Spanakopita
Spanakopita is a beloved Greek savory pie made with flaky layers of filo pastry wrapped around a tasty filling of greens, herbs, and Feta cheese. Traditionally made with spinach, this version also works beautifully with rainbow chard, which adds a pop of colour and a slightly earthier taste. Whether you’re serving it as a main dish or a side, spanakopita is comforting, vibrant, and surprisingly simple to make.
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
- 1 onion or a leek, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to brush and season
- 200 – 300g spinach or chard, washed, dried and shredded
- 150g Feta cheese
- 1 small handful of mint OR parsley OR dill OR a mix of them all, finely chopped
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Salt and pepper
- 125g filo pastry
Method
- Gently fry the onion or leek in the oil until softened, add the shredded spinach or chard at the end and cook for a couple of minutes until lightly wilted.
- Tip into a large bowl with the crumbled feta and herbs, add the egg, zest, a glug of oil and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well.
- Heat the oven to 180c. Carefully unroll the filo pastry, cover with a damp tea towel or kitchen paper to stop it drying out. Take a sheet and brush with some oil. Brush a 22cm loose bottomed cake tin or similar with oil then drape in the filo sheet so it hangs over the sides. Continue to brush sheets and place overlapping further around the tin. Keep placing in the tin until you have around three layers.
- Spoon in the filling. Pull the sides into the middle, scrunch up and make sure the filling is covered. Brush with a little more oil.
- Bake for 30 minutes until the pastry is crisp and golden. Remove from the tin, leave to cool slightly before slicing into wedges.
