Spinach and Feta triangles are one of the best ways to make a Spanakopita. With the phyllo getting extra crispy cooked this way. And the most delicious spinach filling loaded with cheese and fresh herbs. Seriously yummy stuff!
Not to mention that it's a much easier way to serve a Spanakopita. Skipping all the fuss of cutting and serving a whole pie. As phyllo being so crumbly, can create a bit of a mess when cut. Unless you're making a Spanakopita with homemade phyllo.
When it comes to gatherings you simply couldn't ask for anything better to serve. These Spinach and Feta triangles are just the right size for a bbq buffet or a center dish for a Greek dinner. And you can even make them ahead of time and just bake them on the day you plan to serve them.
How To Store And Freeze Spinach And Feta Triangles
You can either make them the day before and keep them in the fridge until the next day. Or place in the freezer for up to a month!
To store in the fridge just follow the recipe instructions up to the point you are ready to bake. Then place in a large tray pan with parchment paper, as close to each other as possible. But do not stack them as this will make them stick together. Cover the pan very well with plastic wrap so they won't air-dry. The next day simply unwrap and bake!
In order to store in the freezer again follow the instructions up to the point of baking. Then add the pie triangles in a smaller pan with parchment paper, one that fits in your freezer. Freeze them uncovered for about 30 minutes. Remove from the freezer and place them in a large, air-tight food container in layers. With pieces of parchment paper in between the layers so they won't stick together. When ready to serve, simply remove from the freezer and transfer to a large baking tray and bake as instructed in the recipe below.
About The Filling
The filling is made with spinach, red and green onions, a hint of garlic, fresh parsley and dill, feta cheese, Anthotyro cheese, and a bit of Greek yogurt. These last two ingredients give the pie filling a slight creaminess turning them from simply delicious to Wow these are amazing!
Wondering about Anthotyro cheese? It's the Greek version of Ricotta. So if you cannot find it and buy it where you live it's okay. Just substitute with Ricotta cheese. If you do find it though, you can try this super simple and quick Sheetpan Tiropita (cheesepie) as well.
Fresh Or Frozen Spinach?
You can use either! If you don't have the time to clean fresh spinach, it's okay to use frozen one. As it is going to get cooked when making the filling anyway. So the texture will end up more or less the same. Personally in this recipe, and whenever I make a Spanakopita in general, I prefer to use fresh spinach. As I find the flavor richer and better-tasting overall. That is if you can find young tender spinach.
How To Make A Spinach Triangle
To make a spinach triangle, first lay a sheet of phyllo on a very clean and dry working surface. Place it in order to face its wider side. Use a pastry brush to grease the phyllo all over with oil (I use sunflower oil but any vegetable oil will do). Do this gently so the phyllo won't tear. If it does, don't worry, as we are going to add another phyllo sheet on top. Carefully add another sheet of phyllo on top of the other and grease with oil again. Then using a sharp cutting knife cut and divide the phyllos' into 5 equal-sized strips.
Add about a tablespoon of the filling (not too full though) to the bottom end of each strip. Then overlap the bottom end in order to close the filling inside. Press gently to stick together. If the phyllo is greased properly with plenty of oil it will stick together nicely. Then start folding it upwards creating a square shape as in the picture below.
NOTE: The first folding creates a square shape in order to properly secure the filling all around first. From the second folding, you start to create the triangular shape. By folding towards the left and then folding towards the right and so on until you reach the end of the strip.
About Phyllo Pastry...
Two things to keep in mind. One is that it air-dries quickly. So you need to keep the stack covered with a tea towel. And two, it needs to be greased very well. If you leave it dry, it won't be cooked properly or at all. Having dry bits of uncooked phyllo inside the triangles. So grease it very well to get nicely baked and crispy.
Greek Side Dishes To Serve With Spanakopita Triangles
A Greek classic, Tzatziki is always great with Spanakopita. Spicy Whipped Feta (Tirokafteri) is also a great dip to serve together with these pies.
