When I lived in Florida and had all 3 of my daughters living nearby, we loved getting together for a girl’s night at our favorite Greek restaurant, Acropolis. The food was amazing, and the entertainment was fantastic – complete with music, dancing and breaking of plates. It was always such a fun time of catching up with what was going on in each of our lives and giving out a little motherly advice. There were three dishes that I ordered religiously – Greek Salad, Feta Dip, and Spanakopita.
If you’re not familiar with Spanakopita, it’s a Greek spinach pie. Trust me when I tell you these are vegetables you will want to eat. The spinach is blended with loads of delicious cheese and baked between layers of buttery phyllo dough. This dish is wonderful for lunch, dinner, or cut into small triangles as an appetizer.
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds spinach, rinsed, chopped (squeeze out any excess liquid)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
8 sheets phyllo dough
1/4 cup olive oil
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a 11×9 inch baking pan or a 9×9 inch square baking pan.
2. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, green onions and garlic, until soft and lightly browned. Stir in spinach and parsley, and continue to saute until spinach is limp, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, and feta. Stir in spinach mixture. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough in prepared baking pan, and brush lightly with olive oil. Lay another sheet of phyllo dough on top, brush with olive oil, and repeat process with two more sheets of phyllo. The sheets will overlap the pan. Spread spinach and cheese mixture into pan and fold overhanging dough over filling. Brush with oil, then layer remaining 4 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each with oil. Tuck overhanging dough into pan to seal filling.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Cut into squares and serve while hot.
Most Spanakopita recipes are pretty much the same, but I typically follow this recipe found at allrecipes.com. Both fresh and frozen spinach work fin for this recipe. Just be sure to squeeze out any excess liquid from the spinach.
You might also enjoy this Baklava recipe, another of my favorite Greek foods.
Spanakopita Recipe {Greek Spinach Pie}
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 bunch green onions chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 pounds spinach rinsed, chopped (squeeze out any excess liquid)
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 8 sheets phyllo dough
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a 11x9 inch baking pan or a 9x9 inch square baking pan.
- 2. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, green onions and garlic, until soft and lightly browned. Stir in spinach and parsley, and continue to saute until spinach is limp, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- 3. In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, and feta. Stir in spinach mixture. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough in prepared baking pan, and brush lightly with olive oil. Lay another sheet of phyllo dough on top, brush with olive oil, and repeat process with two more sheets of phyllo. The sheets will overlap the pan. Spread spinach and cheese mixture into pan and fold overhanging dough over filling. Brush with oil, then layer remaining 4 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each with oil. Tuck overhanging dough into pan to seal filling.
- 4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Cut into squares and serve while hot.
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I have not had many Greek dishes in my life, and I don’t think I have ever made any Greek dishes before, but this looks delicious! I am going to try this out maybe this week. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
I sheet of filo will not be enough. I watched it made and they used 2-3 sheets. This does get heavy and you pie will fall apart
Our recipe calls for 4 buttered sheets in each layer. It turns out perfectly for us.
I adore Greek food!!
This looks so good! I’ve always bought it premade for parties as an appetizer, I had no idea it was so easy to make!
I bet the phyllo is amazing for this. I really want to try it!
This sounds HEAVENLY! I love spinach & phyllo dough so I can’t imagine not absolutely loving this!
this looks really good! this would be something i would totally make. i like that it is with phyllo dough since it is very light and give it that crispy texture. yum
There are two major things I miss about Chicago and one of them is the food. Most of our local mom and pop top restaurants were Greek owned.
Wow. As a spinach lover, I can tell you I will definitely add this to my repertoire. Beautiful! Love dishes with phylo and this one is a winner!
I know I would love this! Wonder if my family would. Need to try!
We just went to a Greek restaurant yesterday and had some along with other deliciousness. I love spinach pie! That looks so yummy.
I dont think ive ever had greek food… but this looks delish! I am a huge fan of spinach so i will definetly be making this
Iv’e been looking for this !
This dish sounds amazing. I havent’ had much Greek food living in Oklahoma.
I make this all the time! The kids love it!
This looks amazing!
I LOVE spinach pie… now I want to make some 🙂
This looks delish! I love Greek food.
Your pictures are making me hungry! I LOVE Greek food, but I haven’t mastered the art of making it yet.
Mmm… this looks so good. I’ve always bought the frozen version, but now I’m convinced I can make this myself!
This looks soo good! I have phyllo dough and had no idea what to do with it. Thank you for the idea. Yum!
I have never heard of this! It looks really good.
I have not had this in years. I will have to try your recipe, it looks great!
I have got to make this this week for sure, I love this stuff, but have never tried making it myself.
I adore spanakopita and yours looks like it turned out amazing!
I’ve never had this before but it sure does look good!
omg i loe spanakopita! my favorite ingredients cheese and spinach! this will def be a recipe i will try!
I love spanakopita, but I love tiropita too!
i thought this would be hard to make but the recipe makes it seem very easy! thanks for the recipe!
spanakopita is delicious! i don’t know if i trust myself enough to make it. but it is worth a shot i guess!
This great! NYC is filled with Greek diners, and this is always on the menu. But this is the best recipe for it I’ve ever seen. I’ll let you know how it turns out, it’s one of my favorites!
This looks delicious! The only time I really get greek food is when I attend the Greek Festival in Atlanta. I’d love to try and make this myself!
Looks delicious!! Have never tried and would love to make this for one of my parties
What a great recipe. Looks delish. I’ve never heard of this before and can’t wait to try it.
This looks amazing! It is always one of my favorite holiday dishes but the frozen stuff just doesn’t cut the mustard. This makes it look really easy!
This look soo good! I’ve never tried this before but i definitely want to!
Love this! It is vegetables you want to eat. The fact that my 16 year old “meat-a-tarian” loves it too speaks loudly to that last part. I’ve never made it myself though. No time like the present, right?!
Looks really good. Greek food is my favorite and I love the green.
I have never heard of such a thing, so I am gonna have to try this! Sounds really good!
I would probably eat the whole pan if I made it. It looks and sounds delicious!
Oh My, that looks so yummy! I love spinach!
Yum! This looks like a great way to get the whole family to eat their veggies.
I have never made this pie but really want to. Love all the ingredients in it too.
I have made this as individuals appetizers in small triangle shapes with theme fills dough this seems like less work and I like using the olive oil instead of butter for the fills dough Thanks for sharing also I never added the parsley. Everything else is the same as the small bite size individuals pieces. I am not Greek but fell in love with this many years ago. My son who does not like spinach Will eat it this way.
Ooohh, that looks good! The top reminds me of baklava.
i have not had much many geek dishes in my life, this looks great. the crust looks so light and crispy.
I love this!! My great grandmother was Greek ,I have no recipes of hers . All the ingredients look yummy! I will make ,Thanks.
This looks absolutely delicious!! What a wonderful recipe. I have eaten spanakopita before (and I loved it) but it never occurred to me to make my own. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!!
Thank you!!! I made this last night and it was delicious!
Mmm I like it.
I am from Bosnia and we call it SpanakPita here too 🙂