A fresh and vibrant Greek Crustless Zucchini Pie with feta cheese. With a soft, cake-like interior, a crusty top, and slightly crisp edges. Very tasty and filling, made with cornflour instead of plain flour. Which also makes this pie a gluten-free one!
Don't you just love pies where you don't have to make the extra effort and make a crust for them?
In Greece, most pies are made with filo, which is a bit time-consuming (so yummy though). That's why most Greek pies have a crustless, speedier version as well. Take Spanakopita (Spinach Pie) for example.
Table Of Contents
This crustless Zucchini pie is traditionally made with filo as well. In Greece, we call it Kolokithopita (kolokithi = zucchini and pita = pie). The main ingredients are mostly the same in both versions.
Ingredients
The ingredients to make a Kolokithopita are: light green zucchinis, feta cheese, yogurt, eggs, onion (and/or spring onions), and fresh herbs. If you want to try the filo version of this pie, you can find it here. That's made with store-bought filo pastry, so you don't have to make it from scratch like in Chicken Pie or Lamb Pie.
Zucchini Type
In Greece, we mostly use small light green Zucchinis like the ones I am showing you below. The smaller and younger the zucchinis, the sweeter and more flavorful the pie will be. This is also one of the reasons why this pie is better made during summer, when zucchinis are in season.
Prepare Zucchini For Pie
To prepare the zucchinis for this pie, you need to rinse them first. Then cut the tops and bottoms and grate them on the hand grater. Not too fine and not too thick. Using the medium-coarse side of the grater.
Afterward, you need to place the grated zucchinis inside a strainer and rub them well with a bit of salt, and let them sit at room temperature for about 40 minutes. During this time, the salt will work its way through the zucchinis and make them release their water.
Like Zucchinis? Try These:
- Crispy Zucchini Fritters (Kolokithokeftedes)
- Crispy Fried Zucchini Slices (with 2-ingredient batter)
- Baked Omelette With Feta, Zucchini and Potatoes
- Feta Cheese Stuffed Zucchini
Next, take handfuls of the grated zucchini and squeeze them well inside your fists. Removing as much water as possible. This step ensures the pie won't turn out too moist or even mushy.
Lastly, you can mix the grated, squeezed zucchini in a bowl with the remaining ingredients for the pie batter.
Storing Leftovers
This pie can be kept out of the fridge, at room temperature, for a day or two if the room temperature isn't too high. Or you can store the pie in a food container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Reheating
To reheat this crustless zucchini pie, you can either use the microwave or the oven. Microwave each piece for 2-3 minutes uncovered, or reheat the pan in the oven at 150°C / 300°F, covered with aluminum foil.
Serve With
Serve this crustless Kolokithopita, together with a creamy side dish like Cucumber Salad With Yogurt & Mint, Beetroot Salad Dip With Greek Yogurt, Tzatziki, or a mouthwatering Greek Salad.
Recipe
Crustless Zucchini Pie Withe Feta (Gluten-Free)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1200 grams ( 2.6 pounds) light green, small to medium-sized zucchinis
- 4 medium-sized eggs lightly beaten
- 200 grams (7 ounce) Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 small red onion minced
- 2 small spring onions minced
- 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil + extra for the pan
- 300 grams (10.6 ounces) feta cheese coarsely crumbled
- 220 grams (7.7 ounces) corn flour + some extra for the pan
- olive oil
Instructions
- Rinse the zucchinis and cut off the tops and bottoms. Grate on hand grater on medium scale, not too fine. Add the zucchini to a strainer.
- Mix zucchini with 1 teaspoon of salt. Massage the zucchini for a minute or two until it starts to release its water.
- Stand at room temperature for 40 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 170°C / 340°F.
- Squeeze the zucchini by taking handfuls of it in your hands. Squeeze well to release most of its water content. Place the squeezed zucchini inside a mixing bowl.
- Add the remaining ingredients to a bowl, except for the feta cheese and corn flour. Begin by mixing the yogurt with the eggs, olive oil, and baking soda, and then add the onions and herbs.
- Mix in the grated zucchini.
- Stir in the corn flour, and once fully mixed, incorporate the feta cheese.
- Prepare a 38 x 27 cm (15 x 11 inch) pan. Drizzle with a generous splash of olive oil and dust with corn flour.
- Transfer batter to the pan and spread evenly with a spoon.
- Bake for about 40 minutes. Prick the center of the pie with a toothpick to see if it comes out clean.
- Cut and divide into 12 square pieces and enjoy!
Loved this Fotini - thank you so much. ΅We live in Cyprus and kolokythia are less than €0.20c per kilo just now! We love koloythokeftedes but this is easier - no frying involved. I forget to add the baking soda but the result was still wonderful - I made briam to go with this. I used polenta which worked wonderfully - top marks from my wife who says 'thank you Fotini' too!
Makes me so happy to hear this Alan!
Delicious recipe to use when courgettes are filling the garden and can get boring
Hi there. Do you mean corn meal?
In UK cornflour is white and I think you call that corn starch in USA?
Could you state what flour exactly please? Thank you xx
Hi Jane, there is cornmeal, corn flour, and cornstarch. Cornmeal is more gritty than cornflour which is finer. While cornstarch is like white powder and yes, many people refer to it as cornflour which isn't really. Here's a cornflour label that I'm sure you could find in most grocery stores.