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:
- Ensure that the spinach is thawed and that all the water has been squeezed out of it. Place in a large mixing bowl.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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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