I'm back! Woop woop! We got back late last night from Utah, where we spent a long weekend skiing at Alta with our friends. SO. MUCH. FUN. I'm not a die-hard alpine skier, I'll take a Nordic course over a chairlift almost any day, but this weekend made me question my preferences. We had inches upon inches of soft, fluffy, white, amazing, delicious, powder. SO MUCH POWDER. It was awesome. My thighs burned like the sun. Good thing every yoga teacher last week was obsessed with chair pose (ugh), I was semi-prepared for the wrecking of my legs!
We also spent a day, before the alpine awesomeness, at Soldier Hollow — where the Nordic races in the 2002 SLC Olympics were held. {side note: IT'S OLYMPICS TIME!!!!}. We skated the official Olympic course, and I think most of the other trails at Soldier Hollow, on Thursday. It was fun to see the course, and the remnants of the Olympics, but at the end of the day: I prefer skating in Bozeman. We have GREEN trees, and beautiful scenery, and fabulous trails that just can't be beat. I'm realizing how spoiled we are. Bohart Ranch, you truly are my favorite Nordic center.
Now we're home in withdrawal from spending time with such awesome friends. Back to work! I have a long list of things I hope to cook this week, none of which I have actually done yet. We made the mistake of leaving the house semi-dirty, so I feel the need to clean EVERYTHING before I can get an ounce of work done. So, tomorrow I will cook all of the things! Hopefully. In the meantime, I'll tell you all about this wonderful spanakopita!
I've always liked spanakopita, but when my Aunt Mary made some at Thanksgiving this (last) year I was blown away. IT WAS SO GOOD!! How can something that is mostly spinach and feta be so good? Well, who am I kidding... I love spinach. And cheese. And flakey, buttery, pastry crust. Delicious! This recipe of from the new Joy of Cooking, and couldn't be easier. It's a very similar process to the baklava recipe I have in my Nut Butters cookbook! Layer phyllo dough with plenty of butter, add the cooked spinach/feta mixture, then layer more phyllo dough and butter. Simple! And oooh so delicious. I love this warm, but it's also fabulous the next day!
Classic Spanakopita
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 1x
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 4 scallions, finely chopped
- 2 pounds fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup snipped fresh dill (or parsley)
- 4 large eggs
- 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbles
- 2 Tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
- ½ tsp salt
- several grinds of black pepper
- 8 Tbsp butter, melted
- 1 lb phyllo dough, thawed
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil until shimmering.
- Add the onion and scallions, cooking until softened — 5-7 minutes.
- Add the spinach, one handful at a time, and cook until it is all fully wilted and the liquid has been released. Turn the heat up to high and cook until the liquid has evaporated and the spinach is dry — 7-10 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Stir in the dill.
- Let the spinach mixture cool until you can handle it, then squeeze out any excess moisture.
- In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs, feta, parmesan, salt, and pepper together. Add to the cooked spinach and mix until combined.
- Lightly butter a 9x13 baking dish, and unroll the phyllo dough onto a dry surface.
- You may need to trim the phyllo dough, depending on the exact size of your dough and pan.
- Lay one sheet of phyllo dough down into the pan. Brush it liberally with melted butter. Repeat until there are 8 sheets, all with butter (including the top sheet), in the pan.
- Spread the spinach mixture out evenly on top of the phyllo dough.
- Repeat the phyllo process on top of the spinach, so there are 8 buttered sheets on top and below the spinach. Tuck in any loose edges of phyllo.
- With a very sharp knife, cut through the top layers of phyllo and the spinach, taking care to not cut the bottom layers of phyllo, into diamonds.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes while preheating the oven to 350 F.
- Bake the spanakopita for 45 minutes, or until the top is crisp and golden. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before cutting all the way through to the bottom.
- Serve warm!
Barbara says
Does Derek know that his cousin Dick's parents met when they were both on the ski patrol at Alta during World War II? We've enjoyed some great snow there too.
Mary says
What!! He does now! How cool!
Allison keyte says
i made this for a dinner party and it was a huge hit. It's was one of the versions of spanakopita I have ever had. I actually only had 4 oz of goat cheese, but I had a small block of Drunken Goat hard cheese that I grated and mixed with the goat cheese. It was a winning combination. Thank you for the recipe. It will be making many appearances in the future.
Mary says
Hi Allison! Thanks for the great comment – I'm so glad you liked it!! xoxo
Aiya R says
Really great recipe! I didn't follow it to the T and it sill turned out picture perfect! Next time I might try incorporating a little more flavor into the spinach mixture, it was missing a little something, but overall a great dish!
Mary says
Glad you liked it, Aiya! Xo
Nissa Scheeler says
So glad I found this recipe. I can't wait to give it a try for our Sunday family dinner. I love Spanakopita, but have always been afraid to give it a try. This recipe has given me the courage I need. Love your blog too...you're a funny gal. I'll try to remember to comment back about my first attempt at this awesome and delicious dish.
Mary says
Thanks, Nissa! I hope you love it! Xo
Mara says
I love spanakopita! I was wondering if you've ever prepared this the night before and then cooked it in the morning? Or do you think that would not work due to the phyllo dough becoming too dry?
Mary says
Hi Mara! I've never tried that, and would honestly be more concerned about the infer layers getting soggy!! I think it'd be safer to cook it the night before and then reheat in the morning... But I honestly don't really know! Let me know what you end up doing, and how it works! Xo
Bonnie says
Sometimes fresh spinach is hard to find in large quantities, so I'd like to use frozen spinach in its place, either chopped or cut-leaf (which I could finely chop after thawing, draining, & sqeezing). However, the question becomes "how much frozen?" It usually comes in 16 oz (1 lb) bags, but do I use one or two? I know the fresh wilts down in volume once cooked, but would I still use pound for pound, same as fresh? Any advice on this would be very much appreciated. Thank you!
Mary says
Hi Bonnie — I wish I had a good answer for you, but I'm not sure about the conversion from fresh to frozen spinach! I would try using two frozen 16oz bags, assuming that the weight really is the same between fresh/frozen. Good luck!
Mary says
I made this for Christmas dinner this year, and it was a hit! The fresh dill was especially good. In answer to the above question about using frozen spinach, I found that 30-32 oz. of chopped frozen spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed, worked perfectly. Thank you so much for this. It’s a new family favorite!
★★★★★
Mary says
Thanks for the notes, Mary!! Glad you enjoyed it! xo
Ashley says
This is my go-to recipe for Spanakopita! I absolutely love it. I have made it several times. I have made it for special occasions as is, but I have also made it with no phyllo (I follow a low carb diet). It is every bit as good. I have also made it using frozen spinach that I defrost and squeeze every drop of moisture out of. Again, there doesn’t seem to be any sacrifice in taste or texture. Lastly, I’ve made it before using dry dill and after doing so, I feel strongly that fresh dill is an absolute must. Anyways, thanks for this awesome recipe!
Mary says
Thanks for the notes, Ashley!! What do you use instead of phyllo when you go that route?? Anything?
Allison says
I have made these numerous times and each time I make them I’m so amazed at how easy and delicious they are. I actually make these just to keep in my fridge and munch on when I’m hungry throughout the day.