Spanakopita is a classic, beloved Greek dish, made with fresh spinach, Feta cheese, and fresh herbs, all enclosed in layers of flaky, crispy, golden filo dough. Traditionally, the filo is rolled out by hand until paper thin, using a very long and pencil-thin rolling pin. Making filo is a skill passed down from generation to generation and this is the way my mother and grandmother always made their spanakopites. Hand-made filo, undoubtably produces the most delicious savory or sweet filo pies.
The reality is that not everybody has the skill or the time needed to accomplish such task. Luckily, good quality, commercial filo can be found almost everywhere, which is a good thing indeed! Once we have gathered all the ingredients, all it takes is a little planning, and this delicious Greek dish will be ready to enjoy by the whole family. Another similar dish is the “appetizer” version, known as spanakopitakia: The filling remains the same, just a different way of enclosing the delicious filling in filo pastry!
Traditional Greek Spanakopita
- 1 med. onion, finely diced
- 6 med. scallions, finely diced
- 5 TBSP. extra virgin olive oil
- 1½ lbs. fresh baby spinach, washed, dried well and chopped
- 2 cups Greek Feta cheese, crumbled
- ½ cup fresh dill, minced
- ½ cup fresh parsley, minced
- --- pinch sea salt
- ½ tsp. freshly ground pepper
- 1 ---- egg, lightly beaten (optional - I don't always use it)
- 1 lb. Filo pastry sheets (14"x 9"), thawed and at room temperature
- --- --- extra virgin olive oil (for brushing on the filo)
- In a small skillet, cook the onions in the olive oil until tender and golden. Remove from the heat, place in a bowl and let it cool.
- Place the chopped spinach in a colander, sprinkle with some salt, and let it sit for about twenty minutes. Squeeze the spinach between the palms of your hands to drain the water. Add the spinach to the bowl with the onions, along with the crumbled Feta cheese, dill, parsley, pinch of salt, ground pepper, and egg. Mix well and set aside.
- Pre-heat the oven to 375° F. Unwrap the filo and arrange it on a work surface with the long side nearest to you.
- Start layering a 13”x9”x2” pan with filo sheets. First, brush some oil on all sides of the pan, then proceed to line the pan with half of the filo sheets, brushing oil on each one of them. Without oiling the top filo layer, pour the mixture over the stacked filo and arrange evenly in the pan. Top with the remaining sheets, brushing each one of them with oil. Fold the edges over the pie, so the filling is enclosed. With a sharp knife, carefully score the top few filo sheets into 24 rectangles, being careful not to cut through the filling. This way, the filo will not crumble when it is cut through.
- Sprinkle some water over the pie and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until filo is nice and golden. Let it cool for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.
I like your recipe – SEA salt, GREEK Feta… in other words the good stuff with real flavour. I also add some wild greens – wild spinach is awesome, some silver beets, even bok choy is ok. I use less dill than my Ipirotisa yia yia would use (or you).
Yes, if you can find wild greens, those are great additions! Your Ipirotisa yia yia would approve for sure!
I have made your recipe and love it! I was wondering if you can make this ahead of time and bake later?
Tha ks
Yes, Gail. You can assemble it, cover it and store in the refrigerator until ready to bake later in the day! Allow half an hour at room temperature, as you preheat the oven. You might need to adjust the cooking time!