Homemade Spanakopita Recipes

Steps:

• Place oven rack in center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.
• Preheat a small pan over medium to medium high heat. Add oil and onion and saute 5 minutes. Place onion in a bowl. Add chopped dry, defrosted spinach and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add feta to the bowl and combine it with spinach. Add beaten egg and sour cream to the bowl and combine with cheese, spinach and onion.
• On a large work surface, place 1 sheet of phyllo. Paint half of the sheet with a little melted butter, paying extra attention to your perimeter. Fold sheet in half. Pile 1/4 of your spinach mixture into a log shape working 2 inches from bottom and each side. Tuck bottom up and fold both sides in, then roll and wrap upwards until you reach the edge of the dough sheet. Each pastry will resemble an egg roll. Paint the seam and the ends of the roll with butter and set roll seam side down on a cookie sheet. Repeat and make 4 rolls. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly golden all over and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a 9x9 inch square baking pan.
• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, green onions and garlic, until soft and lightly browned. Stir in spinach and parsley, and continue to saute until spinach is limp, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
• In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, and feta. Stir in spinach mixture. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough in prepared baking pan, and brush lightly with olive oil. Lay another sheet of phyllo dough on top, brush with olive oil, and repeat process with two more sheets of phyllo. The sheets will overlap the pan. Spread spinach and cheese mixture into pan and fold overhanging dough over filling. Brush with oil, then layer remaining 4 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each with oil. Tuck overhanging dough into pan to seal filling.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Cut into squares and serve while hot.

Steps:

• To make the filling:.
• Make sure to thaw phyllo the night before in the fridge!
• Thaw and drain spinach, squeezing with your hands to get most of the liquid out. You can use fresh if you prefer ( just steam, drain & chop ) Toast pine nuts in small pan until light golden brown, set aside. Add green onions & garlic to same pan and fry in a bit of olive oil until soft. Add garlic last so it doesn't burn.
• Add spinach, cooled green onions & garlic cream cheese, feta,(mash these two cheeses together if you wish) pine nuts,cottage cheese, egg yolks, nutmeg, dill, mint, oregano and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
• Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into spinach mixture'.
• Melt butter.
• To assemble:.
• Keep phyllo covered with a damp tea towel at all times!
• Take one sheet and using a pasty brush, cover with melted butter. Top with another sheet of phyllo and cover that with butter. Using your hands to spread the butter is messy but makes the process go much faster.
• Working quickly, use a pizza cutter and cut into four long strips.
• Starting at the end close to you, add a tablespoons of filling and fold over, fold over sides then roll up tightly, tucking sides in as you go. You might need to use some melted butter for 'glue'.
• Don't worry if it tears, just patch with butter and keep rolling.
• Place on rimmed ungreased or parchment lined baking sheet, seam side down. Brush with more butter and pierce each one with a sharp knife two or three times.
• Bake in the center of a 350* oven for 20 minutes or until crisp and golden. Let cool on racks.
• These are a great make ahead appetizer- freeze and reheat as many as you need. You may need another package of phyllo depending on how much filling you use or make mini tarts with the leftover filling.
• I like to mash the feta and cream cheese together so they are nicely mixed together.
• You can forget the fussy rolls and use the filling to make a traditional Spanakopita pie.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Heat the olive oil in a saute pan and add the scallions. Cook for 5 minutes or until soft. Meanwhile, squeeze most of the water out of the spinach and place it in a bowl. Add the scallions, dill, eggs, feta, salt, and pepper and mix together.
• Keep the phyllo dough sheets covered with a damp kitchen towel. Unfold 1 sheet of the phyllo dough. Brush the sheet with melted butter and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Repeat the process by laying a second sheet of phyllo dough over the first sheet, brush it with melted butter and sprinkle with breadcrumbs until all 10 sheets have been used. Spoon 3/4 cup of the spinach mixture into a sausage shape along one edge of the phyllo dough. Roll it up. Brush the top with butter and score the roll into 1-inch rounds. Place it on an oiled baking sheet. Repeat until all the pastry and filling have been used.
• Place in the oven and bake for 12 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Serve warm.

