Light & Easy Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)

Side view of cut pieces of spanakopita on a serving tray.

Light & Easy Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)

Light & Easy Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie) is a rich, savory pastry layered with spinach, onions, feta, lemon, and herbs - with all of the flavor and half the fat of the original!

Course Lunch, Main Dish, Side Dish

Cuisine Greek

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings large servings

Calories 321kcal

Author Renee

Equipment

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 pound frozen spinach thawed & thoroughly drained
2 tablespoons fresh dill chopped; or 1 tablespoon dried dill
2 tablespoons flour I use Wondra
8 ounces feta cheese crumbled
1 medium lemon zest & juice
4 large eggs lightly beaten
1 teaspoons Cavender's Greek Seasoning or Salt & Pepper, to taste
15 sheets phyllo dough
Olive oil or non-stick cooking spray
3-4 tablespoons butter melted

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° | 175°C.
Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Slowly cook and stir onions until softened.
Add minced garlic and cook one minute more.
Mix in the thoroughly drained spinach and dill.
Sprinkle flour over the top and stir to combine.
Cook approximately 5 minutes, or until most of the moisture has been absorbed.
Remove from heat.
Zest the lemon and add zest to the spinach mixture.
Squeeze the juice from the zested lemon halves into the mixture as well.
In a separate bowl, mix feta, eggs, and seasonings.
Add the feta mixture to the warm spinach mixture and stir to combine.
Spray the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Lay one sheet of phyllo dough flat in pan.
Dip a pastry brush ½" or less into the melted butter: you don't want to overload it.
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.
(I can usually do at least two sheets with one brush dip.)
Add another sheet and repeat until you have five sheets total.
Spread half of spinach mixture over the buttered phyllo dough layers.
Layer on 5 more sheets of phyllo, buttering lightly in between each layer.
Spread on remaining spinach mixture.
Top with the last 5 sheets of phyllo, buttering lightly between each layer.
Bake in the preheated oven 45-50 minutes, or until golden brown.

Notes

Tips for Handling Phyllo Dough

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 a 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.

Nutrition