Known as spanakopita in Greece, this popular savoury pie is made with layers of delicate filo pastry. The comforting filling of spinach and feta is earthy and flavourful – the perfect Meatless Monday main to feed a crowd.

Serves: 8

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

For the spinach filling:

  • 450g frozen spinach, thawed and excess water squeezed out
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 onion
  • 250g feta cheese
  • 50g grated Parmesan cheese
  • 20g fresh dill, chopped
  • 20g fresh parsley, chopped
  • 20g fresh oregano, chopped
  • 100g sun-dried tomatoes
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

For the pastry:

  • 5 tbsp butter
  • 13–14 sheets filo pastry

Method:

  1. Ensure that the spinach is thawed and that all the water has been squeezed out of it. Place in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Dice the garlic and onion and place in a frying pan with 1 tbsp olive oil to soften for a few minutes. Once cooked, allow to cool slightly before placing in the bowl with the spinach.
  3. To the onion and spinach, add the feta, Parmesan and chopped herbs. Finely dice the sun-dried tomatoes and beat the eggs together. Add these to the spinach filling along with the remaining olive oil and mix very well to ensure that it’s thoroughly combined.
  4. Preheat the oven to 200°C and melt the butter. Lay the filo sheets in between two damp tea towels to ensure they do not dry out.
  5. Take an 8- or 9-inch springform cake tin and brush with the melted butter. Place a sheet of filo in the tin and push it in to line it. Brush the sheet with more butter and place another filo sheet on top, at a slightly different angle, to cover more of the tin. Brush this sheet with more butter. Repeat until the tin is fully covered and you have built up a layer of around 10 filo sheets around the tin.
  6. Place the spinach filling into the filo-lined tin and spread it around to ensure that it fills the tin. Fold the excess pastry back into the tin to cover the filling. Take a sheet of filo, scrunch gently together and place on top of the pie. Do this with another 2–3 sheets of filo to fully cover the top. Brush with a final coating of butter and place in the oven for around 1 hour, or until crisp and golden brown.

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