Easyspanakopita Recipes

SPANAKOPITA (GREEK SPINACH PIE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a 9x9 inch square baking pan.
• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, green onions and garlic, until soft and lightly browned. Stir in spinach and parsley, and continue to saute until spinach is limp, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
• In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, and feta. Stir in spinach mixture. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough in prepared baking pan, and brush lightly with olive oil. Lay another sheet of phyllo dough on top, brush with olive oil, and repeat process with two more sheets of phyllo. The sheets will overlap the pan. Spread spinach and cheese mixture into pan and fold overhanging dough over filling. Brush with oil, then layer remaining 4 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each with oil. Tuck overhanging dough into pan to seal filling.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Cut into squares and serve while hot.

EASY SPANAKOPITA APPETIZERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°. In a large bowl, mix the first 9 ingredients. Place 1 sheet of phyllo dough on a work surface; brush with butter. Layer with 2 additional phyllo sheets, brushing each layer. (Keep remaining phyllo covered with plastic wrap and a damp towel to prevent it from drying out.), Arrange 3/4 cup spinach mixture in a narrow row along the long end of phyllo to within 1 in. of edges. Fold bottom edge of phyllo over filling, then roll up. Brush end of phyllo dough with butter and press to seal. Repeat 4 times with phyllo sheets, butter and the spinach mixture. Place rolls on a parchment-lined 15x10x1-in. baking pan, seam side down., Cut rolls diagonally into 2-in. pieces (do not separate). Brush tops with remaining butter. Bake until golden brown, 12-15 minutes. If desired, serve with tzatziki sauce, lemon wedges and dill sprigs. , Freeze option: Cover and freeze unbaked rolls on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet until firm. Transfer to a freezer container; return to freezer. To use, bake rolls on a parchment-lined 15x10x1-in. baking pan in a preheated 375° oven until heated through and golden brown, about 25 minutes.

EASY SPANAKOPITA

Steps:

• Cook the onions in a saute pan with 1 tablespoon each of butter and olive oil until soft and translucent (4 minute on medium).
• Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about another 2 min.).
• Combine onions, garlic, spinach, salt and pepper, hot sauce, egg, feta, Parmesan, and cottage cheeses together in a mixing bowl.
• In a separate bowl, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons each of melted butter and olive oil.
• Grease a 9x13 inch casserole dish.
• Place one sheet of phyllo on the bottom of the dish brush with the butter mixture.
• Top with another sheet of phyllo dough and brush with butter mixture.
• Repeat this process until you have a total of seven sheets of phyllo dough.
• Spread all of the spinach mixture over the top of the last layer of dough.
• Then repeat the process of layering the remaining Place one sheet of phyllo over the spinach mixture and paint it with the oil mixture.
• Repeat with the remaining seven sheets of dough, brushing each new layer with the butter mixture, making sure to butter the top layer.
• Bake at 375°F until the top is golden brown (about 45 minutes).
• Cut spanakopita to make little triangles.

SPANAKOPITA

Steps:

• Place oven rack in center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.
• Preheat a small pan over medium to medium high heat. Add oil and onion and saute 5 minutes. Place onion in a bowl. Add chopped dry, defrosted spinach and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add feta to the bowl and combine it with spinach. Add beaten egg and sour cream to the bowl and combine with cheese, spinach and onion.
• On a large work surface, place 1 sheet of phyllo. Paint half of the sheet with a little melted butter, paying extra attention to your perimeter. Fold sheet in half. Pile 1/4 of your spinach mixture into a log shape working 2 inches from bottom and each side. Tuck bottom up and fold both sides in, then roll and wrap upwards until you reach the edge of the dough sheet. Each pastry will resemble an egg roll. Paint the seam and the ends of the roll with butter and set roll seam side down on a cookie sheet. Repeat and make 4 rolls. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly golden all over and serve.

QUICK SPANAKOPITA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Add garlic, and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Gradually add spinach, and cook, stirring often, until wilted, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in egg, herbs, feta, salt, and pepper.
• Lay 1 sheet phyllo on a parchment-lined baking sheet (cover remaining phyllo with a damp towel), and brush with butter. Repeat twice. Spread spinach mixture on center. Top with 3 more buttered sheets. Fold in sides. Butter remaining 4 sheets; crumple over top. Bake until dark golden, about 40 minutes.

SPANAKOPITA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Place spinach in a steamer over 1 inch of boiling water, and cover. Cook until tender, about 2 to 6 minutes. Drain and press to remove all water. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until tender, but do not brown. Stir in cooked spinach and continue cooking until all moisture has evaporated. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
• In a large bowl combine feta cheese, Swiss cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, parsley and cinnamon. Stir in spinach and onion mixture.
• Brush the bottom of a 17x11 inch jelly roll pan with butter. Place 1 sheet of dough in the bottom of the pan; brush with butter. Continue to layer 13 more sheets of dough, brushing every other sheet with butter. Spread spinach and cheese mixture over dough. Continue layering with remaining dough, brushing every other sheet with butter. Tuck edges of dough under. Brush top sheet with butter and, using a sharp knife, score top layer into diamonds.
• Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until golden brown.

SPANAKOPITA TRIANGLES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
• Slowly cook and stir onions until softened.
• Mix in spinach, dill and flour.
• Cook approximately 10 minutes, or until most of the moisture has been absorbed.
• Remove from heat.
• Mix in feta cheese, eggs, salt and pepper.
• Lay phyllo dough flat and brush with butter.
• Place a small amount of spinach mixture onto each piece of dough.
• Fold phyllo into triangles around the mixture.
• Brush with butter.
• Place filled phyllo dough triangles on a large baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until golden brown.

