Greek Cuisine

Spanakopita

Cuisine: Greek Servings: Serves 8 Created by Dimitra Alfred

Dimitra Alfred shares her spanakopita recipe with Food Safari's Maeve O'Meara.

For tasty variations on spanakopita, try Lyndey Milan's spanakopita recipe or Georgia Sakelos' spanakopita recipe. Also, browse our Greek recipes for more gourmet inspiration.

Ingredients

1 bunch (about 320g) English spinach or silverbeet
2 sprigs fresh dill, chopped
4 green shallots, chopped
300g feta cheese
100g ricotta cheese
40g (½ cup) finely grated hard cheese like kefalograviera, parmesan or pecorino
5 eggs
2 tbsp dry breadcrumbs
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
60ml olive oil
Melted butter or olive oil for greasing dish
375g packet fresh (not frozen) filo pastry
185ml melted butter, approximately

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Preparation

Trim the roots from the English spinach, or if using silverbeet, remove leaves from tough stems. Wash leaves and drain well. Coarsely shred the leaves and tender stalks of the spinach and set aside.

Place the feta in a large bowl and coarsely mash with a fork. Add the ricotta, kefalograviera, eggs, breadcrumbs, nutmeg, pepper and oil. Mix with the fork to combine. Add the spinach and set aside while preparing the pastry case.

Preheat oven to 180C. Lightly grease a 20cm x 30cm x 5cm deep baking dish.

Lay the filo out on a bench. Cover with a dry tea towel then a damp one to keep it from drying out. Line dish with a sheet of filo and butter the filo. Top with another sheet of filo and butter and continue until about half the sheets of filo are used.

Using your hand or a large metal spoon, gently mix the spinach filling until thoroughly combined. Pour into the prepared pastry base and spread evenly. Top with remaining filo, buttering each sheet, ensuring the final sheet is well buttered. Trim any overhanging pastry and tuck in the sides.

Use a sharp knife to mark pastry top into diamonds, allowing the knife to pierce the pastry once or twice to allow air to escape during baking. Sprinkle lightly with water and bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until well browned and set. Gently shake the pan and the spanakopita will slide easily when cooked. Cover with foil if over browning. Cool on rack for 15 minutes before cutting to serve.

Note:
The spinach can be prepared a day ahead. It must be as dry as possible to ensure the spanakopita does not become soggy.

Greek Restaurants

Displaying 10 of 235 Greek Restaurants.

Restaurant		Suburb
1.	Cellar 47	Shepparton
2.	Santorini Hawthorn	Hawthorn
3.	Lemnos Taverna	Prahran
4.	Triselies	Katoomba
5.	Saffron	Manuka
6.	Yots Greek Taverna	Larrakeyah
7.	Eros Ouzeri	Adelaide
8.	Estia	Henley Beach
9.	George's Greek Tavern	Malvern East
10.	Greek Spot	Hawthorn

28 Dec 2011 05:13 AEST

Beth

jindalee

Best spanakopita

Great recipe, even better then some greek restaurants

03 Mar 2011 04:48 AEST

julia muggridge

Perth

Yummy!

I made this pie last night and really enjoyed it! Great the next day hot or cold! My son doesn't like dill so next time I will use little less. I don't cook and when I do it rarely turns out. I was thrilled to find this recipe because it turned out perfect!!! If I can make this anyone can!!! I only had small eggs so added one extra to make a total of 6. In the video it only showed 3 eggs being used however you need all 5 or its not wet enough to coat the spinach. Recipe is a keeper!!!

29 Dec 2010 06:06 AEST

Suzanne Gurisik

Sydney, Castle Hill

Quantity of eggs

Hi, I'm planning to make the spanakopita pie soon but I am wondering if the quantity of eggs is 3 or 5? I've watched the video and only saw 3 eggs being added but the recipe calls for 5 eggs. Which is it?

