Spinach Pie Recipe (Spanakopita)

Spanakopita is a savory spinach pie with flaky phyllo crust or pie crust filled with well-seasoned onion, spinach, eggs, and feta cheese. It’s the ultimate in Greek comfort food. Not only is it super easy to make, but this spinach pie recipe is highly nutritious and delicious.

Contents… Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie Recipe) Spanakopita Recipe Ingredients Alternative Ingredients Serving, Make-Ahead & Storage Instructions FAQs What to Eat with Spanakopita More Easy Savory Pie Recipes How to Make Greek Spinach Pie (Spanakopita) Watch How To Make It

If you’ve never tried phyllo (filo), you don’t know what you’re missing. Don’t let all those paper-like leaves scare you. Once you get the hang of it, it’s easier than puff pastry or pie crust. Layering the phyllo with butter or olive oil (or both) makes for a light and flaky pastry.

I love spinach! I love feta cheese! This spinach pie recipe is an incredible mix of the two, with some onions and dill.

The recipe is so versatile that you can make a huge lasagna-shaped pie, package them in cute triangles, or make mini pies in ramekins.

If you love quiche, you will fall in love with spanakopita. It’s more veggie-dense than quiche and makes a perfect veggie side or main vegetarian dish. I even like it cold for breakfast the next day. It doesn’t matter that the phyllo isn’t crispy anymore.

Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie Recipe)

Spanakopita is an excellent Greek spinach pie with onion, spinach, feta cheese, dill, and eggs.

An authentic Greek spinach pie is wrapped in phyllo, a flaky paper-thin pastry the Greeks use for baklava. When layered with melted butter, it’s incredibly flaky and melt-in-your-mouth.

Good feta cheese is essential for an authentic Greek spinach pie. My personal favorite is Bulgarian feta made from sheep’s milk. However, don’t sweat it if you can only find feta from cow’s milk. It’s not usually with the regular cheeses in the grocery store. More often than not, I’ve seen it in the deli specialty cheese section. The best feta I’ve ever had was from a Middle Eastern grocery store. It was cheaper, too.

I know garlic isn’t in the original recipe, but I can’t help myself. Besides, it adds a depth of flavor I have a hard time living without.

Spanakopita Recipe Ingredients

• Spinach – The green veggie that gives substance and flavor.
• Olive Oil or Butter – This essential ingredient turns phyllo into the lightest, most delicate pastry crust you’ll ever try.
• Onion and Garlic – I prefer white or yellow onions for this recipe. Red onions turn grey when cooked. While the spinach will hide it, it’s just not as attractive. Garlic may not be in the original recipe, but I couldn’t help myself. It just adds an extra-special touch.
• Green Onion – These delicious green onions have a milder flavor than their larger cousins. The two together are an amazing combination of tastes.
• Dill – An aromatic herb that was created to be with spinach.
• Parsley – This wonderful herb adds an extra flavor sensation. It may or may not be a tradition ingredient, but I like it.
• Salt and Black Pepper – Feta cheese is very salty, so you may want to do a taste test before adding more. However, feel free to add as much black pepper as you like.
• Eggs – The perfect binder to hold this all together is eggs. Sorry, there is no substitute on this one.
• Nutmeg – This holiday spice adds the right touch to the filling because it pairs so well with dairy. Just think of hollandaise sauce. Yum!
• Lemon Juice – The perfect amount of acidity balances the high fat content of the cheese and eggs. It also adds a pleasant citrusy flavor.
• Feta Cheese – The tart saltiness perfectly balances the onion and spinach.
• Parmesan – Like feta, parmesan cheese adds saltiness and umami to this mouthwatering spinach dish. Since it tends to be dryer, it also helps soak up extra moisture.
• Phyllo – This is the flaky, buttery crust that turns deliciousness into a pie. You’ll find it in the freezer section of most supermarkets next to the frozen puff pastry and strudel dough.

Alternative Ingredients

• Spinach – I have made this recipe with collard greens and chard. Both were ridiculously delicious.
• Feta – This cheese is intensely flavored and salty, and not everyone enjoys the flavor as I do. I can eat it right out of the carton. Ricotta, cottage cheese, fontina, cream cheese, or queso fresco are all excellent subs.
• Parmesan – This cheese is drier and harder than feta. So pecorino Romano or any hard hard cheese, like Asiago will be just as delicious.
• Phyllo – Puff pastry isn’t the ideal substitute, but it will do. So will a homemade pie crust. It won’t be an authentic spinach pie recipe, but I won’t tell if you don’t. (Personally, if I don’t have phyllo, I opt for the puff pastry.) If you need a gluten-free recipe, you may be able to find gluten-free phyllo in the freezer section of a natural foods store.
• Extras & Add-ons – Sun-dried tomatoes, bacon bits, roasted red pepper, and garlic are just a few of the things I like to throw in the mix if I have them. Oh yeah, and a dash of cayenne.😉

Serving, Make-Ahead & Storage Instructions

Reheat in the oven – It’s best to reheat these beauties in a low oven (325℉/163℃) on an oiled baking sheet for about 10 minutes (or until warmed through). You could use the microwave if you’re in a rush.

