Serves: 6

Time: 1h 15 minutes (preparation and cooking)

Spanakopita is a delicious Greek spinach and feta pie. With the combination of buttery pastry indulgence and health benefits of spinach, it is incredibly moreish. Perfect for lunch, or for dinner with a Greek salad on the side.


Ingredients

For the filling:

  • 2 x 200g bag of baby spinach leaves, washed
  • 20g fresh dill – roughly chopped
  • 4 large spring onions
  • 400g Feta cheese
  • 40g butter -melted
  • 40g Flour
  • 200ml milk
  • Salt and pepper

For the pastry

  • 220g pack of filo pastry
  • 100g butter – melted (to brush the pastry with)

Method

1. Set the oven to 180c / 160fan.

2. Place the spinach in a colander, in a sink, and pour over boiling water from a kettle. Leave to cool for a couple of minutes before squeezing out all the liquid from the spinach.

3. Place the spinach in a bowl with the dill and spring onions. Crumble in the feta and season.

4. Make a white sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the flour to make a roux and gradually add the milk, stirring well to prevent lumps forming. Cook for a couple of minutes. The sauce will be thick.

5. Allow the roux to cool then add the spinach mixture. Mix everything together taking care to not break up the feta too much. Put to one side.

6. Brush a 10inch tin with the melted butter. Brush a sheet of filo with melted butter and place in the tin, butter side up, allowing the filo to fall over the edge of the tin. Repeat this 3 more times.

7. Fill with the filling mixture and then butter 4 more sheets of filo pastry, placing butter side down, one on top of the other over the filling, to form a layered lid. Gently bring up the overlapping pastry from around the edge of the pie and fold onto the middle.

8. Finally brush the pastry with more butter and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 40- 50 minutes until crisp and golden.


Chef’s Tip

Serve accompanied with Greek salad or as part of a Greek meze.


>> Download Spanakopita Recipe