Spanakopita ‘Greens’ Pie

Recipe courtesy of The Simple Dinner Edit by Nicole Maguire, Macmillan, RRP $44.99

Many moons ago my husband and I honeymooned in Greece and I’m not over exaggerating when I say I ate a piece of spanakopita every single day in between lounging on sun chairs, riding around on quad bikes (terrifying) and fish pedicure spa experiences (equally terrifying). I pined for spanakopita for years before realising how easy it is to make. There’s hardly any chopping or fussing; you just mix it all up and into the oven it goes. Filo pastry used to scare me, but it’s one of the easiest pastries to work with and is found at most supermarkets. The flavour combination here is incredible and the kids love it too, even though I watch them with horror as they squeeze ketchup all over their serves.

PREP TIME: 10 minutes | COOK TIME: 30 minutes | SERVES: 4

Ingredients

• 750 g frozen spinach, thawed and drained well (see Note)
• 6 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1/2 bunch dill, fronds picked and finely chopped
• 1/2 bunch mint, leaves picked and finely chopped
• 4 eggs
• 300 g fresh ricotta
• 200 g feta, crumbled
• 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground
• black pepper
• 8–10 sheets filo pastry
• olive oil spray
• black sesame seeds, to sprinkle

Note: Thaw the spinach as per the packet instructions and drain through a fine-mesh sieve. Wrap the spinach in a damp, clean tea towel and use your hands to wring out any excess water. The drier the spinach, the crispier the pastry.

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan-forced.

In a large bowl, use your hands to combine the frozen spinach, spring onion, dill, mint, eggs, ricotta, feta, salt and pepper.

Layer four sheets of filo pastry in a baking dish, spraying or brushing with olive oil between each layer. There will be some overhang.

Place the spinach mixture into the baking dish, folding the overhanging filo pastry back onto the mixture. Scrunch the remaining sheets of filo into rough balls and place them on top of the pie, spraying with olive oil. Sprinkle with the black sesame seeds.

Bake for 30 minutes in the bottom half of the oven (to ensure a crispy base) until the pastry is golden brown. Allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Leftovers

Refrigerate cooked spanakopita for up to 3 days. Freeze in individual portions for up to 4 weeks.

Reheat in a 180°C fan forced oven. It can be eaten cold too, and leftovers make great lunch box fillers.

Make ahead

The pie can be assembled and refrigerated up to 24 hours prior to baking, or frozen for up to 4 weeks.

Bake from frozen in a 180°C fan-forced oven (allow up to an hour).