Often, spanakopita (a savory Greek spinach pie) is layered in a casserole dish or painstakingly formed into tiny perfect triangles. We’ve taken liberties with tradition and molded it into an open-face tart that requires much less intricate technique. The result is a “pie” with extra ruffly, crisp wisps of golden brown phyllo, forming a crown around the edges.
Working with thin sheets of phyllo pastry takes patience and a bit of finesse, advises food director Chris Morocco. “But those crunchy, lighter-than-air layers are more than worth the effort,” he says. If you’re new to managing frozen phyllo pastry, follow Chris’s rules: Defrost it properly, keep the sheets covered with a kitchen towel while working, and do not shy away from the melted butter.
The rich filling in our spanakopita recipe boasts more than two pounds of frozen spinach; lots of crumbly, salty feta cheese; three alliums (onions, leeks, and scallions); three fresh herbs (dill, basil, and oregano); and lemon zest. For step-by-step photos showing how to assemble the pie, check out this guide.
Editor’s note: This recipe was originally published in February 2017.
Recipe information
Yield
6–8 servings
Ingredients
4
¼
1
½
5
2
1
1
10
1
⅓
⅓
3
1
¾
12
Special Equipment
Preparation
Step 1
Place spinach in the center of a clean towel, gather corners together, and twist towel to wring excess liquid out of spinach. Try and get as much out as you can (if spinach is too wet, phyllo will get soggy as it bakes). Transfer spinach to a large bowl and break up into small pieces.
Step 2
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium and cook leek and onion, stirring, until just beginning to soften, 5–7 minutes. Add scallions and garlic and cook until vegetables are tender, 4–6 minutes more; season with salt and pepper. Scrape into bowl with spinach.
Step 3
Whisk egg, egg yolk, 1 tsp. salt, and ¼ tsp. pepper in a small bowl; add to spinach mixture. Add feta, Parmesan, basil, dill, oregano, and lemon zest and mix until distributed. Don’t be afraid to overmix; you want herbs and cheese in every bite!
Step 4
Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly brush bottom and sides of springform pan with butter. Remove phyllo from packaging and cover with a kitchen towel to prevent drying out. Working quickly, brush butter on 1 side of 1 phyllo sheet. Transfer phyllo, butter side up, to prepared pan, covering bottom of pan. Gently press and tuck sides of sheet into bottom edges of pan. Fold and ripple phyllo as needed to cover bottom of pan. Repeat with 2 more phyllo sheets.
Step 5
Working quickly, brush butter on 1 side of another phyllo sheet. Transfer to pan, arranging butter side up and slightly off-center so long side of dough comes up and over side of pan, leaving a 2" overhang. Rotate pan slightly and repeat with another sheet so overhang covers another section of pan. Continue with remaining 7 sheets, rotating pan so there is overhang around entire pan.
Step 6
Scrape spinach mixture into pan, pressing down firmly and smoothing top. Gently fold phyllo overhang over spinach mixture and continue to press until phyllo goes just below rim of pan. Don’t worry if phyllo breaks or tears; gather any broken pieces and arrange where spinach peeks through. You want the phyllo to look draped over the top with lots of waves and folds.
Step 7
Bake pie until phyllo is golden brown and slightly darker around the edges, 50–65 minutes. Let cool in pan 1 hour before removing ring. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Step 8
Do Ahead: Spanakopita can be made 1 day ahead. Do not unmold; wrap pan in plastic and chill. Reheat in a 300° oven 30 minutes.
Leave a Review
Reviews (22)
Back to TopI loved this! Made due with no alliums and parsley as the herb of choice. Delicious and easier than it appears.
Anonymous
Brooklyn NY
10/8/2023
It was absolutely delicious! The best Spanakopita I ever tasted. I didn't use a springform pan, I used a square pan and it turned out fine.
Sharon
Las Vegas, NV
7/15/2023
I learned to make Spanakopita from my grandmother who immigrated to the US from a small mountain village in Greece. She made the phyllo dough in her basement and on occasion I would help. I have seen many recipes that would make the reader think they found the real deal. This one is NOT the real deal. But hey, if you like the way this turned out then fine by me.
Dorothea
Ohio
4/26/2022
The phyllo dough is a pain. Will definitely try puff pastry next time. The basil and dill flavors didn’t really come through despite using the whole bunch of both. So might skip next time. It was good and I would make again but I think I would add something to give some texture to the mushy spinach flavor such as whole chickpeas or pine nuts? Also might add a hint of nutmeg. Idk just thought it would be good
Grump4joy
Oakland , ca
2/1/2022
I did everything wrong with this recipe...no springform, no fresh herbs except parsley. No leeks. 48 oz of spinach. Only 6 oz block of feta. I made this recipe in a 13x9 glass baking dish. My phyllo came two rolls to a pack and I used one. I tossed in the meat from a rotisserie chicken into the mixture. I minced the stems from a bunch of parsley and used dried dill, dried oregano and powdered lemon zest. I used all onion.. I baked on 375 for 45 minutes. When it came out of the oven, I drizzled it heavily with olive oil and let it rest 15 minutes before cutting. We all had seconds and now I know what to do with the remaining phyllo. Outstanding and forgiving recipe. This one is going into regular rotation.
Rebecca C.
Central Maine
7/22/2021
Delicious! Didn’t have a springform pan so I just used a 9.5x13.5 baking pan. Really good!!!
Anonymous
3/7/2021
I’ve made this twice now. Both times I used Trader Joe’s puff pastry dough instead of phyllo, so it’s a lot less rich. It’s one of my all-time favorite dishes that I’ve ever made. I absolutely love spanakopita, and this does not disappoint. The recipe is very forgiving. Both times I used goat feta due to lactose issues and I used fresh baby spinach instead of frozen. I probably used more spinach and less onions the first time and we decided that with the puff pastry we did not require as much filling. The second time I didn’t plan ahead on the onions and mostly used regular onion and a little shallot. And the first time I used fresh oregano and the second one fresh thyme. I don’t love dill and I skipped it both times. While it appears that I made a lot of modifications, the only really significant one was the puff pastry subbed for the phyllo. Everything else was either personal taste/dietary issues or what I had on hand. Fantastic!
EllenL
Long Island, NY
11/26/2020