This Puff pastry spinach and feta pie skips the phyllo and comes with a truly creamy filling and deliciously flaky pastry. This is a fancier version of Greek Spanakopita.
This Spanakopita, or actually Spanakotiropita (Spinach and Cheese Pie), is more creamy and filling than traditional ones made with phyllo. It can proudly stand as a main dish with a nice salad on the side.
Table Of Contents
The Filling
The filling for this puff pastry Spanakopita is made with a bechamel-like cream as a base. First, sauté the spring onions in butter, and then cook the spinach until it wilts. Next, add flour and milk to make a creamy mixture. Let it cool down a bit, then stir in the eggs, cheese, and dill.
TIP: The filling shouldn't be too hot when you assemble the pie, so it won't soften and moisten the dough too much. Also, it sets more while it cools.
The Puff Pastry
I'm using store-bought frozen puff pastry to make this Puff Pastry Spinach and Feta Pie. It's quick and easy. However, you can easily make your own Homemade Puff Pastry using real butter in the dough instead of the unhealthy fats used in the ones you buy from grocery stores.
Before baking the puff pastry pie, cut it into pieces. This helps the puff pastry to rise and steam to escape from within the filling. Make sure not to cut all the way to the bottom, though. Only the top layer of puff pastry. Otherwise, the filling will leak and stick to the bottom of the pan.
TIP: While the pie bakes, the cuts you made at the top might stick together again. So keep an eye on it, and if you notice the pie getting puffy and rising in the center, run your knife again through, to revive the cuts.
Fresh Or Frozen Spinach?
I prefer using fresh produce whenever possible. So, for me, fresh spinach is the best. On the other hand, frozen spinach can be more convenient and can also be used to make this spinach and feta pie.
To make this pie using frozen spinach, thaw it in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for 2-3 hours. You don't need to squeeze it because its water will drain when you cook it on the stovetop before adding it to the pie.
Additional Ingredients
Instead of just plain spinach, you can use a mixture of greens, as is done in the Hortopita recipe. Prefer sweet greens like Swiss chard and tender beet greens.
Combine feta cheese with a semi-hard, yellow, melting cheese like Gruyère for a stronger cheese flavor. For example, you can add 250 grams of feta cheese and 150-200 grams of Gruyere.
Or combine feta with cream cheese for a softer, creamier cheese flavor. In this case, you can use 250 grams of feta and 250 grams of cream cheese.
Greek Anthotyro cheese or soft Greek Myzithra cheese also goes well here. Their texture and flavor are similar to that of thickened Ricotta cheese (so yes, you can use that if you can't find the aforementioned cheeses). Again, use half and half, 250 grams of each.
You can sauté 1-2 chopped garlic cloves together with the onions when making the pie filling. Garlic is often used in Spanakopita.
And if you don't fancy dill, like many people do, you can use fresh or even dried spearmint instead, or a handful of fresh parsley, which has a subtler aroma.
Serve With
Serve this puff pastry spinach and feta pie with a herby and aromatic salad, such as a Marinated Tomato Salad, or a White Bean Salad with Lemon, Garlic, and Herbs, or a Simple Beetroot Salad.
Recipe
Puff Pastry Spinach Feta Pie (Greek Spanakopita)
Ingredients
- 2 sheets puff pastry 28 x 40 cm / 11 x 15-inches (about 350 grams each)
- olive oil
- 1 egg yolk
For The Filling:
- 500 grams (1.1 pounds) fresh spinach or 400 grams thawed, squeezed, frozen spinach
- 5 spring onions minced (about 140 grams)
- 80 grams (6 tablespoons) butter
- 80 grams (8 tablespoons) all-purpose flour
- 500 ml (2 cups) milk at room temperature
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 350 grams (2½ cups) crumbled feta cheese
- 3 loaded tablespoons minced dill or 1 teaspoon spearmint
Instructions
- Thaw puff pastry in the fridge overnight. Then let it sit at room temperature for 45 minutes.
Prepare The Spanakopita Filling:
- Melt butter in a saute pan.
- Saute the spring onions until soft.
- Add the spinach in batches. Season lightly with salt and wait until the first batch of spinach wilts before adding the next one. Cook over medium-high heat.NOTE: If using frozen spinach, there's no need to cook it. Skip to the next step and mix in the thawed, squeezed spinach along with the eggs and cheese.
- Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon. Turn the heat to medium-low.
- Pour in the milk and cook, stirring frequently, until it becomes creamy and thickens. Take the pan off the heat.
- Let the filling cool for at least 30 minutes. It should be warm, not hot, before adding the eggs and cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
- Stir in the eggs, feta cheese, and dill.
Assemble:
- Preheat the oven to 175°C / 350°F.
- Prepare the pan. Brush a 23 x 33 cm (9 x 13 inches) pan or baking dish of a similar size with olive oil.
- Lay one puff pastry sheet in the pan and press gently to fit.
- Add the filling and spread it evenly with a spoon.
- Top with another puff pastry sheet. Press the edges of both sheets to stick together and create a pie edge. Trim it slightly wherever necessary.
- Divide into pieces. Cut and separate the pie into 15 square pieces without cutting all the way through to the bottom. Just the top puff pastry sheet.
- Whisk egg yolk with 2 tablespoons of water. Then brush the top of the pie.
- Bake for about 1 hour, or until the pie gets a nice honey-golden color. If you see it becoming puffy while it bakes, run a knife through the cuttings you made on the surface (they may stick together again) to allow the steam to escape.
- Cool for at least one hour at room temperature before cutting and serving.
Always delicious, wonderful recipe, fresh spinach a must! We love to enjoy with your White Bean Salad with Lemon, Garlic and Fresh Herbs, my personal favorite, along with your Marinated Tomato Salad, all delightfully delicious and healthy! This Spanakopita recipe is my husband’s favorite! It’s on regular rotation, love the pie for a quick lunch, too!
Thank you, Kathryn, glad to hear that!
puff pastry comes in diferen tsizes who many grams or oz for each layer
Hi Brooke, it's mentioned in the ingredients list. It's 350 grams each layer so a package of 700 grams.
Hello!
If I use frozen spinach, how much? Also, should the milk be whole milk? I’m anxious to make this for Father’s Day.
Thank you
Hi Roxanne, use 400 grams (14 ounces) frozen spinach. Don't worry, it's easier than it sounds and I'm sure it will be a hit!
Lovely.
I didn't have enough fresh spinach so I made up the quantity required using fresh radish leaves and young endive from the garden.
Thank-you.
best recipe so tasty
my family love it
The TOTAL time is almost 3 hours but the cooking time is only 1:15, which is very misleading! It takes about 15 minutes to saute the onions, spinach, & milk. Then it sits for 30 minutes. Then you do the rest and cook for an hour. THEN it says to let it rest for 60 minutes before serving. WHAT?!? This recipe takes almost 3 hours before you can sit down to eat it.
Elizabeth, you can cut out the flour and milk part which will reduce the time. It really takes about an hour to prepare and 35 minutes to bake. No need to wait an hour afterwards. Just let it cool a bit so it holds its shape when serving. You could also make the spinach mixture the day before. Give it a try. You will love it.
Can this recipe be made the day before? How long do you suggest that leftover would keep in the refrigerator?
Thanks for your help and can't wait to try this!
Hi Dean, if you make the pie a day ahead, the filling will make the pastry soggy. What you can do is to prepare the filling the day before and assemble the pie when you're ready to bake it. Leftovers keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator!