This Greek Spinach Pie is a dinner recipe that my family absolutely loves! Watch the video showing you how to make this recipe, then scroll to the bottom of this post and print out the recipe so you can make it at home.
I’ve always, always been drawn to Greek food of every kind. I love lemon. I love spinach. Feta cheese is my favorite. Dill adds life to everything. And I adore lamb! So if you were taking me on a hot date and you took me to a Greek restaurant, I guess you could say I’d be pretty happy. (I’m married though… so that hot date would have to be with my hot husband).
Is this an authentic Greek Spinach Pie recipe?
No, this is not authentic! This Greek Spinach Pie recipe is a homemade version of the traditional Greek spanakopita with a couple of twists. This version utilizes three cheeses: feta, ricotta and jack. There is dill. There is sauteed onion. This pie makes a great dinner item (my family loves it so I’m going to call it family-friendly!) It’s especially awesome served with Greek Orzo and Chicken Soup!
How do you make Greek Spinach Pie?
My Greek Spinach Pie is made layered with phyllo, melted butter and the spinach- cheese filling. Before I bake it, I score the pastry with a knife so the baked squares will be easy to cut out of the pan for serving.
It bakes up so perfectly, and the scored square servings naturally kind of pull apart as it bakes.
The baked pie pieces are delicious! The filling is tender and cheesy and wonderful, and it’s layered with crispy, golden phyllo. It’s a neat twist on the classic Greek spinach pie (or spanakopita). I hope you like it as much as we do!
Here are a few more Greek-style recipes you might enjoy:
- Greek Spinach Triangles
- Greek Salad Sushi
- Pastitsio (Greek Lasagna)
- Greek Potatoes with Lemon Vinaigrette
- Cucumber Dill Greek Yogurt Salad
- Greek Style Cole Slaw
Greek Spinach Pie
Recipe Details
Ingredients
TOPPING:
- 6 sheets phyllo pastry (17x13-inches each), defrosted if frozen
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
FILLING:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 20 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- 8 ounces crumbled feta cheese
- 8 ounces grated Monterey Jack cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 13x9x2-inch baking dish or spray with nonstick spray.
- In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat for about 1 minute. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together onion, drained spinach, ricotta, feta, jack cheese, eggs, dill, parsley, salt and black pepper. Spread half of filling in baking dish. Cover with 2 pieces of the phyllo pastry (just tuck the edges in on the sides). Brush pastry lightly with melted butter. Top with one piece of phyllo. Tuck in any overhanging edges. Spread remaining filling over phyllo. Top with 2 more pieces of phyllo and brush lightly with butter. Top with remaining phyllo sheet and brush with butter. Use a sharp knife to mark 12 squares by cutting through the top layers of pastry.
- Bake until phyllo topping is golden and filling is bubbling gently, about 45 minutes. Use a sharp knife to cut through the marked squares. Serve warm.
Video
Notes
- *If covered tightly and refrigerated, this pie can be assembled early in the day and baked later. Cold pot pie will probably need to bake an additional 5 minutes.
Hi! I found this recipe on Pinterest and I Cannot wait to make this version of spanikopita, but I do have one question: Do you think that I could successfully sub cottage cheese for the ricotta if I drained it a little? It always works in my lasagne, but just not sure about this particular application. Thanks in advance!
I’m not sure- I haven’t tried it!
Can I sub dried parsley for fresh ? I’m also having to sub rosemary for dill ( I’ve done this before ) but don’t want to mess up this Xmas brunch recipe .
I’m sure that’s fine- just Google for how to sub dried for fresh.
What could I serve as side dishes with this Greek Spinach Pie, besides possibly Greek Orzo? Thanks in advance for the suggestions.
We like to serve it with Greek Orzo Soup https://www.recipegirl.com/greek-orzo-and-chicken-soup/, but in the summer a Greek salad is probably perfect.
This sounds amazing, but I would so prefer fresh spinach … Is that a possibility?
I haven’t tried making it with fresh spinach. Fresh spinach yields a lot of moisture, so I’m not sure if it’s best for this recipe.
I’ve made this recipe numerous times and it is always a hit. I prefer to use fresh spinach and cook it with the onions. Could you please tell me the amount I would need ?
That’s a tough one to answer. Fresh spinach yields a ton of moisture, which would not be good for this recipe. So I’m afraid you’d just have to experiment.
I loved this recipe and so did my family! I used frozen spinach and gave it an extra chop in the food processor then made sure I squeezed out all of the water before preparing. Served with a side of Tzadziki…Delicious!
My husband and I really liked this recipe. I used two pkgs of refrigerated, not frozen, puff pastry that I happened to have on hand. I put one in the bottom of the buttered dish and baked it for 10 minutes. Took it out when it started to puff, added the filling, and topped it with the second sheet of puff pastry. Brushed it with butter and started it in a 4oo degree oven to get the pastry going. After 20 minutes, I lowered the temp to 375 so it wouldn’t over brown, and baked it for another 10-15 minutes. It came out golden brown and puffed. I sauteed the chopped spinach with the onion and added some minced garlic. Also added some garlic powder and lemon juice to the filling seasonings. And I also scored the top just as directed. This is a GREAT spinach pie recipe!
You have cook time as 21 minutes at the beginning of the Greek Spinach Pie recipe. But in the body of the recipe, it reads 45 minutes. I have it in the oven right now. 21 minutes is definitely not correct. g
Oh, thank you– the written instructions say “bake for 45 minutes,” so that’s correct! I’ve edited to reflect that in the words at the top.
I am Greek and you would never use frozen spinach. My mom’s recipe was spinach, Swiss chard, kale, leeks, scallions, sautéed onion, lots of feta cheese, ricotta cheese, dill, parsley, eggs, salt and pepper. You have to put a layers of phyllo at the bottom of the buttered pan before you add the ingredients, then add the ingredients and more layers of phyllo on top. Each layer of phyllo should be brushed with melted butter.
I love this recipe. I traded the jack for kesari and limited the dill a bit. It is amazing with some squeezed lemon on top!! I know it isn’t truly authentic but honestly it reminds me of the amazing spinach pie from the Greek restaurant where I worked in college. The sautéed onions make it perfect. Thank you!!
Is this similar to taste to spanikopita?
Yes!
I made the Greek Spinach Pie just like the recipe said, and it looked really good, but both my husband and I did not like it at all. I am not hard to please when it comes to food either. I usually like everything but not this. Most of it went in the trash.
Sorry you didn’t care for it – it’s one of our favorites!
Delicious!
I used shortcrust for my base and puff for the top as I didn’t have filo. I also added garlic, used dry dill and used 6 eggs (to bulk it up). This dish will be a regular for our 4 meat eaters and 1 vegetarian!
The key to this coming out right is to ensure all the ingredients are THOROUGHLY blended! I recommend using one of those 5 bladed plastic ground meat choppers to do it. Also add garlic. About 3 or 4 average sized cloves. I can’t see how anyone born with tastebuds does not like this recipe. I mean, really!
Very good. Cooking time was 1:15 to get the crispness but that’s oven related. Very good and very easy.
Could this be frozen prior to baking? I am thinking individual size pieces?
I haven’t tried it!
Yes, this could be made into triangles. Cut the phyllo dough into 4 or 5 strips. Brush with butter add your ingredients and brush the top. Fold until you have a sealed triangle. Freeze in freezer ziploc bags in 2 layers and separate them with a piece of wax paper. Pop them in the oven and cook whenever you want them.
If I was to add a meat to this, what would you suggest??
Crumbled, cooked lamb?
Love the twists you did on this recipe! So delicious!
That flaky crust! So amazing!
Perfect balance of flavors here. Love the spinach, herbs, and cheese all together with that flaky pastry!
A spectacular recipe!
I grew up eating this and know very well how yummy it tastes. Soo good.
I’m making this tonight..all I have is dried dill…how much of that would I add?
https://www.bhg.com/recipes/how-to/cooking-basics/how-do-i-convert-dried-herbs-for-fresh-herbs/
Calories carbs etc?
Just added the nutritional information!
Can this be made without the phyllo dough? Will it hold up once cut? Thanks for your response.
I grew up with Greeks. NO ricotta and no JACK!
This is a recipe that is a twist on Spanakopita- with added non-traditional cheeses. It’s not meant to be authentic!
Does anyone know what the nutritional info is on this? Fat, carbs, sugar, fiber, calories, etc?
Just added the nutritional information for you!
I made this and loved it! Is it doable to use cottage cheese instead of ricotta? What adjustments will I need to make?
I have not tried using cottage cheese, so I’m not sure!
Made exactly to recipe. Very happy with the result. Loved by all. Perfect
I love making the spiach pie but it goes soggy the next day. How do i keep it crispy like when it comes out of the oven. Yes it does last for the next day. Please if you can answer to my question i would appreciate it. Thank you.
I’m not sure you can keep it as nice and wonderful as it is on the day you eat it. Any refrigeration is going to add a bit of moisture to the phyllo.
Hi, I’m Greek and I make this all the time. You can use fresh spinach but you have to saute it with the onions. I also add some green onions and chopped curly leaf lettuce along with the spinach, dill and parsley. I saute all the greens except the dill. If you find there is to much moisture in your mix you can add some plain bread crumbs to it.
Enjoy
Thank you for the tips!
