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Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)

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Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)
A Greek style spinach and feta pie wrapped in light and flaky golden brown phyllo dough. The abundance of fresh herbs including dill as what truly makes this pie special.

I have been wanting to try making spanakopita ever since I started exploring Greek cuisine. Spanakopita is a Greek pastry filled with spinach and cheese. I had been putting off making it because I had not worked with phyllo dough and it sounded a bit intimidating. Since I had now used phyllo dough to make baklava there were no more excuses to stop me from making the spanakotiropita.
The spanakopita turned out to be really easy to make. The filling is as simple as blanching the spinach and mixing all of the ingredients. The hardest part was working with the phyllo dough and once you get the hang of it, it is pretty easy as well. The phyllo dough needed to be thawed in the fridge over night. I set up a working area where I could stack the unused phyllo dough, brush the phyllo sheet that I was currently working on and then easily place it into the baking pan. With everything set up ahead of time working with the phyllo dough was pretty easy and the spanakopita came together in no time.
I decided to go with a pretty simple recipe sticking to the basics of spinach, feta and dill. The spanakopita was so amazingly good!! Spinach, feta and dill has to be one my favorites flavour combinations! The crust was nice and light and flaky and golden brown and crunchy and good. The Spinach filling was moist and super tasty! I made the crust thick enough that I could pick up the slice and eat it without having to cut it with an knife and fork. The leftovers still tasted great right out of the fridge but the crust was no longer crispy. I can’t wait to make this again!

Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)

Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)

Prep Time:20 minutes Cook Time:40 minutes Total Time:1 hour Servings: 4

A Greek style spinach and feta pie wrapped in light and flaky golden brown phyllo dough. The abundance of fresh herbs including dill as what truly makes this pie special.

ingredients
  • 2 pounds spinach, steamed, squeezed, drained and chopped
  • 1 cup feta, crumbled
  • 1/4 cup dill, chopped
  • 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 cup green onions, sliced
  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 12 sheets phyllo dough
directions
  1. Mix the spinach, feta, dill, parsley, green onions, eggs, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
  2. Brush the bottom of an 8×8 inch baking pan with olive oil.
  3. Brush the top of a sheet of phyllo dough with olive oil and place it in the pan. (You may have to cut the phyllo dough to fit the pan.) Repeat until you have 6 layers.
  4. Place the spinach mixture on top of the phyllo dough.
  5. Brush the top of a sheet of phyllo dough with olive oil and place it on the spinach. Repeat until you have 6 layers.
  6. Bake in a preheated 350F/180C oven until golden brown on top, about 30-50 minutes.
Similar Recipes:
Spinach and Feta Quesadillas
Spinach Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Spinach and Feta Lasagna (aka Spanakopita Lasagna)
Savoury Pumpkin Pie (Kolokithopita)
Kolokithopita (Greek Zucchini Pie)
Agginaropita (Greek Artichoke Pie)
Spinach and Feta Chicken Burgers (aka Spanakopita Burgers) with Grilled Halloumi, Roasted Red Peppers and a Spinach and Feta Sauce
Spinach Pesto, Feta and Shrimp Tortellini

Use leftover phyllo dough in:
Mushroom and Feta Phyllo Pie
Kolokithopita (Greek Zucchini Pie)
Agginaropita (Greek Artichoke Pie)
Mushroom and Goat Cheese Strudel with Balsamic Syrup
Tomato Tart
Baklava
Apple and Cheddar Quiche
Galaktoboureko (Greek Custard Pie)
Chicken and Date Pastilla
Asparagus and Walnut Phyllo Pie (aka Asparagus Baklava) with Avgolemono Sauce
Roasted Pumpkin Quiche with Caramelized Onions, Gorgonzola and Sage
Strawberry Goat Cheese Banitsa
Lamb Exohiko (Lamb, Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Phyllo Parcels)
Fiddlehead and Gruyere Tart
Spinach and Feta Mashed Cauliflower

Take a look at Peter’s great Spanakopita post for instructions for making the phyllo dough.
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lina says

    April 23, 2008 at 11:21 pm

    wow Kevin, that looks great! I love greek food but I’ve never had Spanakopia before. Your baklava looked great too. Now Im really craving some!

    Reply

  2. VeggieGirl says

    April 23, 2008 at 11:35 pm

    spanakopita = my all-time favorite Greek dish!!! I’ve always been intimidated by working with phyllo dough; but if you said it was easy to make, then maybe I have a chance at succeeding in making it! :0)

    Reply

  6. redforever says

    April 24, 2008 at 1:00 am

    The trick to using phyllo is to not let it dry out while you work with it. If you do, the sheets will not separate and they will break too.

    So, after you remove one sheet and while you are basting it with the oil, cover the rest of the phyllo with a damp tea towel. Simply wet the tea towel, wring out as much water as possible and just lay it over the unused phyllo as you work with the individual sheets.

    Reply

  7. HoneyB says

    April 24, 2008 at 1:08 am

    Yum!

    I thought of you last night when making my fish for dinner because I used dill…and you had recently talked about using dill in your mushroom soup the next time you make it!

    Reply

  20. Peter M says

    April 24, 2008 at 9:52 am

    Bravo Kevin, although you used ready to use phyllo, the result is outstanding. I differ with your filling but that’s a matter of taste.

    You’ve made Spanakopita better than some Greeks…Gold Star for you my friend.

    Reply

  27. Patsyk says

    April 24, 2008 at 2:29 pm

    I love spanokopita! Yours looks fantastic. One of these days I may try to make it, but my neighbor is Greek so I may just make them make it for me! LOL!

    Reply

  28. Tarah says

    April 24, 2008 at 3:07 pm

    Interesting. I’ve never tried this before.

    I think I’d really like it since I love spinach.

    I love how you make so may different cuisines. Reading your blog really helps be experience different kinds of foods :]

    Looks really tasty. I’ll be trying this very soon :]

    Reply

  29. Elle says

    April 24, 2008 at 3:19 pm

    This is one of my favorite foods ever! I’ve made it a few times, and I adore the addition of dill in it. It really brightens the flavors. And you’re right–it is easy to make. The hardest part is the phyllo, which is a pain in the you know what, hehe.

    Reply

  32. Lisa says

    April 24, 2008 at 6:22 pm

    Kevin, I’m quite impressed! I love spanakopita but have not make my own. I’m still nervous when it comes to phyllo, as my first experience was very frustrating. I must get over that and try this. I’m positively staving now!

    Reply

  33. Andrea says

    April 24, 2008 at 6:27 pm

    I love Spanakopita. My grandfather, who was Greek, taught my mother how to make and she makes the best Spanakopita ever. I’ll have to try your recipe to see how it compares.

    Reply

  38. N. & J. says

    April 24, 2008 at 9:51 pm

    I love the taste of phylo dough- so light and flaky and since we have some leftover from our tomato tart we will have to give this a try. Although I imagine if I wait until the spinach in my garden is ready to harvest it will be even better.

    Reply

  42. Rosie says

    April 25, 2008 at 9:26 am

    This is very stunning Kevin!! I have never tried spanakopita but looks like I really should asap now after viewing your tempting dish 🙂

    Rosie x

    Reply

  47. cook eat FRET says

    April 28, 2008 at 3:26 am

    i was reading down all your new posts – you are one helluva prolific food blogger, i gotta say – and although it all looked great – this one caught my eye… i MUST make this!

    Reply

  50. Pam says

    April 28, 2008 at 8:50 pm

    Wow Kevin, it seems the spanakopita fairy is touching a few shoulders this week. I have the ingredients in the fridge ready for dinner tonight, and my recipe is exactly the same as yours. I can only dream that it turns out as well as yours looks.

    Reply

  51. Anonymous says

    April 29, 2008 at 1:42 am

    I have some goat cheese I want to use while it’s still good. Do you think substituting goat cheese for the feta would be tasty?

    Reply

  52. Janulka says

    May 7, 2008 at 9:30 am

    Hello Kevin, as I live in Rhodes island, Greece – you did your spanakopita just right. Just to let you know: most of the women do their own phyllo dough. If you need any greek recipe from the source, let me know (I can ask my mother-in-law she is the best as for the recipes and dishes!)…

    Reply

  54. lemon says

    November 15, 2008 at 9:06 pm

    Hi… Kevin and spanakopita Funs..
    I can saw you more details to make your own Filo an spanakopita.
    If you are intresting
    [url]”http://hungryforhungry.blogspot.com/2008/02/blog-post_14.html[/url]
    and let me know if I can help you more!!
    Kisses from Greece the Land of Spanakopita!:o)

    Reply

  59. Blair says

    November 8, 2009 at 6:00 pm

    Made this the other night and loved it! Pretty easy, too. Took a short cut and used two boxes of frozen chopped spinach. Used the leftovers in scrambled eggs (pulled off the phyllo)- it was delicious!

    Reply

  60. Marnie says

    November 12, 2009 at 5:04 pm

    My daughter takes spanakopita in her lunch two or three times a week, so I make it all the time. For added flavour, consider adding a container of ricotta cheese, and some pitted chopped kalamata olives to the filling.

    Reply

  62. Ryan - disgustingly GOOD says

    February 8, 2010 at 10:24 pm

    So I made this last night and all I have to say is bravo! I altered it to half the spinach, partly because it's all I had and partly because I like my spanakopita less spinach-y anyway. Very nice, thanks for bringing the Greek festival right into our kitchen Kevin. (cue applause)

    Reply

  64. Kevin says

    April 7, 2010 at 11:02 am

    TaraTakesTheCake: I find that the equivalent amount of fresh spinach usually cooks down to about the same amount of spinach that you get frozen. (The frozen spinach contains a lot of water that is included in its weight.) I usually use 3 10 ounce bags of fresh spinach or 3 10 ounce packages of frozen spinach.

    Reply

  67. Anonymous says

    July 28, 2010 at 2:53 pm

    hey
    Thanks a lot for sharing your skills. Tried the pie yesterday it came out so well and we are loving every bit of it. Will keep following your blog from now on…. thanks again!!

    Reply

  69. Kevin says

    August 10, 2010 at 11:02 am

    Cooking for Diabetes: I do not have much choice in the selection of the phyllo dough here. I pretty much get the only brand available, which is called Jonathan T. and it has worked out pretty well every time that I have used it.

    Reply

  72. carole says

    August 29, 2010 at 4:27 pm

    Hi, Kevin!
    what a lovely spanakotiropitta recipe and pic!
    just thought i'd mention that it's easier to brush oil on pan, lay phyllo sheet in pan, brush it w/oil, etc.
    it must be very hard to transfer your already-oiled sheet to pan, and some brands will split more easily w/added weight of oil.
    LOVE reading your explorations!
    thanks for the blog.
    carole

    Reply

  76. Amy says

    October 6, 2010 at 3:41 pm

    we make spanakopita and tyropita regularly and reheat the leftovers on a pizza stone in the oven. the stone absorbs the excess moisture, so the phyllo crisps back up again. enjoy!

    Reply

  79. Nik Nik says

    November 11, 2010 at 11:01 pm

    I love making and eating spanakopita, and always add a little nutmeg to mine. Makes a nice addition to the flavor pool, but then I don't usually have dill on hand.
    Yours looks great!

    Reply

  80. Chari says

    November 26, 2010 at 11:33 am

    Hi Kevin, just to let you know I follow your blog from some time ago, but I never got the chance to let you know. I'm living in Uk, Newcastle Upon Tyne and my husband is greek, so, there you go, that's my interest for greek food. I always have a double check in you blog when I'm cooking.. like now, I wanted to be sure about the Spanakopita. Thanks a lot for your time explaining all the recipes in such of nice, easy way to follow! Thanks a lot!!!

    Reply

  82. Melinda Helbock says

    October 14, 2011 at 10:55 pm

    That looks delicious! I just started cooking classes and am finally learning to make these kind of meals for my family, I love it. I am going to try this recipe this weekend and see how it turns out! I love Greek food, and have never tried Spanakopita before. Looking forward to it! Thanks!

    Reply

  83. Anonymous says

    November 24, 2011 at 1:21 pm

    Hello everyone and Happy Thanksgiving. I found this great recipie online. Planning on making it today as a side dish to incorporate it with my Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner, My Greatgrandfather is from Greece so Ill tell my children the story tonight over the Spanakopita.

    Reply

  85. Stuster says

    February 27, 2012 at 2:38 am

    Fantastic spinach pie and very easy to make! Very ''spinachy', rather than cheesy, creamy and salty like some other spanakopita I've had. I squirted some lemon on top which kicked up the flavors even more. I plan to add a little lemon to the mixture next time. Thanks!

    Reply

  88. Anonymous says

    November 17, 2012 at 3:02 am

    I have been making spanakopita for years as well as other recipes using phyllo. SECRET # 1 Do not be afraid of the phylo! It is just dough but thinner. Layer it, play with it, cut it, and overlap it. Phyllo will not break, ruin, or spoil. Keep it moist and DON'T BE AFRAID OF IT. You'll be a user for life!

    Reply

  89. Anonymous says

    December 19, 2012 at 1:58 pm

    i've seem to half ass the recipe!! didn't sweat the onions nor the spinach nor layer the dough with butter……well i hope i comes out well for the christmas party. For the filling: I added portobello mushrooms, garlic, and italian seasoning with lemon along with the onions and spinach. For cheese, since i love cheese, i added parmesan, feta, and italian 6 cheeses from sargento. Also store brought phyllo dough. Got it at the local store.

    Reply

  90. stephen says

    November 28, 2013 at 7:16 pm

    Try using an OYSTER ROCKEFLLER STUFFING. Use traditional spinach, oysters, shallots, parm reg, mozerella, lemon juice.. OM FRKNG G!!!! … ;-)~, ENJOY!!!! CIAO…

    Reply

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