Light & Easy Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)

Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie) is a rich, savory phyllo pastry layered with spinach, onions, feta, lemon, and herbs. Our lighter version has all of the flavor and half the fat of the original!

Jump to:

• Why You Will Love this Spanakopita Recipe
• Lightened-up Spanakopita Ingredients
• How to Make this Easy Spanakopita Recipe
• Tips for Handling Phyllo Dough
• What to Serve with Spanakopita
• Light & Easy Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)

Why You Will Love this Spanakopita Recipe

Spanakopita (or Greek Spinach Pie) is easily on one of our favorite all-around meals. You can dress it up and serve it warm for dining in, slice and serve for an easy lunch, or eat it cold for a fast meal on the go. It's one of the most versatile foods around! 

Traditional spanakopita, as you may know, is usually high in fat, and often very heavy as well. However, after making just a few simple changes, we were able to reduce the fat in this Light & Easy Spanakopita recipe to half that of our original recipe. The outcome is a more tender, flakey pie, which Mr B and I much prefer over heavier versions.

Greek Spinach Pie can be served as a main course or a hearty side. The lemony undertones go well with chicken or fish. (It probably pairs well with lamb too; but since I don't eat lamb, I can't say for sure.) We find that a simple meal of spanakopita and table grapes is very satisfying. 

Leftover spinach pie makes a delicious lunch or brunch entry. One of our favorite things to do with cold leftover spanakopita is slice it into Lincoln-log size pieces (about 1"x1"x4"), and then fry the spana-links in a skillet like sausages and serve them up with eggs for a lovely breakfast!

Lightened-up Spanakopita Ingredients

• Spinach: We recommend using frozen spinach. You can use fresh, but we get much better results using frozen.
• Phyllo dough: You can find phyllo (sometimes called fillo dough) in the freezer sections of almost any US grocery store. (You will find in near the desserts.)
• Feta: Feta is one of the primary, key ingredients in spanakopita. Do not sub in other cheeses in this case.
• Dill: Fresh is best, but you can use dried dill for this recipe as well.
• Cavendar's Greek Seasoning: Cavender's is a unique blend of 13 ingredients that is best used on anything you would normally salt and pepper. (We use it on so many things!)
  • If you don't have any Cavenders on hand, you can substitute in ½ teaspoon each: kosher salt, basil, oregano, and freshly ground pepper.
• Onion: Use a yellow onion.
• Garlic: Fresh is best! You can sub in granulated garlic if necessary.
• Eggs: This recipe was developed using USDA size large (EU medium) eggs.
• Butter: Use salted butter. Unsalted will also work fine.
• Flour: You can use all-purpose flour; however, we recommend using Wondra.
• Vegetable oil: Use any neutral flavored cooking oil.

How to Make this Easy Spanakopita Recipe

Thaw the phyllo dough overnight in the refrigerator.

If you forget, you can put it out on the counter for four or five hours (or all day if you are at work), but the results won't be as even. Keep the package closed while you are thawing it. Do not thaw phyllo dough in the microwave.

Defrost the spinach in the microwave, and allow it to cool until it is safe to handle. Then squeeze the crud out of it! I mean really, really squeeze it. With your hands!

You can use a sieve or colander if you want, but you are going to have to get your hands wet at some point, so it will save you some time if you just dive right in. A pound of frozen spinach will squeeze down to about the size of an orange.

Once you have the spinach thoroughly drained, set it aside.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Spray the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Heat vegetable oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onions to the pan and slowly cook until softened; about 8 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook one minute more. Mix in the drained spinach and fresh dill.

Sprinkle flour over the top of the spinach mixture and stir to combine. Cook approximately 5 minutes, or until most of the moisture has been absorbed. Remove from heat.

Add the lemon juice and zest to the spinach mixture and stir. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix feta, eggs, and seasonings. Add the feta mixture to the warm spinach mixture and stir to combine. Set aside.

To assemble the spanakopita:

1. Lay one sheet of phyllo dough flat in the prepared 9x13-inch baking dish
2. Dip a pastry brush ½" or less into the melted butter: you don't want to overload it.
3. Brush the single sheet of phyllo dough at the bottom of the baking dish with a little butter. Do not dip the brush in the butter more than once - you don't need to completely cover each pastry sheet with butter.
4. Add another sheet of phyllo dough and repeat the buttering process until you have five sheets total. Spread half the spinach mixture over the buttered phyllo dough layers.
5. Layer on 5 more sheets of phyllo, buttering lightly in between each layer, and then spread on remaining spinach mixture.
6. Top with the last 5 sheets of phyllo, buttering lightly between each layer.

Bake in the preheated 350°F (175°C) oven for 45-50 minutes, or until golden brown.

Tips for Handling Phyllo Dough

If phyllo dough intimidates you, you aren't alone. It seems so fragile, and many recipes offer warnings about how to handle it, dramatically demanding that you keep it covered at all times like a sickly newborn. 

Well, I am here to tell you, don't worry! Phyllo dough is very forgiving, and if you follow a few simple guidelines, you are sure to succeed. 

• Prepare all your ingredients and have everything ready to go before you open the phyllo dough package!
• Make sure your hands are dry when you handle the dough.
• When you unroll phyllo, cover it with wax paper or kitchen cloth. You can put a damp cloth over the wax paper or cloth, but don’t put it directly on the phyllo dough. (I never use a damp cloth, and everything always works out fine.)
• Work fast when it is uncovered, and don't get distracted. (Phyllo dough doesn't care about your phone.)
• If you tear a piece, just patch it – no worries. Unless it is the top sheet, no one will ever know.
• If you have sheets left over, just roll them back up and cover them tightly with plastic wrap. They will keep in the fridge for at least a week.

You can keep unopened, thawed phyllo in the fridge for up to a month.

What to Serve with Spanakopita

Spanakopita is great with so many dishes! We love to keep things simple and serve it with a Greek salad and a little tzadiki or feta-dill sauce on the side. Another meal combo that we enjoy includes cucumber-feta salad, fresh grapes, and Greek turkey burgers.

Here are a few more of our favorite Greek-inspired recipes:

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Originally published January 21, 2014. Post has been updated with new content, images, and recipe instructions to improve reader experience.