SPANAKOPITA (SPINACH TRIANGLES OR PIE)

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large saute pan, add half of the spinach and saute until spinach wilts, tossing with tongs, about 2 minutes. Remove spinach and squeeze out excess liquid, then chop roughly. Repeat with remaining spinach, using 1 more tablespoon of olive oil. Pour off any liquid from the pan, and add remaining olive oil. Add scallions and saute until soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the spinach to the scallions, along with the parsley, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove from heat to cool. (This part can be done ahead and kept refrigerated).
• Stir the feta and as much beaten egg to moisten the cooled spinach mixture.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush a baking sheet with some of the melted butter.
• Unroll the filo dough on a flat surface and keep it covered with waxed paper and a damp towel so it doesn't dry out and become brittle. Using a sharp knife, cut the filo into 3 by 11 inch strips, and recover with the towel. Use a pastry brush to brush a strip of filo with melted butter. Place a small spoonful of spinach filling 1 inch from the end of the pastry. Fold the end over the filling to form a triangle, then continue to fold up the strip in triangles, like folding up a flag. Continue with remaining strips of dough, placing filled triangles on the baking sheet and keeping them covered with a towel until all are ready to bake.
• Brush the triangles lightly with butter, then bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Serve hot. (These may be frozen before baking, layering waxed paper between layers of triangles to keep them from sticking. Bake frozen triangles an extra 10 minutes.)

EASY SPANAKOPITA

Steps:

• For the "easy" version of this recipe (delicious and simple, but less authentic), use frozen phyllo dough. Defrost your phyllo dough - you may need to start this process a day ahead. If you're making phyllo dough from scratch, allow ample time to make, rest, and roll out the dough sheets. Instructions are provided in the notes section.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.Before you start, make sure thawed spinach is very well drained by pressing it firmly several times in a mesh colander over the sink. Removing excess liquid is key to making the pie not soggy.In a sauté pan over medium heat add 1 tbsp olive oil. Once hot, add onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds more, or until fragrant. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
• In a mixing bowl combine the onion and garlic along with the remaining filling ingredients and the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil, mix well. Set aside.
• Lightly brush the inside of a 9X13-inch baking dish with olive oil.Remove phyllo dough from package and lay it gently on a flat surface. Place a clean damp tea towel over the dough, covering it completely. This will keep it soft and pliable for the recipe. If you don't cover it, the dough will dry out quickly and break easily.If using 13x18 size sheets of phyllo dough, trim 1 1/2 inches from two of the edges (a short edge and a long edge). If using 9x13 size, overlap the pieces as you layer them to make sure you get good coverage on the bottom and sides for the lower crust.Lay phyllo one sheet at a time in the pan, covering the bottom of the dish, with dough coming up the sides. Lightly brush each sheet with olive oil. To spread the olive oil evenly, flick the oil lightly with your brush around the sheet, then brush gently to spread (it doesn't have to fully coat the sheet).
• Once you have stacked 8 sheets, spread filling into the pan over the top of the sheets.
• Repeat stacking and brushing with the remaining sheets of phyllo and oil, stacking 6-8 sheets on top of the pie. Brush the top liberally with remaining olive oil, using more as needed - having the top well oiled will give it a nice crunch and a golden sheen.
• With a sharp paring knife, trim excess dough off the edges so the pastry is flush with the inside of the pan. Use the same knife to score the top layer of phyllo into 12 squares. Be sure not to cut all the way through the bottom crust, or you'll risk having a soggy pie.
• Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the top phyllo crust is golden brown all over. Cool until warm but no longer hot, about 30 minutes. Cut squares along score marks. Serve warm. This pie is also great at room temperature. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days.

SPANAKOPITA BITES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, mix egg, spinach and cheeses. Brush a 15x10x1-in. baking pan with some of the butter., Place 1 sheet of phyllo dough in prepared pan; brush with butter. Layer with 7 additional phyllo sheets, brushing each layer. (Keep remaining phyllo covered with a damp towel to prevent it from drying out.) Spread top with spinach mixture. Top with remaining phyllo dough, brushing each sheet with butter., Freeze, covered, 30 minutes. Using a sharp knife, cut into 1-in. squares. Bake 35-45 minutes or until golden brown. Refrigerate leftovers.

EASY SPANAKOPITA RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add spinach; cook and stir 4 to 5 min. or until spinach wilts. Remove from heat. Discard any liquid from skillet; cool 5 min. Squeeze spinach to remove as much liquid as possible. Chop spinach. Mix spinach, feta, egg and pepper in medium bowl.
• Heat oven to 375°F. Unroll phyllo sheets; cover with plastic wrap until ready to use to prevent drying. Place 1 phyllo sheet on clean work surface; brush lightly with butter. Top with second phyllo sheet. Using sharp knife, cut sheets crosswise into 6 (12x2-3/4-inch) strips.
• Place 1 tsp. spinach mixture onto end of strip. Fold one corner of phyllo strip over filling to make a triangle. Continue folding dough until entire strip is folded into a triangular packet. Place, seam side down, on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Repeat with remaining phyllo sheets and filling mixture. Brush tops with remaining butter.
• Bake 20 to 25 min. or until crisp and golden brown. Cool on wire rack.