Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)

I spent my early Saturday morning helping my son make two 9x13 pans of Spanakopita for a Greek Festival that was a part of his Ancient Greece class. We had fun working together making this somewhat time-consuming dish. It was worth it though; he got lots of compliments and came home with just a couple of pieces to spare.

I made some notes as I wrote this one out for you. I thought it was heavy on the dill and the next time I make it I will cut the dill in half. Also, I researched online how much phyllo dough most recipes call for. The recipe given below by the dairy said to use the rest of the phyllo on the top. If you used a full pound it wouldn't make any sense. I think they meant to use the rest of the 1/2 lb. pkg, which is what we did and it turned out perfectly. It also took longer to bake in my oven. Just so you know...

Spanakopita
(Greek Spinach Pie)

Ingredients:

1 stick plus 1 T. butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
20 oz. (approx.) fresh spinach, chopped
16 oz. Cottage Cheese (reg or lowfat)
12 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
5 large eggs, lightly beaten
½ t. each salt & pepper
2 T. fresh dill, chopped (for me 1 T.)
Pinch of nutmeg
1 lb. phyllo dough (use ½ pkg!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In skillet, melt 1 T. butter over medium heat. Add onion & cook until softened; transfer to large bowl.

Add spinach, cottage cheese, feta, eggs, salt, pepper, dill and nutmeg to onion and stir. Set aside.

Melt 1 stick of butter. Using pastry brush, lightly coat 9 x 12 (or 9 x 13) baking dish with butter. Unfold phyllo dough & line baking dish with 1 phyllo sheet, gently pressing into place and letting excess hang over sides. Brush sheet with butter. Repeat until there are 8 layers of buttered phyllo in the dish. Cover remaining phyllo sheets with damp cloth to keep from drying out.

Fill the phyllo-lined baking dish with spinach mixture. Fold in overhanging phyllo, sheet by sheet, brushing butter on each sheet. (*I didn’t have much overhang.) Place full phyllo sheet over filling and brush with butter. Repeat with remaining phyllo sheets in the ½ lb. pkg, brushing each layer and top sheet with butter.

Bake until golden brown, about 45-55 min. Let cool 30 min. before slicing. (We cooked ours about 65-70 min.)

Recipe Given By: Friendship Dairies