Spanakopita is spinach and feta wrapped in phyllo and baked until it shatters. This is the passed-appetizer version, folded into triangles rather than baked in a big tray, so each one is a two-bite package with a crisp shell and a savory, herby middle. Greeks have been making savory pies like this since antiquity, though the paper-thin phyllo came later, during the centuries of Ottoman influence, and spinach later still, carried in by traders in the Middle Ages.
The triangles can be folded ahead and frozen raw, then baked straight from the freezer, which makes this one of the best make-ahead appetizers there is. Bake them just before serving so they hit the tray hot and crisp.
Why It Works: Handling Phyllo
Phyllo is flour and water rolled so thin you can read through it, and it has two enemies: air, which dries it to brittle flakes in minutes, and moisture, which turns it to paste. So you keep the stack you are not using under a barely damp towel, and you brush every single sheet lightly with melted butter or oil before you lay the next one on. The butter is what separates the layers as they bake, trapping steam between them and puffing each one into a crisp leaf. Skip the butter on a layer and those two sheets fuse into a chewy slab.
The filling has to be dry. Frozen spinach thawed and wrung out hard, or fresh spinach wilted and squeezed, or the pie weeps into the pastry and sogs it from the inside.
Spanakopita Triangles
Serves 4, about 16 triangles. Prep 30 minutes, cook 25 minutes, total about 55 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 pound frozen chopped spinach, thawed, or 1.5 pounds fresh, wilted
- 6 ounces feta, crumbled
- 2 ounces ricotta or cottage cheese, drained
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped dill
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- Black pepper
- 1/2 pound phyllo dough, thawed (about 12 sheets)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted, or olive oil
Method
- Squeeze the spinach dry in a clean towel, as hard as you can. It should be almost crumbly. Chop it once more.
- Mix the spinach with the feta, ricotta, scallions, dill, parsley, egg, nutmeg, and plenty of pepper. Taste. It should be well seasoned; feta usually supplies enough salt.
- Heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line two sheet pans with parchment.
- Unroll the phyllo and cover it with a barely damp towel. Take one sheet, brush it lightly with butter, and cut it lengthwise into three long strips.
- Put a tablespoon of filling at the bottom of a strip. Fold the corner up over the filling to make a triangle, then keep folding along the strip, corner to corner, the way you fold a flag. Set it seam side down on the pan and brush the top with butter.
- Repeat until the filling is gone. Freeze raw at this point if you like, then bake from frozen adding 5 minutes.
- Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until deep golden and crisp all over. Cool 5 minutes on the pan, then serve warm.
Nutrition (per serving, estimated)
Estimated by calculation for one of four servings, four triangles, not lab verified.
| Calories | Protein | Carbohydrate | Fat | Fiber | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 430 | 15 g | 30 g | 28 g | 3 g | 780 mg |
Tips and Variations
- Freeze raw, bake later: arrange the folded triangles on a tray, freeze solid, then bag them. They keep three months and bake straight from frozen.
- Tray version: layer half the phyllo in a buttered 9 by 13 pan, spread all the filling, top with the rest, score into squares, and bake 40 minutes.
- Greens swap: chard, kale, or a mix of wild greens, which is closer to the village original. Wilt and squeeze the same way.
- Add leek: a softened chopped leek in place of half the spinach makes a milder, sweeter filling (prasopita).
Frequently Asked Questions
My phyllo keeps cracking and tearing. What am I doing wrong?
It is drying out. Keep the unused stack fully covered with a damp towel, work quickly, and do not stop halfway to do something else. Torn sheets still bake up fine inside a triangle, so keep going.
Can I use puff pastry instead of phyllo?
You can, and it is easier, but it is a different pastry: richer, flakier, less shattering. Roll it thin, cut into squares, fill, and fold into triangles, sealing the edges with a fork.
Why did my spanakopita turn out soggy?
Wet filling. Frozen spinach holds an astonishing amount of water and it has to be wrung out until it is nearly dry, or it steams the pastry from inside as it bakes.
How far ahead can I make these?
Fold them up to a day ahead and refrigerate, or freeze for up to three months. Bake within the hour you want to serve them, since crisp phyllo goes soft as it sits.
Do I have to use butter, or can I make them with oil?
Olive oil is traditional in much of Greece and works perfectly. Butter browns a little more and tastes richer. Either way, every layer needs a light coat.
Tools for the Job
A pastry brush is the one tool that matters, because you are brushing dozens of layers and a bad brush sheds bristles into the food.
- Silicone Pastry and Basting Brush
- Silicone Baking and Grill Mat
- 8-Cup Food Processor for the filling
- Baking, Dessert and Pastry Essentials
More Appetizers
See all appetizers, or start with these.
Who Is Writing This
I am Chef Alan. I have spent 35 years in professional kitchens, I have formal culinary training in New Hampshire, and I have been honored as a 6-time 4-Diamond chef. More about me here. If a step did not make sense, get in touch and I will fix it.
Thank you for cooking this one with us. From all of us at Wine Drop Cookery.
Savory pies of greens, herbs and cheese go back to ancient Greece; the thin phyllo came in during the Byzantine and Ottoman period and spinach arrived via medieval trade, per the reference entry on savory spinach pie.