really love it at home.
We hope you feel like trying the recipe so you can also take your family to Greece at your dining table.
Spanakopita
Ingredients
- 10 sheets phyllo dough thawed
- 1 dl olive oil
- 4 eggs
- 600 g spinach frozen but thawed
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 spring onions
- 1 lemon zest
- 1 tsp dried thyme or fresh
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp salt
- Pepper
- 200 g feta cheese
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
Instructions
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Thaw the phyllo dough according to the instructions on the package. Thaw the spinach and drain it well in a sieve. Squeeze out as much water as possible from the spinach to prevent it from releasing too much liquid in the pie.10 sheets phyllo dough, 600 g spinach
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (about 350 degrees Fahrenheit) normal heat.
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In a bowl, whisk the eggs together.4 eggs
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Finely chop the onion, garlic, and spring onions, and add them to the bowl with the eggs.1 onion, 2 cloves garlic, 2 spring onions
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Add lemon zest, thyme, nutmeg, salt, and pepper to the mixture, and stir it all together.1 lemon, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, 1 tsp salt, Pepper
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Add the well-drained spinach to the mixture and crumble the feta cheese into it. Gently fold everything together until well combined.200 g feta cheese
- Grease a springform pan of approximately 25 cm (about 10 inches) in diameter with oil. Place one sheet of phyllo dough in the bottom of the pan, making sure it covers the entire bottom and extends over the edges so that it can be folded over the pie later.
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Brush the phyllo dough with oil, then place another sheet of phyllo dough on top, but this time, position it slightly offset so that you gradually create additional layers of phyllo dough around the edges. Brush with oil. Continue this process until you have used all the phyllo sheets.1 dl olive oil
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Once you have layered all the phyllo sheets in the bottom, pour the egg/spinach mixture on top. To seal the top of the pie, fold the phyllo dough over the filling, one sheet at a time. It can have a rustic appearance, and the phyllo dough can stick out a bit; this will make it extra crispy and delicious.
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Once all the layers are folded in, brush the top of the pie with oil and sprinkle sesame seeds over it.2 tbsp sesame seeds
- Bake the pie in the preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (about 350 degrees Fahrenheit) for approximately 45 minutes, or until the pie is crispy and golden on top.
Nutrition
How do you like the recipe?
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