Spanakopita
- Total Time
- 1½ hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1cup finely chopped onion
- 5scallions, trimmed and finely chopped (about ¾ cup)
- 2tablespoons minced garlic
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 2pounds baby spinach (32 ounces)
- 2large eggs
- 1¼cups crumbled feta (6 ounces)
- ½cup grated Parmesan (2 ounces)
- ½cup chopped parsley
- ½cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
- 8sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed and halved crosswise
Preparation
- Step 1
In a large pot, heat oil over medium. Add onion, scallions and garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 minutes.
- Step 2
In batches, stir in spinach until wilted, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Strain spinach mixture through a sieve, pressing out excess liquid to prevent a soggy crust. Transfer to a large bowl and cool for 5 minutes. Add eggs, feta, Parmesan and parsley and stir until combined.
- Step 3
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch pan (2 inches deep) with butter. Lay one half sheet of phyllo dough in baking dish. Using a pastry brush, brush dough with butter. Repeat 7 more times to form crust. Spread spinach mixture evenly over crust. Brush one half sheet of phyllo dough with butter and lay on top of filling, butter side up. Repeat with remaining 7 sheets of dough. Using a serrated knife, lightly score top layer of dough into squares (this will make it easier to cut once baked). Bake until crust is lightly golden and filling is heated through, 50 to 60 minutes. Serve warm.
Private Notes
Comments
I’m Greek. No self-respecting Greek would put garlic in spanikopita, or in many other recipes for that matter. Likewise, parsley has no place in a proper spanikopita recipe. Need more feta,more Parmesan/Romano mixture, and more eggs than the author indicated. Also, no need to go to the trouble of fresh spinach. Most Greek cooks use frozen chopped spinach - suggest 40 ounces thawed and squeezed dry, then rolled in paper (or cloth) towels to remove as much moisture as possible.
Mary here again. To be more specific, for a 13 x 9 pan of spanikopita, I use 3 green onions, 1 leek (white part only), 40 oz of frozen chopped spinach, 1 handful of Parmesan, 2 handfuls of romano, 7 eggs and feta to taste - usually 8 oz at least. No need to add salt - the cheeses are salty enough. Now you’ve made real spanikopita!
This is a lot like other spanakopita recipes I have tried that turned out watery and bland. I always add lots of fresh dill and a bit of lemon juice to brighten the flavors. Plus, as a Greek friend advised, I add a tablespoon or two of dry rice to the filling. The rice soaks up some of the liquid and almost seems to melt into the filling so you won't even know it is there.
I’m sure all the Greeks will call for my head on this one, but I added chopped zest of one lemon with the parsley, eggs, etc and it brought a nice hint of freshness to the spinach pie.
Make a nice appetizer by cutting a few leaves of phyllo lengthwise, about 2 inches wide. Put a heaping teaspoon of spinach mixture on one end and fold up with a triangular fold until the end is reached, and tuck under. Brush with melted butter at the end and before rolling up. Sprinkle with a little grated parmesan and bake about 15 min in a hot oven. Serve hot, but they are good at room temp. I have a recipe from Paula Wolfert that uses sorrel, chard and ricotta. I am not Greek.
Cover lightly with foil for the first 30 to 35 minutes of baking. This stops the phyllo from getting too crispy.