Steps:

• Position rack in center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Place the spinach in a wire-mesh strainer or colander, place over a sink and drain well. Use your hands or a paper towel to squeeze the excess water out of the spinach.
• Place the spinach in a medium mixing bowl. Add the salt, pepper, oregano, parsley, and basil. Stir in the beaten egg, olive oil, and lemon juice. Add the feta cheese and mix well to combine. Set aside.
• Gently unfold the phyllo dough.* Lay 1 sheet of phyllo on a large cutting board and gently brush with the melted butter. Place a second phyllo sheet on top of the first and brush with butter. Repeat 2 more times until you have a stack of 4 phyllo sheets with butter brushed between the layers.
• Using a sharp knife, cut the phyllo sheets lengthwise into 3 strips. Place 2 tablespoons of the spinach filling 1 inch from the bottom end of each strip.
• Take the bottom right corner of the strip between your thumb and finger and fold over the spinach filling to the left to make a triangle. Gently pull up the bottom left corner and fold up to make a second triangle. Continue folding until you reach the top. Place the triangle, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the completed triangle lightly with butter.
• Repeat with the remaining strips and phyllo sheets until all of the filling is used.
• Arrange the triangles 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden and heated all the way through. Remove the spanakopita from the oven and cool slightly on the baking sheet.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Defrost the spinach and phyllo dough in the fridge overnight.
• For the filling, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper and cook until softened and lightly golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the parsley, dill, red pepper flakes, nutmeg and lemon zest. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Drain the spinach through a strainer lined with a clean kitchen towel or a few layers of sturdy paper towel. Gather the spinach up in the towel and squeeze out as much of the water as possible. Transfer to a bowl and add the lemon juice and feta. Stir in the cooled onion mixture and the egg.
• Retrieve the phyllo from the fridge, unroll it and cover it with a clean kitchen towel to keep it from drying out. Place a 9-inch springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet and brush the bottom and sides lightly with butter. Lay out one sheet of phyllo, brush with butter and transfer it to the prepared pan. There is no need to be extra careful here - the phyllo might tear, crack or rumple up a bit but that just makes for more texture in the end result. Layer on two more buttered sheets of phyllo across the bottom of the pan.
• Continue buttering the phyllo as before but begin placing the remaining sheets off-center around the pan so that their edges overlap in the center of the base and the other edge hangs over the sides, gently pressing along the bottom and up the sides to create a crust. Transfer the spinach filling into the phyllo crust and spread into an even layer.
• Gather and fold the overhanging phyllo overtop of the edges of the spinach, leaving the center bit of spinach exposed. Brush the phyllo with remaining butter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Allow to cool slightly before removing from the pan and serving.

Steps:

