Traditional Recipes
Greek Spanakopita
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Greek Spanakopita

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If you are a lover of Greek cuisine, you will definitely not miss the chance to try an authentic Greek spanakopita. This unique dish will surely appeal to anyone who likes a combination of spinach and feta cheese in a crispy, golden crust.

How was spanakopita created?

The origin of spanakopita is difficult to trace, although some claim that it is of purely Greek origin and was known over 400 years ago. However, this dish may be related to ispanakli which comes from Turkey. Medieval Ottoman influences may have had some germ in the creation of this dish. Regardless, the most delicious and authentic spanakopita recipes are believed to come from northwestern Greece, in the Epirus region. The main ingredient - Spinach, comes from the Middle East. Merchants first brought it to Spain, and during the Byzantine Empire it spread to the rest of Europe. So it was only a matter of time until someone figured out how to use it in the kitchen.

How to prepare a spanakopita?

Preparing Greek spanakopita is not difficult at all. You just need to stock up on the right ingredients, and the rest will go downhill.

Recipe informations:

timer

Preparation

30 minutes
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Total

110 minutes
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Yield

Servings 15
4 (1)

Ingredients

  • 475 g - phyllo dough
  • 500g - 600g Spinach (preferably fresh)
  • 300 g of onion
  • 400 g Feta Cheese
  • olive oil

Steps

1. Step

We can start the preparation by preheating the oven. TIP: However, if our oven is quickly gaining temperature, we can move this step forward two positions. After setting the oven, grease our cake pan with olive oil on the bottom and sides.

2. Step

Finely chop the spinach (finely chopped and frozen spinach is also available - however, this should be thawed and drained of water beforehand. However, we recommend using fresh spinach because the dish simply tastes better with it), a bunch of chives, a bunch of dill and a bunch of parsley.

3. Step

We put everything in a bowl along with the chopped onion. Crumble the feta cheese and add it to the rest of the ingredients along with a tablespoon of oregano, a bit of chilli, salt and pepper to taste. Mix everything thoroughly.

4. Step

Divide the phyllo sheets in half. Save half for later. Put the first sheet of dough on the bottom of the mold. Brush the dough generously with olive oil. Roll up the protruding dough in the middle, brush the folded edges with olive oil and cover with another sheet of dough. Use the first half of the dough in the same way.

5. Step

Now we lay out our spinach stuffing. If water appears in it, squeeze it out before inserting it. Then we level the stuffing over the entire surface of our form.

6. Step

Repeat the next steps with the filo dough - proceed exactly the same way, finishing with olive oil on top.

7. Step

Cut the spinacopy with a knife, dividing it into pieces (size and shape at your discretion). It is best to form square pieces.

8. Step

Bake the folded dough for about 80 minutes. When the cake is browned, cover it with aluminum foil and reduce the temperature to 180 degrees C. After this time, the cake should be ready. However, we recommend checking the condition 5 minutes in advance as the whole thing may be ready earlier or require a few extra minutes in the oven