Spanakopita (Greek Spinach and Feta Phyllo Pie)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 65 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 8
About this dish
Spanakopita is a Greek savory pie where spinach is sauteed with onion to drive off moisture, then combined with crumbled feta cheese, beaten eggs, and fresh dill to make a filling that is layered between sheets of buttered phyllo dough and baked at 190 degrees Celsius for thirty-five to forty minutes.
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Removing as much water from the spinach as possible is the single most important step - any residual moisture soaks through the thin pastry and prevents it from crisping. Phyllo sheets dry out within minutes of being exposed to air, so they must be kept under a damp towel and worked one at a time, each brushed with melted butter before stacking. Four layers on the bottom and four on top provide enough structure and crunch. Scoring the surface before baking allows steam to escape and helps the layers puff and separate into distinct, flaky sheets.
Ingredients
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Control
Roughly chop 300 g spinach and finely dice 80 g onion.
Keep the 250 g phyllo dough covered with a damp towel while you work, because exposed sheets dry and crack very quickly.
- 2Control
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
Add the onion and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring until it turns translucent, then add the chopped spinach before the onion browns.
- 3Control
Cook the spinach over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring until wilted and much drier.
Continue until no liquid pools in the pan, then cool the mixture so the eggs will not scramble.
- 4Season
Mix the cooled spinach with 180 g crumbled feta, 2 beaten eggs, and 1 tablespoon dill.
Fold gently so small feta pieces remain, and avoid adding extra salt because the cheese is already salty.
- 5Prep
Mix the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil with 30 g melted butter.
Lay one sheet of filo in the pan, brush it thinly with the mixture, and repeat to make 4 layers before spreading the filling evenly.
- 6Heat
Brush the oil and butter mixture thinly over the remaining 4 filo sheets as you layer them, then fold and seal the edges.
Score the top and bake at 190 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Squeezed-dry spinach and feta layered in buttered phyllo bake into a spanakopita with a shattering crust.
- Finish cue
- Add the onion and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring until it turns translucent, then add the chopped spinach before the onion browns.
- Avoid this
- Cook out spinach moisture well to prevent a soggy pie.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
65min, 8 ingredients
Category median
55min, 8 ingredients
Based on 248 recipes
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