No Greek table is complete without spanakopita (σπανακόπιτα).
For me, it was a staple in my home growing up.
This delicious savoury Greek pie is stuffed with spinach, feta and herbs that are all enfolded by crispy, flaky filo pastry.... need I say more?!
Today, I'm sharing my yiayia's recipe and tips for her famous spanakopita.
I like to follow her recipe while listening to GCT's Spotify playlist.
*Note: If the filo is frozen, remove if from the freezer and place in the refrigerator the day before it is needed.
Ingredients
- Packet of filo pastry
- 3 bunches of spinach
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 1/4 cup of dill, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup of mint leaves, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 300g of feta, crumbled
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 3/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
Steps to make Spanakopita
- Finely chop the spinach, place in a large colander over a bowl and sprinkle evenly with salt. Place a heavy weight on top- a large dinner plate topped with a few tins works well- and leave for 1 hour to drain.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Grease the base and sides of the baking dish with a little oil and line the base with baking paper.
- Rinse the spinach thoroughly under running water, drain well and squeeze out as much water as possible.
- Place in a large bowl, add the dill, mint, feta, parmesan cheese and eggs and mix well. Season with salt and pepper, remembering that feta is salty and the spinach has been salted.
- Dampen a clean tea towel with water.
- Remove the filo from the packet, unroll carefully, cover with a large piece of baking paper and top with the damp tea towel. To ensure the filo doesn't dry out and tear, each time you remove a sheet, replace the baking paper and tea towel.
- Working with one sheet at a time, lay 7 filo sheets into the prepared baking dish, brushing every second sheet with oil.
- Top with spinach mixture, spreading it out evenly and pressing with the back of a spoon to pack it tightly.
- Top with 7 filo sheets, brushing every second sheet with oil.
- Brush the top sheet and tuck any excess filo into the baking dish.
- Using a sharp knife, cut into squares, three-quarters of the way through to the bottom of the tray.
- Sprinkle with a tiny bit of ice water.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the top is golden and crisp.
- When ready, remove dish from oven.
- Allow to cool slightly. Cut the squares through to the bottom.
- Serve the spanakopita hot or at room temperature.
Tips:
- Never cook the spinach leaves before adding them to the pie.
- Sprinkling the spanakopita with a tiny bit of ice water creates a nice, crispy top.
Check out our other recipes here:
- Kalitsounia- Cretan Cheese Pies Recipe
- Dolmades- Stuffed Vine Leaves Recipe
- Amigthalota- Greek Almond Biscuits Recipe
- Rizogalo- Rice Pudding Recipe
- Melitzanes Papoutsakia- Greek stuffed Eggplant Recipe
- Horta Vrasta- Greek Boiled Leafy Greens Recipe
- Mussels Saganaki Recipe
- Greek-inspired lamb burgers Recipe
- Sokolatopita- Greek Chocolate Cake Recipe
- Loukoumades: Greek Honey Puffs Recipe