If you love Greek desserts, check out my baklava post too! 
One of my favourite Greek dishes ever, I adore spanakopita. Spinach and feta wrapped in flaky phyllo dough, this treat is low in carbs, high in iron and out of this world in flavour. Vegetarians, this one is for you!
I was inspired by this spanakopita recipe by Mary Kessler at Allrecipes.com. I had to change it because I only had one package of frozen spinach to work with. When I got out all the ingredients I was like, hey, no garlic?! Well that just would not do!
You start off with 1 onion, chopped, 2-3 minced garlic cloves, 1 package of frozen chopped spinach thawed overnight in the fridge (nuking it will destroy its nutritional value) and drained of its liquid, 1 tsp of dried dill, 1 tbsp of flour, 4 ounces of feta, 2 eggs, some phyllo pastry and melted butter.
You begin by sauteing the onions in some olive oil over medium head for a few minutes to soften. Add the garlic and heat for 30 seconds. Add the spinach, dill and flour. Cook 7-10 minutes, long enough for all the moisture to be gone. Remove from heat. Add the eggs and feta. The original recipe said to season which I did but feta has a high sodium content so mine were just a touch too salty. I would recommend lightly seasoning with salt, if at all.
Keep the phyllo you are not using covered with plastic wrap or a towel to keep it from drying out. Get one sheet, lay it down lengthwise and either brush or spray with oil. I have one of those spray pumps so I do not use a lot of oil. Put another piece on top. Cut the phyllo into three equal lengths so you can make three spanakopitas. Put a nice spoonful at the base, then fold one corner up and over to the side. Flip the spanakopita up so it is now a triangle. Keep flipping until there is nothing left to flip. Brush with melted butter and bake at 350F. The original recipe calls for 45 minutes to and hour but mine were done in 30 minutes:
The great thing with phyllo is in a way, it is hard to screw up. It gets all flaky and wonderful no matter what, there is no reason to be afraid of it.
To get the most nutritional value, have your spanakopita with some juice. Vitamin C will help you absorb all that iron from the spinach. I ate this all the time when I was a vegetarian and I personally love cooked spinach. I find it so comforting and fulfilling.
The only issue with using phyllo is now I have to come up with other ways to finish it off. I hope to make Ellie’s Apple Cranberry Phyllo Turnovers soon! Feel free to join me.
I would eat just about anything wrapped in phyllo, but spanakopita happens to be one of my favorites! I LOVE all the gooey Greek desserts too!
I totally agree Susan! I did a baklava post last year, you can check it out here. You’re going to love it! Can’t wait for Greek fest this year!
I absolutely love Greek food. I’d be an untrustworthy kitchen helper when phyllo is involved. Or, at least I used to be. I’m going to need to find out if there is such a thing as gluten-free phyllo.
I love spanakopita too! My recipe is similar to yours, except I use green onions and no flour. To reduce the feta’s saltiness, I run it under cold water before using it and, of course, do not add any additional salt to the mixture. I make my spanakopita in a square pan with layers of phyllo on the top and bottom rather than making little triangles — I’m not dexterous enough to try those!
Oh, yum!
Until now the only debate I had was what to make this weekend- the Mocha Custard or the Clementine cake.
I was sold on the Magic Soup- it has been unseasonably cool in Wisconsin. Now I am thinking Greek! I have always been afraid that spanakopita would be fussy. Thanks for showing me it is nothing to be timid about.
Thanks for sharing your culinary talents!
Merry Writings!
Anna
P.S. Congrats on the Food Network publication!
Oh these look so yum! I’ve eaten these plenty of times but never attempted them, so it’s the dill that gives it pep! I love anything with feta in it, so so tasty.
OMG!! these look so awesomely cheesy and delicious!!! i have some phyllo and all the other ingredients in the fridge, we are having these TOMORROW!! thanks for sharing! joanne
YUM!
I have never used phyllo dough, but you make it look easy. I’ll have to try this out. We really miss our favorite Greek restaurant – and haven’t found any nearby in Oregon yet. I need to just figure out how to make our favorites at home! 🙂