Chickpea, Spinach and Feta Pie
Published May 13, 2025
Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
- Total Time
- 50 minutes
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 35 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
2 large leeks (about 1 pound), roots and wilted tops trimmed, stalks halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
9 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
5 ounces baby spinach
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained
7 ounces crumbled feta
1 lemon, zested and juiced (3 to 4 tablespoons), plus 1 more lemon for serving
1 cup chopped dill
8 to 10 phyllo pastry sheets (about 10 ounces), thawed
Toasted white sesame or nigella seeds (optional), for topping
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)
57 grams carbs; 29 milligrams cholesterol; 570 calories; 18 grams monosaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 33 grams fat; 8 grams fiber; 816 milligrams sodium; 15 grams protein; 7 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Step 2
Prepare the leeks: Place the sliced leeks into a colander and rinse them well, rubbing to loosen any dirt. Rinse again and drain well. (There is no need to dry them, as the residual water is useful in cooking the leeks.)
- Step 3
Heat a 10-inch ovenproof skillet on medium-high for 1 to 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil along with the leeks (the skillet will look overfilled, but it cooks down a lot). Season generously with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are wilted, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Step 4
Add the garlic and the spinach, a few handfuls at a time, adding in more as it wilts, and toss until the leaves have all softened. Turn off the heat and add the chickpeas, feta, lemon zest, lemon juice and dill. Taste and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Step 5
Place the phyllo sheets into a large bowl and drizzle with 5 tablespoons of olive oil. Scrunch and massage the oil into the sheets; the sheets will crumble, break up and clump up and that is fine. Scrunch the pastry, and transfer in clumps, arranging them on top of the leeks and spinach, until completely covered. Drizzle the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and scatter over the sesame or nigella seeds, if using.
- Step 6
Bake until the top is golden and crispy, 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top is golden and crispy. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve with lemon on the side.
Private Notes
Comments
This is delicious! Next time I would just throw a sheet of puff pastry on top instead of the phyllo sheets.
I added a cup of ricotta mixed with an egg! Gave the pie a shape coming out of the skillet without being stiff. Recommended addition!
My pkg of phyllo dough is 160z and 18 sheets of dough. Almost an ounce per sheet. I agree that it’s a little light as a main dish for 4-6. Did this with what I had on hand—arugula, mild provolone cheese and chopped fresh parsley. It’s quite tasty—will try it again with the ‘real’ ingredients. I’m sure it will be just as good!
Can I freeze this dish??
Made this close to the original, except increased the leeks to 1.5 pounds. Instead of dumping in 5 tablespoons of olive oil, I used olive oil spray on the phyllo, and that worked beautifully. As others have said, this definitely needs more filling to be a heartier meal. I will probably do as others suggested and triple the spinach, double the leeks, and increase the feta and garlic proportionately. Will also probably not bake this in the skillet again, but will use a rectangular baking dish. May also drape one set of phyllo sheets over the bottom of the baking dish, leaving an overhang, spritz it with olive oil, toss in the cooked filling, then scrunch more phyllo together with the overhang to make this more pie like. Still…definitely a winning recipe that our household wants again! Thank you, Hetty!
While there is no risk in making a five star recipe from Mme McKinnon, I jumped at this when we invited our French friends to dinner and they kindly chuckled "with an American in the kitchen." They loved is and so did we. As others suggested, increased the spinach to 20 oz and used fresh parsley because I could buy dill today. Otherwise, prepared as written. Paired with a sliced tomato balsamic salad and light wine or kombucha. May I suggest the NYT add an option to view measures in metric?
@Marc Sotkiewicz at the top, to the right, across from where it says “ingredients” , you will see what looks like a measuring tape. Click on it and you’ll see two options.
@Marc Sotkiewicz measurements are already available to be viewed and used in metric and has for some time now