Can it be served cold? Absolutely! This spinach pie recipe is so delicious that it tastes great hot, room temperature, or cold.

Make-ahead is super simple. I’ve made this the day before, covered it well with plastic wrap, and baked it the next evening for dinner. Allow them a few extra minutes to bake to compensate for it being cold.

Leftovers will last in the fridge for a couple of days.

I’m all for doubling the recipe and freezing the extra for when I’m just too busy to cook and still want a healthy dinner for my crew. If you would like to do the same thing, cut it up in serving-size squares and freeze the squares in freezer bags. They’ll store just fine for a couple of months in the freezer.

Thaw them in the fridge overnight and reheat them in a low oven (325℉/℃) for about 10 minutes (or until warmed through) on a lightly oiled baking sheet.

If you forget to take them out of the freezer the night before, no worries. You can put them on a lightly oiled baking pan and lengthen the baking time.

FAQs

What to Eat with Spanakopita

A traditional Greek holiday entree with spanakopita is a roasted or slow-cooker leg of lamb. Baked chicken also makes a great entree.

If you want a meat-free Friday, this is the perfect choice for a vegetarian entree. You can’t forget a Greek salad and tzatziki or Hummus.

More Easy Savory Pie Recipes

• Tomato Pie – If you love BLTs, then you will adore this savory tomato pie with juicy layers of fresh tomatoes, cheese/mayo mix, bacon, and mozzarella.
• Jamaican Meat Pie – It seems just about every country has its meat pie specialty. Jamaican meat pies are made with a spicy beef filling and encased in a flaky spicy pastry dough.
• African Fish Pie – This fish pie boasts flaky pastry dough filled with sardines and spices, then fried to crispy perfection. Crunchy, slightly sweet, spicy, and oh so good!!
• Homemade Chicken Pot Pie – Traditional Southern comfort food so soul-satisfying with a hearty chicken, carrot, and pea filling in a flaky butter pie crust.
• Shepherd’s Pie – This hearty casserole is a delicious one-pot meal with saucy cooked meat and vegetables topped with buttery, creamy mashed potatoes and baked until topping is golden and slightly crispy on top.

How to Make Greek Spinach Pie (Spanakopita)

Prepare the Spinach

• Dry the Spinach – Start by draining all the water from the spinach. Then squeeze out excess water using your hands. This is an important step to prevent your pie from being soggy.
• Sautee Veggies – In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter; add onions, garlic, and green onions as soon as butter melts. Saute until soft and lightly browned.
• Add Spinach – Stir in drained and squeezed spinach, dill, parsley, salt, and black pepper. Sautee for about 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Spinach Filling

• Combine Filling Ingredients – Whisk eggs, nutmeg, lemon juice, feta, and parmesan cheese in a large bowl.
• Add Spinach – Then add the spinach and the remaining filling ingredients. Stir until all is well-combined. Set aside.

Assembling Spinach Pie

• Note: Phyllo can be pretty hard to work with, as it dries out and tears easily. So handle with care.
• Preheat Oven to 350℉/177℃.
• Prepare Phyllo – Unroll the phyllo (aka filo) dough sheets and place them on a baking sheet lined with a lightly damp paper towel. Then cover with another lightly damp paper towel. If your phyllo sheets are large, 14×18 inches, you can cut them in half, so they fit in the baking dish (14×9-inch) sheets. (Photos 9 & 10)
• Oil Baking Dish – Spray a 9×13 rectangular baking or casserole dish with baking spray or brush all sides and bottom with olive oil. (Photo 11)

• Start the Layers – Layer phyllo dough, two sheets at a time, in a prepared 9×13 rectangular baking dish, brushing generously with melted butter between each 2-sheet layer. Be sure to flatten and smooth each layer so it stays flat. Continue layering until you have used up ½-¾ of the phyllo dough. (Photo 12 & 13)
• Add Spinach Filling – Spread the spinach filling evenly over the phyllo dough. (Photo 14)
• Repeat the same process of layering filo dough and using melted butter in between until all the sheets have been used up. (Photos 15 & 16)

• Finishing Touches – Brush the top layer with melted butter.
• Make it Easy – If you’re using a pie crust instead of filo, score the top of the pie using a sharp knife to make it easier to cut after baking. (Photo 17)
• Bake at 350℉/177℃ in a preheated oven for about 40-45 minutes, or until the phyllo (filo) crust is crisp and golden brown. Remove it from the oven and let it cool slightly. (Photo 18)
• Ready – Cut and serve.

Enjoy!

Watch How To Make It