16 Jul 2010 09:41 AEST

Anastasia

Craigieburn VIC

Fantastic

I have made this a number of times and it always turns out fantastic. Sometimes I add parmesan and pecorino and it also adds a little more favour. I did try this with baby spinich, definate no-no! Great tip about adding the water to the filo before cooking.

02 Apr 2010 11:53 AEST

Ange Kenos

Niddrie

My second favourite pita 9after pumpkin)

My late gran, and my mother, never used the bought filo but made it themselves and the difference IS amazing.

25 Jan 2010 09:59 AEST

Amanda

Cremorne NSW

Nice but not as flavoursome as I'd have liked

I would have liked this to pack more punch in the flavour department. I notice that other recipes use fewer eggs and add parsley or other herbs. I think next time I'll try a different recipe. Loved having the video to watch though. There's an error in the recipe instructions - dill and green shallots are listed as ingredients, but never mentioned in the instructions. It's easy to guess where & when to add them, but it should be included in the text.

16 Jun 2009 05:28 AEST

Catherine

Sunnybank, QLD

Delicious!

So easy to make. I added pine nuts and mint to the recipe.

01 Jun 2009 12:37 AEST

Alan

Donvale

Now I'm a whizz with a pastry brush ...

Have prepared this a few times now and have the puff pastry bit wired. This recipe is superb ... great taste and texture. I am very careful to rinse & drain the leaves very well. And thorough hand mixing with the cheeses really pays off. Also noticed that about 2/3 the butter quantity is adequate.

07 May 2009 01:56 AEST

phoenix

vic

The best I have made

This is now the 2nd time I have made this recipe, and it is the best. Took some to work and everyone wanted the recipe. It couldn't be any easier. Last time I also included some crushed garlic in the melted butter mix and if you like garlic, you would like this approach to the recipe. This is now included in my favorites. Thanks

06 Apr 2009 06:42 AEST

Amanda

Bendigo, VIC

First attempt - perfect result

This was the first attempt I have made at making spanakopita and therefore had no idea what to expect. It was very simple to put together with easy to find ingredients. The final result was wonderful and everyone was impressed. Definately pleased with the results.

08 Jan 2009 03:14 AEST

Brian

Dulich Hill

Australianising

We enjoyed it so much I took it to work the next day as lunch. However, I was impatient and cracked open the lunch box while driving. The first bite sent me in to ecstatic convulsions, which while commendable as a recipe, is not a great result when you're driving. I wanted to thank Sally for her recommendation. Not being able to hold solids (or walk) after the accident was difficult to face - but not being able to eat this dish ever again, would have crippled my soul. Thanks Sally.

08 Jan 2009 03:02 AEST

Sally

Campbelltown

Yummo

My husband ate this! And that's saying something!!! Since the accident he hasn't been able to take solid food so I blended this up with some milk and vanilla icecream into a smoothie. He sicked a bit of it up afterwards but I estimate that he managed to keep down 1/2 a cup of it. Now he keeps asking for "vanilla spinach smoothie". Thanks guys.

29 Dec 2008 09:19 AEST

Sarah

Clark

I've converted a picky carnivore!

My brother ate this! That is the highest praise i could ever give a recipe! I thought it was devine. The best spanakopita i've ever cooked. Not wet or soggy. It held its shape perfectly and was a breeze to cut. i used dodoni fetta which was perfect - not too salty. I served it with some spicy tomato relish which complemented it brilliantly.

28 Nov 2008 06:39 AEST

Heather

Holbrook

A new family favourite

Easy to prepare and it looked and tasted wonderful. Everyone wanted a second serve and a copy of the recipe.

30 Oct 2008 01:14 AEST

Dorothy Martin

Eltham Nth. Vic.

Delicious vegetarian meal.

Delicious. I used young silverbeet leaves out of the garden. Not difficult to make. Enjoyed by my young grandchildren 31/2 & 2 . Leftovers ( not much) , full of flavour the next day. DCM

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