Recipe
Spinach And Feta Triangles
Ingredients
- 1 package (450 gram) phyllo pastry
- olive oil
- 1 small red onion minced
- 3 small green onions
- 1 large garlic clove chopped
- 600 grams/ 21 oz spinach fresh or frozen
- kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill chopped
- 2 medium-sized eggs lightly beaten
- 150 grams / 5.3 oz Anthotyro or Ricotta cheese crumbled
- 150 grams / 5.3 oz Feta cheese crumbled
- 80 grams / 2.8 oz plain Greek yogurt
- plenty of sunflower or other vegetable oil
Instructions
The night before:
- Add phyllo in the fridge to unfreeze overnight.
Prepare The Spinach (if using fresh):
- Remove the spinach bottoms and any yellowish old leaves. Don't throw away the stems. Fill your sink or a very large bowl with water. Add the spinach and let it soak for 5 minutes. Transfer in a strainer. Discard the water and fill it with plenty of fresh water. Add the spinach, without letting it soak this time transfer to a strainer and let sit for a while to drain excess water.
- Chop the spinach finely especially the stems and add to a bowl.
- Remove the bottom tips of the green onions as well as any outer yellowish or old skin if there is any. Rinse the onions well. Cut and separate the white parts from the green ones. Chop the green parts and add to the bowl containing the spinach.
- Chop the white parts and set them aside on their own.
- In a medium-sized cooking pot, heat a good splash of olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the minced red onion and cook for a minute or two until it starts to get some color. Add the white parts of the green onions and the chopped garlic clove. Cook until softened and golden in color.
- Add the spinach to the pot in batches (fresh or frozen). Stirring with a wooden spoon. Once all the spinach is added, sprinkle some kosher salt in. But just a pinch to help the spinach remove its juices. No need to season properly as the feta cheese will add all the salinity the filling needs.
- Cook the spinach for about 3-4 minutes until it softens. If there is too much water in the pot, cook a bit more until most of it drains (no need to wait for it to drain completely).
- Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the fresh herbs. Let the mixture cool down to the point you can hold it with your hands.
- Once cooled down, squeeze the mixture really well with your hands to remove all excess water from the spinach. Then add in mixing bowl. This is an important step to ensure the pies get really crispy when cooked and the phyllo pastry to not get soggy.
- Add the Anthotyro (or Ricotta) cheese, the feta cheese, the beaten eggs, and Greek yogurt to the bowl with the squeezed spinach. Mix well with a spoon to thoroughly combine.
- Preheat oven to 190°C / 374°F.
- Remove the phyllo pastry from its package and lay it flat on a working surface. Keep it covered with a tea towel so it won't air-dry.
- Take a sheet of phyllo and lay it in front of you widthwise. Using a pastry brush, gently grease it with the sunflower (or vegetable) oil. Take another phyllo sheet and place it on top the same way. Again grease well with the oil.
- With a sharp cutting knife, cut and divide the phyllo into 5 equal long strips.
- Take a spoonful (not too full) of the filling and add it to the bottom end of each strip. Overlap the bottom in order to cover the filling and press gently to stick together. Then start folding in order to form a triangle. Towards the left then towards the right repeating this until you get the top end of the strip.
- Place in a baking tray or large pan covered with parchment paper. Leave 1 cm space between each pie triangle. Repeat the process for remaining phyllo and filling. You will need two baking trays (or large pans) as there will be 30 pies. And each pan will fit about 15. Or you can bake the first batch, add a new piece of parchment paper and then bake the next batch.
- Grease the Spinach pie triangles with plenty of oil o top. Then use a toothpick and prick each triangle 5-6 times. This helps the steam that is created within the pies while baking to escape and prevent them from exploding.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until deep golden on top. Carefully transfer on a cooling rack to cool down properly and keep nice and crispy throughout the day.
- These pies will keep nice and crispy on the day they're made. If you place them in the fridge for the next day keep in mind that the phyllo won't be the same as it is going to get really soft. So if you think 30 pies are too many, simply bake half of them the one day and half the next day. Or even place half of them in the freezer for future use as instructed in the post.
Nutrition
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I am sorry I can only give this one star. The filling is superb, but using sunflower oil to brush the filo pastry ruined the taste of everything. It had an overpowering flavour and smell. Such a shame. I will try replacing the oil with melted butter next time.