• Cook the onions in a saute pan with 1 tablespoon each of butter and olive oil until soft and translucent (4 minute on medium).
• Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about another 2 min.).
• Combine onions, garlic, spinach, salt and pepper, hot sauce, egg, feta, Parmesan, and cottage cheeses together in a mixing bowl.
• In a separate bowl, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons each of melted butter and olive oil.
• Grease a 9x13 inch casserole dish.
• Place one sheet of phyllo on the bottom of the dish brush with the butter mixture.
• Top with another sheet of phyllo dough and brush with butter mixture.
• Repeat this process until you have a total of seven sheets of phyllo dough.
• Spread all of the spinach mixture over the top of the last layer of dough.
• Then repeat the process of layering the remaining Place one sheet of phyllo over the spinach mixture and paint it with the oil mixture.
• Repeat with the remaining seven sheets of dough, brushing each new layer with the butter mixture, making sure to butter the top layer.
• Bake at 375°F until the top is golden brown (about 45 minutes).
• Cut spanakopita to make little triangles.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
• Melt the butter and olive oil together in an 8-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and scallions and season with ¼ teaspoon salt and the nutmeg. Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened. Stir in the spinach, season with the remaining teaspoon of salt, and cook for 4-5 minutes, until most of the moisture has evaporated. Stir in the dill, parsley, mint, and sugar and cook for 1-2 minutes more, until the herbs are fragrant. Remove the pan from heat and let the filling cool, about 10 minutes.
• Beat the eggs in a large bowl, then fold in the shredded and crumbled feta. Add the cooled spinach mixture to the eggs and feta and fold to combine.
• Wipe out the skillet and lightly grease with olive oil. Lay a sheet of phyllo dough across the pan, gently tucking flush against the bottom (it will hang over the edges) and lightly brush or spray with olive oil. Lay another sheet of phyllo dough on top of the first sheet in another direction and lightly brush or spray with olive oil. Repeat with 4 more sheets of phyllo, alternating where the overhanging phyllo falls each time. Add the spinach filling to the skillet, smoothing the top, and fold the overhanging phyllo over the filling.
• Tear the remaining 4 sheets of phyllo in half crosswise. Crumble each piece of phyllo on top of the filling, covering the entire surface. Lightly brush or spray the entire top of the pie with olive oil.
• Bake the spanakopita for 38-43 minutes, or until the filling is set and the phyllo is golden brown in most places.
• Let cool for 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Place spinach in a steamer over 1 inch of boiling water, and cover. Cook until tender, about 2 to 6 minutes. Drain and press to remove all water. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until tender, but do not brown. Stir in cooked spinach and continue cooking until all moisture has evaporated. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
• In a large bowl combine feta cheese, Swiss cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, parsley and cinnamon. Stir in spinach and onion mixture.
• Brush the bottom of a 17x11 inch jelly roll pan with butter. Place 1 sheet of dough in the bottom of the pan; brush with butter. Continue to layer 13 more sheets of dough, brushing every other sheet with butter. Spread spinach and cheese mixture over dough. Continue layering with remaining dough, brushing every other sheet with butter. Tuck edges of dough under. Brush top sheet with butter and, using a sharp knife, score top layer into diamonds.
• Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until golden brown.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°. In a large bowl, mix the first 9 ingredients. Place 1 sheet of phyllo dough on a work surface; brush with butter. Layer with 2 additional phyllo sheets, brushing each layer. (Keep remaining phyllo covered with plastic wrap and a damp towel to prevent it from drying out.), Arrange 3/4 cup spinach mixture in a narrow row along the long end of phyllo to within 1 in. of edges. Fold bottom edge of phyllo over filling, then roll up. Brush end of phyllo dough with butter and press to seal. Repeat 4 times with phyllo sheets, butter and the spinach mixture. Place rolls on a parchment-lined 15x10x1-in. baking pan, seam side down., Cut rolls diagonally into 2-in. pieces (do not separate). Brush tops with remaining butter. Bake until golden brown, 12-15 minutes. If desired, serve with tzatziki sauce, lemon wedges and dill sprigs. , Freeze option: Cover and freeze unbaked rolls on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet until firm. Transfer to a freezer container; return to freezer. To use, bake rolls on a parchment-lined 15x10x1-in. baking pan in a preheated 375° oven until heated through and golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Steps:

• Wash spinach in plenty of water and cut in small pieces; place in bowl.
• Salt lightly; stir to spread salt evenly.
• Take spinach, a handful at a time; squeeze out the excess water; place it in another bowl.
• Saute the onion in half the butter until it is a light, golden color.
• Add the scallions and cook until they wilt.
• Add spinach; stir until all vegetables take on a light color.
• Stir in the dill, parsley, salt and pepper.
• Cover the pot and cook until all the water from the spinach is absorbed.
• Remove from the heat; turn into a bowl, and immediately add the evaporated milk (to cool the spinach).
• Beat the eggs in another bowl and add the cheese to them; add to the cooled spinach; mix well.
• Line a pan with 8 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each sheet with the melted butter before topping it with the next sheet. Do not trim the overhanging sections.
• Pour in the spinach mixture, spreading it evenly over the phyllo.
• Fold the part of the phyllo that extends out of the back of the pan over the filling.
• Lay the remaining phyllo on top, again brushing each sheet with melted butter before adding the next. Trim the overlap.
• Brush additional melted butter on top of the pie.
• Score it into square or diamond-shaped serving pieces.
• Bake for 30 to 45 minutes in a preheated 300 degree Fahrenheit oven.
• Let stand for 30 minutes before serving.
• NOTE: This can also be made without precooking the spinach. In that case, squeeze the spinach free of as much water as possible, mix it with the seasonings, and proceed as above, baking it for 1 hour.

Steps:

• 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.=2 0Lightly 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.

Steps:

• In a large pot, heat oil over medium. Add onion, scallions and garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 minutes.
• In batches, stir in spinach until wilted, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Strain spinach mixture through a sieve, pressing out excess liquid to prevent a soggy crust. Transfer to a large bowl and cool for 5 minutes. Add eggs, feta, Parmesan and parsley and stir until combined.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch pan (2 inches deep) with butter. Lay one half sheet of phyllo dough in baking dish. Using a pastry brush, brush dough with butter. Repeat 7 more times to form crust. Spread spinach mixture evenly over crust. Brush one half sheet of phyllo dough with butter and lay on top of filling, butter side up. Repeat with remaining 7 sheets of dough. Using a serrated knife, lightly score top layer of dough into squares (this will make it easier to cut once baked). Bake until crust is lightly golden and filling is heated through, 50 to 60 minutes. Serve warm.

