Spanakopita

5 from 505 votes

Made with just a few simple ingredients, these delicious spinach and feta spanakopita triangles are a fun appetizer recipe to make at home.

Prep Time30

Cook Time25

Total Time55

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Greek

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: triangles

Author: Yumna Jawad

Equipment

Ingredients

16 ounces frozen spinach defrosted, drained
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium red onion diced
5 garlic cloves minced
2 teaspoons dried dill
½ cup parsley leaves finely chopped and loosely packed
¼ cup green onions finely chopped, about 5 – white and light green portions
2 teaspoon lemon zest
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 ½ cup crumbled feta cheese about 6 oz
6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
About 20 sheets one sleeve phyllo pastry, defrosted

Instructions

Make the filling:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring regularly, until it starts to soften, about 5 minutes
Add the garlic and dill. Cook with the onions, stirring frequently, until caramelized and soft, about 5 more minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.
Squeeze the defrosted spinach to drain all the water possible. You should end up with around 1 cup of spinach. Transfer to the skillet on top of the onion mixture.
Add the parsley, green onions, lemon zest, ground pepper, feta cheese to the skillet and stir to distribute mixture evenly.

Assemble the triangles:

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
On a clean surface, roll out the phyllo pastry. Cut into 2 ½-3” wide strips lengthwise using a pizza cutter. Cover the pastry with a barely damp towel to prevent it from drying out.
On a clean surface, layout 1 layer of phyllo pastry and brush it down with a small amount of butter using a pastry brush and very gentle motions.
Place a second layer of pastry directly on top of the first and brush that with a small amount of butter.
In one corner of the pastry layers, place 1 heaping tablespoon of filling mixture. Squish it into an approximate triangle that nearly reaches the edges.
Fold the corner of the pasty with the filling over to reach the nearest opposite edge of the pastry. Then, roll the filling triangle towards the empty end of the pastry. Again, fold the triangle to the nearest opposite side. Repeat these last two steps until you reach the end of the pastry rectangle.
Place the triangle on the prepared baking sheet and cover with a damp towel. Repeat the assembly with all the pastry sheets and filling. The triangles can be placed fairly close together on the baking sheet, about ½”.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and crisp.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container. They will last about 3-4 days in the fridge. Reheat in the toaster oven or oven for a couple minutes to maintain their crispness.

Make Ahead Tips: You can prepare the stuffing up to 2-3 days in advance or you can prepare the triangles up to a day in advance and then just pop them in the oven when ready.

Freezing Instructions: Once baked, I don't recommend freezing them because after reheating, they will not retain their crispness. Instead, assemble them and freeze on a baking sheet (covered). Then they can be baked directly from frozen. It will take 10-15 minutes longer to bake from frozen.

Sourcing: You can find the phyllo pastry in the frozen section at most major grocery stores.

Substitutes: For best results, follow the recipe as is. However here are some common substitutes that would work well in this recipe.

Instead of frozen spinach, you can use 16 ounces fresh spinach. You'll need about 16 ounces and add it to the pan during the last 5 minutes of cooking the onions. Allow them to wilt completely and cook off any moisture released before removing from the heat. And make sure to cool for at least 10 minutes before adding the remaining ingredients or the feta cheese will melt.
Instead of green onions, you can use more red onions, or vice versa.
Feel free to switch out the herbs per your taste.
Make it vegan by leaving out the feta cheese.

Nutrition

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