Golden, Flaky Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)

This incredible spanakopita will make your whole kitchen smell amazing and have everyone asking for seconds! Your family is going to absolutely love this crispy, golden Greek spinach pie packed with herbs and creamy feta. The best part is how that flaky phyllo dough turns perfectly crunchy while keeping all those delicious flavors locked inside.

Recipe Details

Timing & Servings: Active Time: 45 minutes, Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes, Serves: 12 people

Nutrition Profile: Nut-Free, Healthy Pregnancy, Soy-Free, Vegetarian

Nutrition Facts (per serving): 364 Calories, 24g Fat, 26g Carbs, 10g Protein

Ingredients You’ll Need

Extra-virgin olive oil: You’ll need 1 tablespoon plus 3/4 cup divided. This might seem like a lot, but trust me – it’s what makes that phyllo dough so perfectly crispy and golden!

Red onion: One medium red onion, sliced up nice and thin. Red onion adds such a lovely mild sweetness that pairs beautifully with the spinach.

Spring onions or scallions: About 3 medium ones, coarsely chopped. These give you that fresh, mild onion flavor without being too strong.

Garlic: Just 2 cloves, peeled. We’ll cook these with the onions for flavor, then remove them later.

Fresh spinach: You’ll need 2 1/4 pounds, trimmed and coarsely chopped. I know it looks like a mountain of spinach, but it cooks down so much!

Phyllo dough: One 1-pound package, thawed in the refrigerator if frozen. Make sure it’s completely thawed – this is super important for easy handling.

Greek feta cheese: 12 ounces, crumbled up. Greek feta has the best flavor and texture for this recipe, but any good quality feta works great.

Large eggs: 2 eggs, lightly beaten. These help bind everything together and make the filling nice and creamy.

Fresh hartwort or chard: 1 cup coarsely chopped. If you can’t find hartwort, chard works perfectly and adds such nice color and flavor.

Fresh chervil or parsley: 1 cup coarsely chopped. Fresh parsley is easier to find and tastes amazing in this recipe.

Fresh dill: 1/4 cup coarsely chopped. This herb is what makes spanakopita taste so authentically Greek and delicious!

Fresh nutmeg: Just a pinch, freshly grated. A little nutmeg goes a long way and adds such a warm, cozy flavor.

Ground pepper: Add to taste. Freshly ground black pepper works best here.

How to Make Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)

Step 1: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add your red onion, spring onions, and garlic cloves. Cook everything together, stirring often, until they’re nice and softened – about 4 minutes.

Step 2: Now comes the fun part with all that spinach! Working in batches, add the spinach to your pan and cook, tossing it around, until it’s completely wilted. Keep cooking until all the liquid has evaporated – this takes 15 to 25 minutes total. Transfer everything to a bowl, toss out the garlic cloves, and let it cool completely for about 25 minutes.

Step 3: While your spinach is cooling, preheat your oven to 375°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray so nothing sticks.

Step 4: Here’s a super important tip! Unroll your phyllo sheets and carefully place them between 2 damp kitchen towels. This keeps them from drying out and tearing on you.

Step 5: Add the crumbled feta, beaten eggs, chopped hartwort (or chard), chervil (or parsley), dill, nutmeg, and pepper to your cooled spinach mixture. Stir everything until it’s nicely combined and looks delicious!

Step 6: Put the remaining 3/4 cup oil in a small bowl for drizzling. Transfer 1 tablespoon of that oil to a separate small bowl and save it for brushing the border later.

Step 7: Now for the phyllo magic! Lay the first phyllo sheet on the bottom of your prepared pan, letting it drape over the sides. Drizzle it with about 1 1/2 teaspoons oil. Don’t brush it – just drizzle! This makes the phyllo way crunchier. Repeat this with 3 more phyllo sheets.

Step 8: Spread your spinach filling evenly over the phyllo base. Drizzle the filling with about 1 1/2 teaspoons oil too.

Step 9: Cover the filling with the remaining phyllo sheets, drizzling each one with a little oil as you go. Gently tuck in those overhanging sheets to create a nice border. Brush the border with that reserved tablespoon of oil.

Step 10: Score the surface with a sharp knife, marking 12 rectangles and cutting just down to the filling. Drizzle the top with any remaining oil.

Step 11: Bake until your pie is gorgeous and golden brown and the filling is hot, about 55 to 60 minutes. Let it cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting – I know it’s hard to wait!

Easy and Quick Spanakopita Version

Want to make this even easier? You can totally use frozen spinach instead of fresh! Just thaw about 2 pounds of frozen chopped spinach and squeeze out all the water really well. Skip the whole wilting process and jump right to mixing it with the onions and herbs. You’ll save about 20 minutes of cooking time, and it still tastes amazing!

Serving Ideas

This spanakopita is honestly a complete meal all by itself! Serve it with a simple Greek salad with cucumbers and tomatoes, or just some crusty bread and olive oil for dipping. A dollop of plain Greek yogurt on the side is pretty perfect too.

Storage

Store any leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat, pop individual pieces in a 350°F oven for about 10-15 minutes until they’re heated through and crispy again. You can also freeze the whole thing for up to 3 months – just thaw it overnight before reheating.

Substitutions

No phyllo dough? You can use puff pastry instead, though it won’t be quite as crispy. Can’t find feta? Ricotta mixed with a little parmesan works in a pinch. Fresh herbs not available? Use about 1/3 the amount of dried herbs instead. You’ve got this!

Pro Tips

• Keep phyllo covered: Those damp towels are your best friend – phyllo dries out super fast!
• Don’t skip the oil drizzling: This is what makes the layers crispy and delicious
• Let it cool: I know it’s tempting to cut right away, but letting it rest makes cleaner slices
• Squeeze out water: Make sure all that liquid is gone from the spinach or your phyllo will get soggy

FAQs

Can I make spanakopita ahead of time?

You bet! You can assemble the whole thing up to a day ahead and keep it covered in the fridge. Just add about 10 extra minutes to the baking time since it’ll be cold. You can also freeze it unbaked for up to 3 months.

Why is my phyllo dough tearing?

No worries if this happens! Phyllo can be tricky. Make sure it’s completely thawed and keep those damp towels on top. If it tears a little, just patch it up with another piece – nobody will ever know!

Can I use a different pan size?

Sure! A 10-inch round pan works great too, or you can make individual portions in muffin tins. Just adjust the baking time – smaller portions will cook faster, maybe 25-30 minutes.

How do I know when it’s done?

Look for that beautiful golden brown color on top, and the filling should be set and hot all the way through. If you stick a knife in the center, it should come out clean.

I hope you love this spanakopita as much as my family does! It’s become such a favorite around here. Let me know how yours turns out – I’d love to hear about your experience making this delicious Greek classic!