Spinach & Feta Parcels (Spanakopita)
If Popeye didn’t eat spinach out of a can, this is what he’d do with it.
Here’s making a traditional Greek recipe a little more fun! If you want to make vegetables look a little more sexy on the dining table, give this a go! To make it vegan, swap out the feta cheese for tofu and nutritional yeast.
On working with filo pastry:
Make sure the filo pastry is fully thawed. Take it out from the freezer to sit in the fridge at least 12 hours before use, or leave it at room temperature to thaw for 2 hours before using it.
Unroll the filo sheets and lay them flat on a dry surface. Cover with plastic wrap followed by a damp towel. Placing a damp towel directly on the sheets will get them sticking together.
Roll up any unused sheets and wrap well in plastic film. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks, or freeze it for up to 2 months. I’d highly suggest using them up as quickly as you can though! For more ideas, check out my One-Pot Seafood Cream recipe for another idea to use them up!
Keep this in mind each time you work with filo: it WILL tear…and it is fine! I just hide the uglier parts in the middle. Keep the most beautiful ones for the outermost layers.
See the Notes section for how you can make this ahead of time, and experiment with different shapes!
THE RECIPE
SERVES 4
Ingredients
Filling
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
½ large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
500g fresh or frozen spinach (if frozen, thaw at room temperature before using)
4-6 fronds fresh dill, finely chopped (about 2 teaspoons)
4-6 stalks of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
200g feta cheese, crumbled
5-6 sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
3 eggs, lightly beaten
Zest of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper
Crust
1 pack filo pastry
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil for brushing, more if needed
Directions
Before beginning, make sure your filo pastry is well prepped. Thaw it overnight in the fridge, or for 2 hrs at room temperature. Remove from packaging and wrap with a damp kitchen cloth.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
Heat 2 tbsp of oil in pan and sautée the onion and garlic till fragrant, and the onion has turned translucent.
If using fresh spinach: add it in and let it wilt. Once wilted, remove from the heat and transfer the spinach into a sieve over a bowl, to let the liquid drain out.
If using frozen spinach: simply sit the thawed spinach on a sieve over a bowl to let the water drain out.
In a large bowl, add in the feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh herbs, lemon zest, pepper, and a tiny pinch of salt. Mix well.
Check on your spinach, giving it one more squeeze to drain all the liquid out. A clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth would be helpful here!
Once drained, add the spinach to the large bowl, add in the eggs, and mix well. If your mixture is still wet, drain it in a sieve over a bowl again while you prepare the pastry.
With the filo sheets all stacked up, cut the sheet into equal-sized squares.
Grease your muffin tin with some olive oil (you can use the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes) and set aside.
On a small plate, place one square filo sheet, brush it with some oil, and continue with 4 other sheets, greasing them individually and stacking them on top of one another. Place these 5 stacked sheets into a muffin cup so they fit in nicely with the edges fanning out over the edges.
Once you fill the muffin tin, fill each cup with the spinach-cheese mixture prepared earlier.
Bake in a preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, or until the pastry turns golden-brown.
Notes
Other shapes you can work with: samosas/cigars for a snack-sized bite; or serve as a large pie, in a spiral, or in a bundt pan.
For a vegan option, use some firm tofu (tau kwa) and nutritional yeast instead of cheese.
This recipe can be made ahead till step 11! Assemble it, wrap it up, and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake them. Brush once more with a layer of oil if the edges of the filo pastry are looking dry.