Spanikopita (Greek Spinach Phyllo Pie)

I don’t know what brought it on, but I’ve been in the mood to play with Greek dishes. While I’ve eaten many versions of spanikopita, I hadn’t made my own until recently, and let me just say that this entree is both easy and substantial enough to make anyone happy with it for a week-night, meat-free dinner.

Ingredients
Olive oil (for sauteing veggies and brushing phyllo)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 package of chopped frozen spinach, thawed
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs (dill, parsley and scallions)
freshly grated nutmeg (to taste, optional)
1 egg
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
2 oz feta (chopped or crumbled)
salt/pepper to taste
8 sheets phyllo dough, thawed

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Start by sauteing your onions and red bell pepper in a little olive oil. Once the onions have gone translucent,  add the spinach and cook for a few minutes then add the garlic. You want the veggies to be pretty dry. Once everything has cooked down and softened, transfer to a bowl and set aside for 10 minutes to cool.

Once cool, add in the chopped herbs, the nutmeg, and the egg and cheeses. Mix well and season with salt/pepper to taste. Be careful seasoning because feta is pretty salty.

Spinach mixture with herbs…

And ricotta/feta/egg mixed in.

Once your filling is complete, brush the bottom and sides of your baking dish with a little olive oil, then place 4 sheets of phyllo down as the base, letting the sheets overlap the sides of the baking dish.

Place your filling in the center then smooth it into an even layer, tucking the phyllo edges over to encapsulate the filling. Brush the phyllo with a little oil then place the last 4 sheets of phyllo (one layer at a time) over the top, brushing with oils as you go.

All tucked in.

Ready to bake.