Traditional Greek Spanakopita
Below is my delicious, authentic Greek recipe for Spanakopita. Spanakopita is a spinach pie filled with loads of spinach, onions, dill and feta, carefully wrapped up in crispy phyllo. Don’t let yourself get intimidated, I’m all about easy recipes for my family and all my clients, so this one is super easy to make and bursting with flavour!
Ingredients:
- 600 g pre-washed baby spinach (I used 2 packages of PC Organics triple washed spinach – 312g each)
- 1 large bunch of fresh dill (roughly 1 1/2 cups of chopped fresh dill)
- 1 bunch of green onion (8-10 green onions in a bunch)
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 300g feta cheese (I use goats feta)
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil or butter to brush onto the phyllo (I absolutely love Lidrivio from Patrida Imports)
- a pinch of salt
- 1 pkg Krinos phyllo pastry sheets
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a 9×9 inch square baking pan/dish.
- Make sure to buy pre-washed spinach to use. If your spinach isn’t pre-washed, make sure to rinse and spin the spinach in a salad spinner so as to have it completely dry before using. Coarsely chop the spinach.
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute green onions and salt, until soft. Stir in spinach, and continue to saute until spinach is limp, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool in a strainer. (Once cooled you can push down on the mix with a spatula or wooden spoon to remove any excess liquid.)
- In a medium bowl, lightly beat eggs with a fork and crumble in the feta. Stir in spinach mixture and add the dill and bread crumbs.
- Note: When beginning to lay out the phyllo there are a few tips to remember; you will work clockwise and have half of the phyllo hanging over the baking dish. As well you will make sure to always brush each sheet with olive oil. ~Begin by laying 1 sheet of phyllo dough in the prepared baking dish (make sure to have half of it hanging over the edge; brush the whole sheet lightly with olive oil. Lay another sheet of phyllo dough on the other side and lightly brush it with olive oil as well. Repeat until all four sides on your pan/dish have phyllo. Now lay 1 sheet of phyllo in the centre, folding in the edges. (Brush with olive oil) Continue this process 2 more times.
- Spread the spinach and cheese mixture into the dish and cover with 4 sheets of phyllo making sure to go in layers, lightly brushing each sheet with oil. You will now start to move counter clockwise slowly taking each sheet of phyllo that is hanging over the edge and folding it over the pie so as to cover the filling. Feel free to coat with additional olive oil. Once done cover with two final phyllo sheets brushed with oil. Tuck/fold any overhanging phyllo into dish to seal filling.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into 12 squares and serve while hot.
Enjoy!
xo,
Recipe Yields: 12 Servings
PureSense Health Clients: 1 Serving = 2 protein or 1 Dairy + 1 Starch + 2 Vegetable +2 Fat