Growing up, spanakopita (spinach pie) was a staple in my house. Classic to my mom’s style of cooking, it was different every time she made it, depending on what she had around. So I learned quickly that this amazing treat has no strict guidelines. You just need phyllo dough, greens, feta cheese, dill, and love. I make it a lot, but usually opt for little triangles or sometimes rolls (check out a recipe I posted a while back for spanakopita HERE). This time though, there are two major changes: the main one is the filling- it’s not your typical classic spinach (“spana”) version. I had a bunch of kale, mustard greens, and beet greens lying around, so that’s the filling for this one. (Nope- you don’t have to use spinach to make it delicious… in fact, it’s quite popular in Greece to use whatever greens you have lying around- “horta” is any mixture of edible greens- dandelion, mustard, beet, whatever. A “pita” or pie made with horta is a hortopita… a popular treat found in many yiayias’ (grandma’s) homes throughout Greece). The second change is that I made a sheet of pita this time around… not weird for most folks, I know, but unusual for me. I am such a fan of little triangle pitas that making a full sheet is a pretty rare occurrence for me. I suppose that’s because I don’t have to be so meticulous with the sheets since it’s all spread out in one pan; however, don’t let that fool you… the phyllo still needs very careful handling 🙂 The main idea (depending on your personal preference (ie. how thick you want it, how phyllo-y you like it, and how cheesy you make it) is basic- layer greeny filling between sheets of phyllo that are carefully layered one by one and brushed with buttery goodness. While many people brush butter (or butter & olive oil mix) on every single sheet while layering, I choose to do it every couple of sheets… your choice 🙂
I used a super large pan, so my pita was relatively thin in comparison to some. Again, this is preference- if you want the filling to be thicker, use a smaller pan. You can also choose to add way more phyllo than I did. Many seem to go for the good old standard ten… ten sheets on the bottom, ten on the top, and some even place some in the middle! I, knowing I was making a thinner sheet, went for 5 on the bottom and 5 on the top. I wanted the filling to e the star, not the phyllo, but again… totally up to you!! Next time, just to switch it up, I may make it in a little pan to get a nice thick filling… that’s what’s so fun about making Greek pitas- you can use spinach, kale, beet greens, or any green really and you can make it however thick or thin or cheesy you want!!
Speaking of cheese, in my family, we use a bit of ricotta and cottage cheese along with the feta. If you want to simplify or don’t have them lying around, it’s okay… use what you want- it’s just the way I’m used to it in my family. I suppose it adds a bit more cheesy flavor and variety of cheesy texture 🙂
INGREDIENTS
1 box phyllo dough
5 cups fresh greens (I used 2 cups kale, 2 cups mustard greens, & 1 cup beet greens)
2 cups leeks
1 cup fresh dill
1/2 cup scallions or green onions
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup cottage cheese
1/4 grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 tsp salt (1/4 tsp for leeks, 1/2 tsp for cheese mixture)
3/4 tsp pepper (1/4 tsp for leeks, 1/2 tsp for cheese mixture)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 egg
2 tbsp rice (long grain white is fine, uncooked)
1/3 cup melted ghee or butter, for brushing phyllo sheets
1 tbsp olive oil
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Start with the leeks…
Leeks are unusual in that you clean them after you cut them- things can get trapped in the little rings,
so you want to cut them and them soak them to get all the little grimies and dirt out
So chop up into small rings…
And then soak in a large bowl on cool water
Use your fingers to loosen the rings and swish around
Then, heat about 1 tbsp olive oil in a larger pan over medium heat
Shake off as much of the water as you can and then saute up leeks in pan
Add 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper- stir and cook for about 5 minutes
Meanwhile, clean and chop all of your greens…
Place them in pan with leeks- at first, it may seem a difficulty large
heap of greens, but they will cook down and fit in your pan after a few minutes!
Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently
Chop scallions and dill
Add to greens
Stir and let cook for about 5 minutes
Transfer greens to a large mixing bowl
Let cool a little before adding cheeses
Add feta, ricotta, and cottage cheese
Stir and then add Parmesan, nutmeg, salt and pepper
I taste at this point to decide if I want to adjust anything before adding egg and rice
For my concoction, I decided to add a wee more
feta last minute, which I included in the ingredients list
When you have your amounts how you want
(beware- don’t make too salty since feta and Parmesan add saltiness),
add egg and uncooked rice
Okay, now you’re ready to assemble!
Melt a little butter in a small bowl
Grease the bottom of your pan with either olive oil. spray oil, or butter
Then layer about 5 sheets of phyllo on the bottom- brush butter between them if desired,
but not necessary for bottom layers
Then scoop green filling onto phyllo and spread evenly across pan
Then top with two layers of phyllo, brush with butter, then two more, then brush, then one
or two more (I used five- use what you want depending on how thick your filling is-
the thicker it is, the more phyllo you want- read more in intro. if want)
For bottom layers, the sides can come up the side of the pan so they act as a wall for pita and
make a nice phyllo crust around edge pieces… for the top layers, you want to position the
layer so that you have less cutting to do for hanging edges- line it up so you only have
to cut two sides (my recommendation anyway) then once all layers are on, cut extra
phyllo with kitchen sheers or scissors
You’ll want to give one last brushing of butter over the top layer to make it nice and golden brown,
not to mention crispy! Some people also brush on a little egg white mixture over the top for color,
but I personally don’t think it’s needed on these large sheets- again, your choice!
And ready to bake!
Bake for about 35 minutes at 375, then crank heat to 475 and
cook for about 10 more, until golden brown
Cut, serve, and enjoy!!
It’s great hot right out of the oven (ideal of course), reheated
(preferably in oven or toaster to keep phyllo crispy), and the next day- I even love it cold!!
Hi Natalie, thank you for your recipe. The photos show up only as blank spaces having a triangle with a big exclamation mark in the middle: can you re-load the photos, please? I’m sure they’re beautiful, helpful in making your recipe. Also, your contact form (“click here” ) is not click-able. Eager for your response! Ruth