I made this this past weekend. I was anxious about whether I would really be able to make a spinach pie, but I did it, and it was not hard! Also, it was delicious! Without blowing my own horn too much (especially since I didn’t make up this recipe; I just followed it), I would say that the result was as good as any spinach pie I’ve gotten from a diner or similar restaurant.
Thanks!
If no jack cheese, what would you use instead or leave it out all together ?
I’d probably want to put “some” kind of cheese that melts in there… so any kind of white cheese that you can shred — that isn’t too strong flavored.
jack cheese? no. absolutely not.
I love Spinach pie, and go to several greek restaurants to get it.However the spinach pie is not always as good as I’d like . Some are pretty tasty, and pricey as well ,about 5 bucks a slice. I made this recipe tonight and got 9 big delicious slices . I only used 2 oz. of pepper jack cheese as I didn’t want it too spicy and that was what I had on hand along with the feta and ricotta and extra dill (yum) that’s what I was missing in my own recipe. It’s a bit time consuming but well worth the effort. I will be making this again and again! Thanks!!….Happy 2017 !
What is jack cheese? all I can find where I live is Colby/jack or Pepper Jack???????? Help quickly!!
Monterey Jack cheese…
OMG!….I think I’m in love….haven’t determined if it’s with you or the pie….But this pie is amazing. I, being a garlic junkie, needed to add a bit of fresh garlic and a touch of cinnamon and lemon juice, which I find usually brightens up most Mediterranean dishes, although I didn’t even notice the lemon in there. I also was thinking a bottom crust of filo would be nice, but would most likely be soggy w/o baking/crusting it up first. (too much trouble). Great recipe…keep up the good work.
P.S. Get my tabbouleh from a little Mediterranean store here in Grand Rapids, MI. and have been trying to replicate it for years, getting it in the hood, but not quite as good as theirs. Your recipe is even closer to where I got….Good stuff. Bright, fresh, and terribly delish. Good job. I’ll use your recipe from now on.
Thx.
It may be too late to ask a question, but here goes anyway. 🙂 I want to make sure I’m reading the recipe correctly. There is no phyllo on the bottom – just in the middle and on the top, right? thank you.
Yes, no phyllo on the bottom.
Oh! And if you have scallions chop about 4 into the filling too!
Hi!! From Greece!! You’re recipe is spot on with the exception of the Jack cheese 😉
we don’t get it here and not far a lack of searching believe me. I use olive oil to brush the phyllo. Butter is usually used when making sweets with phyllo (baklava). And alot more olive oil in the filling.
great to hear- thank you!
Hi, this looks delicious. I found your recipe on Pinterest while looking for recipes that use fresh spinach. I bought a huge bag of spinach to make soup and I’m now determined to find ways to use the rest of the bag. Do you think fresh spinach would work in this recipe? If so, how much and would I need to cook it first? Thank you!
Fresh spinach will yield a lot of moisture. I’m not sure it would work the same.
I found your recipe and gave a try. I liked all ingredients and it was so good. Delicious! Awesome!. Thanks for your great recipe. I served with a lamb patti-Larry
Can I used puff pastry instead of phylo?
No, it will not work— must use Phyllo!
You actually can use puff pastry, I bought the puff pastry instead of the phyllo sheets. Used one package made everything else the same but added some garlic to the onions. Baked for 1:15. I actually read this question after I had prepared everything and was worried. But it came out delicious.
can I make it a day before and then just bake it the next day?
I wouldn’t think so. The filo will not hold up well.
Lori, this looks so good!! I have to make this for Curtis soon!
Lori,
this looks delicious. I love all the ingredients.
Annamaria
This looks so so delicious!! Now I am craving this!
Love spanakopita and this one looks great, especially with the triple cheeses!
Greek food is one of my favorite too! The crust looks so yummy, crispy, and golden!
Thank you for the nice recipe.
YUUUMMM!! I love all the flavours going on here — this would be the perfect recipe to feed a crowd 🙂
My family is so picky about foods without meat. Can you suggest a tasty protein to add in?
Thank you!
You can serve this as a side dish, and then make some chicken as the main dish!
I so enjoy Greek foods! This recipe looks like it is what I enjoyed at our favorite Greek Restaurant. Thank you for sharing.
Sounds amazing! This has all my favorite flavors.
Ohhhhh I can’t wait to try this Lori!! Absolutely lovely!
Being Greek, I grew up with my grandfather’s leg of lamb, my aunt’s spanakopita — I was so lucky. Good Greek restaurants are few and far between, so I’m trying to make Greek food more often at home. Spanakopita is one of my favorites, and I loved how you made a pie out of without so many layers of phyllo. Delicious!
Greek food is my favorite international food. I worked for a year at the BEST Greek restaurant in Portland and ate Greek food daily. It was so awesome!
I LOVE spanakopita. It is one of my favorites and I sometimes make it. My youngest doesn’t like it so we don’t make it often.
This recipe looks great