I've made this recipe for potlucks a few times and its ALWAYS a huge hit. My timesaver suggestion? I layer it in a 9x13 glass pyrex pan instead of making individual triangles. It cuts PERFECTLY into squares that are easily servable without falling apart. I brush the pan with melted butter, layer 3 sheets of phyllo with a little melted butter on each layer and spread half of the spinach filling. I place 3 more sheets of phyllo and butter, then the rest of the spinach mixture and another 3 sheets of phyllo on top. Use a knife to cut a few slits to allow steam to escape. This is SOOO much quicker than individual traingles if you dont have the time!
This is authentic Spanakopita, as you would find in any Greek household or restaurant in Athens. The other two recipes o this site are very poor imitations and adulterated. True spanakopita has NO cinnamon in it and certainly has no Swiss or other cheeses in it. Feta and Parmesan, used as a subsitute here for the Greek equivalent, are always used, and dill is also a must for authentic flavor.
Bravo, Mary Kessler, and thanks for not making this "Mary's version" - true classics don't require silly additions or "improvements."
A poem about Spanakopita:
Filo dough is very picky,
If left out it will get brittle,
If it's wet it will get sticky,
This recipe is time-committal.
Leave a towel over dough,
in between all your folding,
Fold and fold and fold although,
your sanity is not upholding.
Preheating the oven in step one,
is a little premature,
and folding dough is not much fun,
with lots of effort you'll endure.
This recipe will win you smiles,
from your family and your friends,
but you will wonder if your trials,
were really worth it in the end.
So in short I recommend,
this recipe will turn out great,
but if your time you do misspend,
you'll tell your family: "Dinner's late."
This is the yummiest recipe. I did add a splash of lemon 1/3 cup parmesan reggiano and 1/2 cup pine nuts. Hint: To fold the dough into triangles: Cut the sheets into lengthwise strips of about 4 1/2 by 8 inches. Place a heaping tablespoon of spinach mixture in the center and starting from the bottom right-hand sid fold flag-style.
Delicious spanakopita, be sure to use good quality feta to get that sharp 'bite' these should have. I did add a little garlic and a bit of fresh lemon juice to the mixture. I am giving this only 4 stars, not for the taste but for the directions. If one hasn't worked with phyllo, they would need more specific directions. Be sure to keep it covered with a damp cloth and only expose the sheets you are currently working with to the air. Otherwise they dry out and are impossible to fold, cracking and splitting. There are plenty of tips on the box and don't forget to allow for defrosting time! I also feel that the baking time is off. The trianles that I baked fresh were done in about 20", nice golden brown with bubbly filling. I also froze some and those took closer to 45" to be done. I doubled the recipe and took a platter to a baby shower and everyone enjoyed them.
The only reason why I didn't rate this five stars is because I didn't follow the recipe exactly. I used 1/3 of a cup of olive oil instead of veggie oil, only one onion (sautéed with 1 tsp of minced garlic), three eggs, added 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, 1/4 tsp pepper (the feta is already somewhat salty), one package of Fillo brand phyllo dough (8 oz; it's already the appropriate size for a 9 x 13 pan), and about 1/4 cup of butter. I went for the layered spanakopita, with 10 sheets on phyllo on the top and bottom of the spanakopita and the spinach mixture sandwiched between (this is done by putting two sheets at a time in a buttered pan, brushing the top with butter, and adding two more sheets until you get 10 stacked sheets). Turned out great!
Thanks for the inspiration!
I used phyllo cups (in the frozen food section of the grocery store). It makes it much faster to make and eliminates the need for the butter. Me and my guests thought it had way too much spinach in it. I would use half as much. I added ricotta cheese to make it creamier.
I love the authenticity of the recipe, but not all of us have access to authentic ingredients. My grocery store had no phyllo so I had to use puff pastry. I cut the pastry into 3" squares and stretched the middle in order to get enough filling in, then folded them over and crimped the edges with a fork. Then I brushed the triangles with butter and sprinkled them with sesame seeds. In 45 minutes, they were beautifully browned flaky pastries, as delicious as they were pretty. People at the party I took them to asked me if I was a professional cook. Great recipe.
This was a great recipe. My daughter who is 9 and son who is 5 loved it they kept sneaking it off the platter. My company all adults asked for the recipe. I would make this again.
