“SPANAKOPITA!”
I love this moment from the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, where Yiayia, sitting under a table at her great granddaughter’s high school’s college fair event, emerges from the tablecloth to cry, “Spanakopita!” 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀
Greek spinach pie, spanakopita with feta cheese, is also called “Spanakotiropita.” I made this version for Easter dinner yesterday. It was a big hit with my family.
Here’s the recipe for my spanakopita with feta cheese, adapted from my Mothers’ Hellenic Cuisine 1956 cookbook by Saints Constantine and Helen Ladies Society.
- 2 lbs. of frozen spinach
- 2 small bunches of green onions
- 1 lb. crumbled Greek feta cheese
- 7 eggs, beaten
- 1 lb. of butter
- 1 box of frozen phyllo / filo pastry sheets (2 rolls per box, approximately 20 sheets per roll)
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. pepper
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. dried oregano
- ½ tsp. dried basil
- Day before baking - Allow spinach to thaw and drain over night in a colander (use a bowl underneath the colander to catch the moisture)
- Allow frozen phyllo to thaw in refrigerator overnight
- Next day - Preheat oven to 350° F
- Combine spinach, crumbled feta, green onions, beaten eggs and spices, and mix into a large bowl
- Melt butter and set aside
- Grease 9 x 13" pan
- Place 10 - 12 pastry sheets into pan brushing each with melted butter
- Spread spinach mixture on top of buttered pastry sheets
- Cover spinach mixture with 10 - 12 pastry sheets, each also brushed with melted butter
- Score the top of the pie to the size of desired pieces
- Bake at 350° F for one hour or until golden brown
And look who won the egg cracking contest this year. Good luck for me!
Happy Easter! Kalo Pascha! Christos Anesti!
More of my Greek Easter blog posts and recipes here: