Spanakopita (pronounced spa-na-kopeeta) is one of those delicious side dishes that is very well known by those who enjoy Greek cuisine. My family made it quite often and my dad’s recipe is the one I follow to the letter, because it’s THAT good. If you have never had spanakopita before, let me tell you about this very delicious appetizer that also eats like a meal…
Spanakopita is a savory pastry made with a spinach and feta cheese filling that is wrapped in very thin filo (pronounced fee-lo) dough. Filo are a very thin sheets of dough that almost look like paper and packed in quantities of about 20 or so layers in a box (1 pound weight). Filo dough comes in different thicknesses and is designated by a number, which is usually listed on the box. This is especially true if you purchase it at an international market where clientele shop for very specific items relating to the dish they are creating. This may not necessarily be the case if you are shopping at a mainstream grocery store — usually then you will find just one option — the very thin, flaky kind. Sometimes I have seen a thicker filo dough described as “country style”, but it depends on the manufacturer and is not a description that is used by all manufacturers across the board. You will find filo in the freezer section of the grocery store. When you are ready to use it, remove your filo from the freezer and thaw it in the refrigerator overnight. If you let it thaw on the counter, you run the risk of condensation forming in the plastic sleeve and ruining your dough
When making spanakopita, there are a couple of important things to remember. First, you have to make sure you get the right kind of filo. The thin flaky kind is generally what is found in mainstream stores, and that is perfect for this application. The other thing that my dad told me was important was to use 3 different types of onions in the recipe — spring onions, leeks and yellow onions. He learned this while working for a very famous restaurant in Bethesda called The Diplomat, where chefs from Greece taught him the secrets for a delicious and authentic spanakopita.
My dad also insisted on ONLY using whole leaf spinach and not the generic chopped spinach. Whole leaf spinach is just that — the tender leaves of the spinach, and the chopped spinach includes everything — sometimes even tough pieces of stems which don’t make for good eating. And one final point about the spinach is that it should always be frozen. I buy the whole leaf spinach that comes in the little boxes and not the IQF (individually quick frozen) spinach — as a matter of fact, I don’t think Ive ever seen the whole leaf as an IQF product. Don’t ever think bout using fresh spinach because it would take a heck of a lot to make this recipe, and the canned stuff is just too mushy.
Dad would also use an entire bunch of fresh dill, the dried dill just does not cut it for a good resulting fragrance and flavor.
Depending on how much time you have, you can make a large pan of it like I did, or large/mini individual portions (usually triangles or log shapes). I’ve made the mini size for appetizers and slightly larger triangles to serve for lunch or dinner. I always make sure to make a bunch of them, coat them with good olive oil and freeze them. When we get a craving for some, I just bake off what I need.
The filling is quite easy to make and most of the work comes at the end, when you have to put it all together — whether it be a large tray or the individual triangle or log shapes. If you would like to see how the individual triangles ones are made, please check out my tiropita (cheese pie) recipe to get the details.
I hope you have a chance to make this because I know that you will absolutely love it — we always do!
Spanakopita (makes enough for 2- 8”x8” pans)
4-10 oz boxes of frozen whole leaf spinach, thawed overnight in refrigerator
1# crumbled feta (may add up to 8oz more if you like)
3 medium leeks, rinsed well and chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 bunch spring onions (about 6 or 7 pieces), chopped
I bunch of fresh dill tops, chopped (discard stems)
4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 large whites **optional
3 cups olive oil
1 # box filo
Pepper to taste (start with ¼ teaspoon and adjust in the end)
1/4 sheet pan
Sautee leeks, onions and garlic in ½ cup olive oil in a medium sized stainless steel pot until translucent, and make sure they don’t burn. Rinse the dill very well and cut off the stems and discard. Finely chop the tops and add them in with the onions and give it a quick toss. Take the thawed spinach out of the boxes and squeeze out as much water as you can. If you do not do this, your filling will be too wet and the filo will get soggy quickly. As you squeeze out the water, put each bunch of spinach on a cutting board and coarsely chop it using a very sharp knife. Once chopped, add it to the onion mix in the pot and repeat with the remaining containers of spinach. Mix all of this together well and add in the other ½ cup of olive oil and the black pepper. Cook all of this together for about 5 minutes on moderate heat to make sure that everything is well incorporated. Take it off the heat and then stir in the crumbled feta cheese until it is all evenly mixed in.
Depending on the brand of feta cheese you use, some can be very salty and others not so much. This recipe does not use any added salt, but feel free to add it at this point if you feel that it needs a little. You may have to adjust a little more for pepper, and when you do, keep in mind that spanakopita is not meant to be spicy.
I had an aunt that would add the egg whites to the cooled mixture to help keep it together, but I never do which is why I left it as an optional step. I find that the mixture holds up fine in the slicing process, but if you are making this for the first time and are nervous about it, feel free to add them. Make sure to incorporate them well into the cooled filling.
