I love spanakopita. It’s got the flaky, crispy thing going on, as well as the cheesy-salty thing. Plus it’s got spinach, and even if you don’t usually like spinach, it’s hard not to love it when it’s in bed with feta, Parmesan and phyllo.
Spanakopita can be a bit intimidating to make, since phyllo takes some practice to get confident with, but the good news is that spanakopita are delicious whether they look right or not. If the triangle fold is too tricky, stick with a simple square—easier to do and just as delicious as the triangles.
Note: Spanakopita is traditionally made with butter brushed between the layers of phyllo. I prefer olive oil, as it’s healthier and I think it adds a nice layer of flavor to the spanakopita. If you prefer butter, melt about 1/2 cup (1 stick) and use it as the recipe instructs you to use olive oil.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus more for brushing Pantry
- 1 onion, chopped, $0.50
- 3 garlic cloves, minced Pantry
- 4 scallions, sliced $1
- 1 pound fresh baby spinach, washed and chopped $2
- juice and zest of 1/2 lemon $0.50
- 1 egg, lightly beaten $1.50 for 6
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg $1.50 for 1 oz.
- 12 sheets phyllo pastry that has been defrosted (consult package for directions) $2 for 1 lb box
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 6 oz. feta, crumbled $4
- salt and pepper to taste Pantry
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly brush a baking sheet with olive oil. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add spinach, scallions, lemon juice and zest and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, just until spinach breaks down. Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for 10 minutes to cool.
- Once spinach mixture is cool, gently press it in a strainer to remove excess liquid. Return to bowl. Gently stir in egg, Parmesan and feta. Season entire mixture with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
- Carefully unroll 2 sheets of phyllo on a work surface. Brush both sides of each liberally with olive oil and lay the sheets on top of each other. Lay 3 heaping tbsps of mixture in a corner of the phyllo. Carefully fold over, folding into the shape of a triangle (or something that vaguely resembles a triangle). "This diagram":http://lldzines.com/spanakopita/folded.htm is a very helpful visual aid for understanding how to fold your spanakopita. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
- Arrange spanakopita on your baking sheet and give each one a final liberal brush of olive oil. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
- Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes and serve. Alternatively, serve at room temperature or chilled.
Makes 6 spanakopita.
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What They're Saying
MousE, on Mar 4, 12:31 PM, wrote:
Hi, I just made these and they are DELICIOUS and way easier than I thought they would be! My oven is funky so I had to turn them over halfway through. They puffed up and taste very, very good. Thank you so much!