Golden spanakopita with olives and Retsina wine

Greece

Greek Spanakopita

Spanakopita is one of Greece’s most recognizable savory pies: flaky phyllo wrapped around a filling of spinach, feta, herbs, and eggs.

Servings8

Prep Time30 min

Cook Time50 min

DifficultyModerate

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Ingredients

US Metric

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb plus 2 oz fresh spinach, roughly chopped

9 oz feta, crumbled

7 oz ricotta

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

2 tsp dried dill

1/2 tsp black pepper

10 oz phyllo pastry

1/3 cup olive oil, for brushing

1 tsp water

30 ml olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

500 g fresh spinach, roughly chopped

250 g feta, crumbled

200 g ricotta

3 eggs, lightly beaten

20 g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

2 tsp dried dill

1/2 tsp black pepper

270 g phyllo pastry

80 ml olive oil, for brushing

5 ml water

Instructions

Heat the oven to 170 C. Lightly oil a 23 x 33 cm baking dish.
Heat 30 ml olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Add the spinach in batches and cook just until wilted. Transfer to a bowl and let cool slightly. Squeeze out any excess liquid well so the filling stays rich instead of watery.
Stir in the feta, ricotta, eggs, parsley, dried dill, and black pepper until evenly combined.
Unroll the phyllo and keep it covered with a slightly damp towel while you work. Lay 2 sheets in the baking dish, letting the pastry come up the sides. Brush lightly with olive oil. Repeat, two sheets at a time, until about two-thirds of the phyllo is used.
Spread the spinach filling evenly over the pastry. Top with the remaining phyllo, layering 2 sheets at a time and brushing each layer lightly with olive oil. Tuck in or crumple any overhanging edges neatly. Brush the top with olive oil and sprinkle over the water. Score the top part-way into squares.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until deeply golden and crisp. Rest for 10 minutes before cutting fully and serving.

About This Recipe

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Cultural Context

Spanakopita belongs to Greece’s generous family of savory pies, where greens, herbs and cheese often find their way into pastry. Sensible behavior, really. Nobody needs to overthink spinach wrapped in buttery phyllo. Its charm is in the contrast: a soft, salty filling with dill and parsley tucked under crackly golden layers. Spanakopita can sit beside roast lamb at a celebration or show up with salad for lunch and still feel right at home. Flexible, reliable and flaky in the best possible way.

Fun Fact

Spanakopita is the best-known member of Greece’s much larger pita tradition, which includes savory pies filled with greens, cheese, pumpkin, or meat. Once you notice that, Greek food starts looking less like a menu and more like a very persuasive argument for pastry.

Cook’s Tip

Our recipe’s basic structure is spinach, feta, herbs, eggs, and layered phyllo, but simplifies it for home cooks by using fresh spinach; thawed frozen spinach is acceptable as an option. The Mediterranean Dish uses parsley, dried dill, eggs, feta, and generous olive oil between the layers of phyllo.

Trivia

The word phyllo comes from the Greek word for “leaf,” a fitting name for the paper-thin pastry sheets used across Greek and other Eastern Mediterranean baked dishes.

Greek Spanakopita

Instructions

Cultural Context

Fun Fact

Cook’s Tip

Trivia

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