Steps:

• Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Combine milk, cornstarch and oregano in small bowl. Pour into saucepan and stir until mixture thickens and boils. Squeeze any excess moisture from spinach. Add spinach and feta to mixture in saucepan. Mix in egg. Bring to simmer, stirring constantly. Cool mixture slightly.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 9-inch square baking dish with olive oil spray. Spray half of 1 sheet of phyllo. (Keep remainder covered with plastic and damp towel.) Fold phyllo in half crosswise. Place in prepared pan. Fold edges over so edges of phyllo are even with edges of pan. Spray phyllo sheet in pan. Repeat process with another phyllo sheet. Spread filling evenly over phyllo. Spray half of 1 sheet of phyllo. Place atop filling. Fold edges over so edges of phyllo are even with edges of pan. Spray phyllo sheet in pan. Repeat process with 2 more phyllo sheets. Spray half of remaining sheet of phyllo. Fold phyllo in half crosswise. Place atop phyllo in pan. Fold edges under so edges of phyllo are even with edges of pan. Spray top lightly with spray. Bake until phyllo is golden brown and filling is heated through, about 30 minutes. Blot top of phyllo with paper towels. Cut into squares and serve.

Steps:

• Heat a large fry pan over medium-high heat.
• Add the spinach with only the rinsing water clinging to the leaves, cover and cook until wilted, about 1 minute.
• Drain well on paper towels, then squeeze out as much of the remaining liquid as possible.
• Place in a large bowl and add the feta cheese, kefalotiri cheese, eggs, mint, and nutmeg.
• Stir well to combine.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat an oven to 375°F.
• Lightly butter a baking sheet.
• Cut the stack of phyllo sheets lengthwise into 3 equal strips.
• Remove 1 strip and cover the remaining phyllo with a slightly dampened kitchen towel to prevent it from drying out.
• Place the strip on a work surface and brush lightly with melted butter.
• Place another strip on top.
• Brush the second strip lightly with melted butter.
• Place a heaping teaspoonful of the filling about 1 inch in from the bottom of the strip.
• Fold the uncovered end over the filling on the diagonal to form a triangular shape.
• Bring the bottom of the triangle up against the straight edge.
• Continue folding in this manner until the tip of the strip is reached, forming a triangular pastry.
• Brush lightly with melted butter.
• Place on the prepared baking sheet.
• Repeat with the remaining phyllo and filling.
• Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and transfer to a platter.
• Serve immediately, warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Place washed spinach leaves in a large bowl. Sprinkle very heavily with salt and work salt into leaves with hands while tearing leaves into small pieces (use gloves if you have sensitive skin or if you have any cuts!). When spinach has been reduced to about 1/4 of the original volume, rinse thoroughly to remove all the salt and drain well.
• In another bowl, beat eggs and mix in the feta. Add to spinach.
• In a nonstick skillet, heat a small amount of olive oil and saute onions until just starting to brown. Add to spinach mixture.
• Season spinach mixture with pepper to taste (you probably won't want salt, as there will be some residual salt in the spinach and the feta is quite salty). Mix in a little oregano (I use a couple of generous pinches of dried).
• Brush a 9x13 inch baking dish with butter or spray with olive oil spray. Heat oven to 375* F.
• Place the filo on a flat working surface and keep covered with slightly dampened paper towels while working.
• Take 1 sheet at a time, brush with butter or spray with olive oil spray, and place in the pan so that edges hang over sides. Continue until all but a few sheets have been used, fanning the sheets out so that you end up with the bottom and sides of the dish all covered and an even amount of overhand all around the dish.
• Pour the filling into the pan. Fold the overhanging edges of filo to cover most of the top. Brush/spray the remaining few sheets of filo, place on top, and tuck in around sides of pan. Cut 3 slashes in the top with a very sharp knife.
• Brush top with butter or spray with olive oil spray, place in hot oven, and bake for 50 minutes or until hot and golden brown.
• Cut into squares and serve while still very hot.