the greek comfort food you've been needing
Spanakopita, a crispy spinach pie made with phyllo dough, is one of my absolute favorite Greek foods. It is so comforting and savory, and I love that the phyllo pastry is nice and light—so the creamy spinach and feta filling really does most of the work here!
While spanakopita makes a great side piece on a large mediterranean spread, you can also serve this dish as the star of the meal, pairing it with a side of Greek salad or with warm pita and mediterranean dips like tzatziki, hummus, or baba ganoush.
⟶ the recipe
spanakopita
ingredients
16 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 large onion, minced
4 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 eggs
2 teaspoons dried dill
10 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
Salt and pepper
1 16-ounce package of phyllo dough, thawed
Extra-virgin olive oil for brushing
Prep time
30 minutes
Cook time
1 hour
Total time
1 hour 30 minutes
12 squares
instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, mix together the spinach, onion, garlic, olive oil, eggs, dill, and feta. Season with salt and pepper.
Prepare a 9×13 baking dish by brushing it all over with olive oil. Unroll the phyllo sheets.
Place two phyllo sheets on the bottom of the baking dish, allowing them to come up over the sides of the dish. Brush the phyllo with olive oil. Repeat with two more sheets of phyllo, brushing with olive oil, until two-thirds of the stack has been used up.
Spread the spinach and feta mixture evenly over the dough. Top with two more phyllo sheets, and brush with olive oil.
Repeat the process, placing two sheets and brushing with olive oil, until the rest of the stack has been used up. Brush the top layer with olive oil, making sure to coat the edges.
Bake the spanakopita for one hour, until the phyllo dough is crisp and golden. Remove from oven, and allow the spanakopita to cool for a few minutes before cutting into squares.
⟶ recipe notes
- One of the most important steps of this recipe is making sure the spinach is fully drained. The last thing you want is soggy spanakopita! I allow the spinach to thaw in a strainer, and then I squeeze it out in sections with my hands, and then I lay the spinach out on a towel and pat dry with paper towels before mixing it into the filling
- It’s crucial with this recipe to use high-quality feta cheese. I’m definitely guilty of getting just plain old crumbled feta for my salads most of the time, but for a most successful spanakopita recipe, you’ll want to shell out for the real deal! Look for a block of Greek feta packed in brine, making sure to drain it before crumbling for the recipe
- Do not under any circumstances skimp on the olive oil. And 100% use true extra-virgin olive oil, preferably a Greek one for this recipe! You don’t want the phyllo to be drenched in oil, but you also want to make sure you aren’t skipping oil brushing on any of the layers to ensure the phyllo comes out crispy and not crumbly
⟶ make it ahead and store it
- You can definitely prepare the spanakopita in the baking dish ahead of time. Just cover it with olive oil and refrigerate until you’re ready to pop it in the oven
- You can store baked spanakopita in the fridge for about 4-5 days after making it. Just don’t reheat too many times or it’ll get soggy
