May 9, 2013

Dinner Spanakopitas

The first time I made these, I made the mistake of halving the recipe...I figured only two of us would be eating-why bother making 16? One spanakopita, along with a salad, is plenty for a dinner size portion (I tend to like big portions and if you don't believe me-my husband agrees). I was sad when they were gone.

So the second time I made these, I made the full batch-they were perfect to have again for lunch and I got to freeze a bunch of them and have them later in the month. They are a bit time consuming to make but you can't get any faster than taking them out of the freezer, putting them on a baking sheet and baking them. And they freeze really well!


Dinner Spanakopitas

1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
3 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Plain dry bread crumbs
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups small-diced feta cheese (12 ounces)
24 sheets frozen phyllo dough, defrosted
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted (be prepared to need more)
Flaked sea salt, for sprinkling


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium-low heat. Add the onion, and cook for 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the scallions, and cook for another 2 minutes until the scallions are wilted but still green. Meanwhile, squeeze out as much water as possible out of the spinach and place it in a large bowl.

When the onion and scallions are done, add them to the spinach. Mix in the eggs, Parmesan cheese, 3 tablespoons bread crumbs, the nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Gently fold in the feta.

Gently place 1 sheet of phyllo dough flat on a clean work surface with the long end in front of you. Lightly brush the dough with butter and sprinkle it lightly with a teaspoon of bread crumbs. Working quickly, slide another sheet of phyllo dough on top of the first, brush it with butter, and sprinkle lightly with bread crumbs. (Use just enough bread crumbs so the layers of phyllo don't stick together.)

Assemble 4 layers of phylo total on top of each other this way, brushing each with butter and sprinkling with bread crumbs. Cut the sheets of phyllo in half lengthwise. Place 1/3 cup spinach filling on the shorter end and roll the phyllo up diagonally as if folding a flag. Then fold the triangle of phyllo over straight and then diagonally again. Continue folding first diagonally and then straight until you reach the end of the sheet. The filling should be totally enclosed. Continue assembling phyllo layers and folding the filling until all of the filling is used.

Place finished spanakopitas on a sheet pan, seam sides down. Brush with melted butter, sprinkle with flaked salt, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the phyllo is browned and crisp. Serve hot.


Source: Slightly adapted from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics

3 comments:

  1. Oooh, we love spanakopita and always get it at our local Greek restaurant. I've never thought about making my own, but perhaps I should! Yours turned out so beautifully, as expected!

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  2. I know! I never thought of it either! And they are surprisingly easy to make!

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  3. I love spanokopita and make them all the time. I freeze them and we eat them with salads.

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