Once the mixture has cooled slightly, you can move onto the next step and add the spinach filling to the filo, or you can leave the filling in the refrigerator overnight, and finish it the next day.
When you are ready to use the filo, remove it from the sleeve and unroll it out onto a clean kitchen towel.
Use the interior plastic sheet that is folded around the filo to cover it and prevent the filo from drying out as you work with it. Trim the filo to fit the pan you are using. This particular recipe is perfect for a 1/4 sheet pan. Don’t throw away the filo trimmings. You can cut these into thin strands, toss with a little butter or oil and some sugar and bake them in the oven. Eat them as snacks or use it as a topping for ice cream or custard. Just place any trimmings into a sealed plastic bag and toss them back in the freezer or refrigerator if you plan to use them quickly.
You will use the remaining 2 cups of olive oil to prepare the spanakopita. You might think this sounds like a lot, but it really isn’t. You will use it all (and maybe a little more) to brush onto the layers as you prepare your savory package.
Start by first putting some of the oil into the pan and use a pastry brush (or silicon brush) to coat the entire bottom and sides of the baking dish.
When you open the pack of filo, make sure that the dough is in good condition and still in full, intact sheets without any broken pieces. If there are broken pieces, remove them from the pile and place them in a separate place (covered). You will still be able to use these in the layers for the base of the spanakopita before you add the filling.
Before you begin, count out how many layers of dough you have. The goal is to use up all of the filo dough in 3 or 4 sheet increments to build up folds around the edges by laying the dough in the baking tray. Once the filling is added, the filo will be folded up around the filling. I generally get 1 full cycle around, and then I use the remaining pieces (usually 5 or 6) by putting another 2 or 3 pieces on each side all the way around. If by chance you have a single sheet of filo left over, just add it to the base of the pan and then cot it with some more oil. Never throw any filo away — all of it should be used to provide a nice secure casing for the filling.
First, take 3 or 4 nice layers of filo and set them aside (covered). These will be used for the top of the spanakopita to cover the seams as the spanakopita is put together.
To begin creating the four folds (top, bottom, left right), count out 3 layers of dough and place them lengthwise in the baking dish and make sure to cover the entire base of the pan, with the extra hanging over the edge. In the picture below, you can see that by doing this, I have created the bottom fold.
Add some oil and brush it evenly all over the base of the dough and the inside edge closest to you. Then add another 3 layers of dough on the opposite side for the top fold. When building the base of the spanakopita, it is important to have the layers overlap as much as possible. This will help create a sturdy base to hold the filling so that the whole thing does not fall apart when you go to serve it. Repeat the same process for the sides (left and right fold). With each addition of filo, make sure to brush it all generously with olive oil.
Once you have completed one full cycle, begin the process again with whatever dough remains.
Next add the filling to the pan. This quantity makes a really substantial 1/4 sheet pan with a nice ratio of filling to dough.
Once the filling is all in, then it’s time to start folding the dough inwards, on top of the filling. First, you should begin with the last 3 layers of filo you placed in the baking pan. In my case, the last filo I laid down for the base was on the left, so I begin by folding that in first. Doing it this way helps you have a clean, seamless package in the end. Pour on some olive oil and brush all over. I then folded in the right side and brushed with oil again.
In my case, I had a few extra few layers of filo that remained after the first round, so I added an additional round of about 2 layers thick on each side, which is what you see below. If you have enough to go around evenly again, then that is the best way to use it. If you only have 4 or 5, then either add them on the top and bottom or left and right.
Repeat with the next group of filo. In my case, it was side to side again…
Next, tuck in the top 3 layers and the bottom 3 layers in the same process, always adding a generous amount of oil and brushing it evenly all over. Then lastly top this entire tray with the 3 or 4 nice sheets you reserved. Lay them evenly on top of your spanakopita package. Use your fingers to tuck and coax in the edges all the way around the pan. Use a generous amount of olive oil to coat the entire top and the edges. Use your pastry brush dipped in olive oil to tuck in the edges neatly around the pan.
Next, you need to use a very sharp knife and cut slices into the spanakopita. I like to go all the way through as much as possible, but completely clean cuts at the bottom are not really important at this point. The important point is to cut clean layers cut through the filo on the top, this will make the slicing easier once the spanakopita is out of the oven. Once it has baked, you can slice it all the way through at that point.
Bake it at 350°F in the center of your oven for about 45 minutes or until golden brown all over. The color is very important. It really should be a nice golden brown and not pale. If it is pale, then the dough will not have cooked through and will not be very appetizing. The final result should be golden brown and very crispy. The addition of the generous amount of oil is very important because it helps create the color and crispness to the filo.
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