Explore the world · Recipe · Greece · Reference page
Spanakopita
σπανακόπιτα (spanakópita)
A Greek pie of buttered filo layers around spinach or silverbeet mixed with feta, ricotta, hard cheese, eggs, dill and spring onion, baked until golden. Dimitra Alfred's recipe from the SBS series Food Safari.
- Servings
- 8
- Preparation
- 50 min
- Cooking
- 1 h
- Resting
- 15 min
- Total
- 2 h 5
- Difficulty
- Moderate
Equipment
- Baking dish about 20 × 30 × 5 cm
- Pastry brush; small pan for melting butter
- Large bowl; a dry and a damp tea towel
Ingredients
The filling
The pastry
Method
Heat the oven to 180 °C. Trim the roots from the spinach, or cut the stems out of silverbeet. Wash the leaves, drain them very well and shred coarsely.
Why The greens must be as dry as possible or the pie turns soggy. They can be prepared a day ahead.
Mash the feta roughly with a fork in a large bowl. Add the ricotta, hard cheese, eggs, breadcrumbs, nutmeg, pepper, oil, dill and spring onions and mix with the fork. Put the greens on top and mix lightly with your hands.
Lightly oil or butter the dish. Line it with a sheet of filo and brush it with butter; keep layering buttered sheets until about half the filo is used. Keep the waiting filo under a dry tea towel and then a damp one.
Why Filo dries and cracks within minutes in the air. Butter between every sheet is what makes the layers crisp and separate.
Mix the filling well and spread it evenly over the base. Cover with the remaining sheets, buttering each one and the top especially well. Trim the overhang and tuck in the sides.
Score the top layers into diamonds with a sharp knife, pierce the pastry once or twice and sprinkle lightly with water. Bake for 45–60 minutes, until well browned; cover with foil if it browns too fast.
Why Scoring before baking lets you cut neat pieces later without shattering the crust; the holes let steam escape.
Timer · 55 min55:00The pie is done when it slides in the dish when gently shaken. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes before cutting.
Timer · 15 min15:00
To drink & serve with
- Greece
Editorial suggestion: a crisp Greek white such as Assyrtiko.
Substitutions
- Spinach → Silverbeet (Swiss chard), as the source allows.
- Kefalograviera → Parmesan or pecorino.
Common mistakes
- Wet greens: the bottom pastry turns to paste.
- Skimping on butter between sheets: the pie bakes into a hard, dry crust.
- Using frozen filo without thawing it properly: the sheets tear. The source asks for fresh filo.
Storage & reheating
Good warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate within 2 hours, eat within 2 days and re-crisp in a hot oven.
Safety
Contains gluten (filo, breadcrumbs), milk (cheeses, butter) and egg. Bake until set right through.
Allergens
Gluten · Milk · Egg
Check labels: stock, bacon and sauces can contain further allergens.
Dietary
vegetarian
A filo pie from the Greek home
Spinach pie is one of the classics of Greek home cooking. For Dimitra Alfred, who made it for the SBS series Food Safari, filo pastry is a staple of her household, and the secret of a great filo pie is the drizzle of butter between every layer. Her filling uses three cheeses: feta for salt, ricotta for softness and a grating cheese such as kefalograviera for depth.
Dry greens, buttered sheets
Two rules carry the recipe. The greens are washed and drained until as dry as possible, so the filling does not soak the pastry; they can be prepared the day before. And every sheet of filo is brushed with butter, with the top one buttered generously. Scoring the top into diamonds before baking makes the cooked pie easy to cut, and a sprinkle of water stops the top layers curling.
How it connects
Wine region
- origin Greece
