These flakey, buttery Greek inspired pastries are the perfect savory appetizer. This recipe features sheep milk feta and rainbow chard, but any feta cheese and hardy leafy greens, like spinach or kale, will work great, too.
Jump to RecipeThis spanakopita recipe comes together quickly, with only 3 major steps in the preparation:
- Prepare the filling
- Shape
- Bake
Mastering phyllo dough can take some practice, however by the end of this recipe you should be shaping the spanakopita triangles with confidence.
About the Farm
Green Dirt Farm – Weston, Missouri
Green Dirt Farm is one of those places that makes you want to pack up all your belongings, move to the country and start making cheese. Located less then an hour from Kansas City, Green Dirt Farm provides a sanctuary for sheep to graze in biodynamic pastures. At Green Dirt Farm they believe that by nurturing the soil, they create better, more nutritious food for the animals, which in turn makes more flavorful cheese. Perhaps it’s a combination of fertile land, happy animals and a passion for the craft that make this arguably the best sheep milk cheese in production today.
Spanakopita Triangles
Course: AppetizersDifficulty: Intermediate24
servings30
minutes12
minutesThese flakey Greek inspired pastries, loaded with greens and feta cheese, are the perfect savory appetizer.
Ingredients
1 box phyllo dough
1 lb (454 g) chard (or hardy leafy green, like spinach or kale)
1/4 cup (56 g) olive oil
2 large cloves garlic
1/2 small onion
8 oz (227 g) feta cheese
1 large egg
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
8 oz (227 g) unsalted butter, melted
Directions
- Thaw phyllo overnight in refrigerator, or let come to room temperature for at least 3 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Begin preparing the filling by removing the stems from the chard and washing and drying the leaves. Then chop the leaves into bite sized pieces.
- Cook the garlic and onions together for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Place in a large mixing bowl.
- In the same skillet, add remaining olive oil and sauté the chard until it wilts down. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Using cheese cloth or a kitchen towel, wring any moisture out of the chard. Place the chard in the bowl with the garlic and onions.
- Crumble feta and add to the bowl.
- Season with salt and pepper as needed to taste (note: feta is naturally salty). Add red wine vinegar.
- Add the egg and stir.
- Set the filling aside. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and then begin preparing the phyllo dough.
- Carefully unroll the dough and lay flat on counter. Cut vertically into 3 long strips (a pizza cutter works great for this). Cover the phyllo with a damp cloth.
- Take the first layer of phyllo strips and lay out on the counter, brush with butter. Cover those strips with another layer of phyllo and brush again.
- At the base of the butter coated strips, scoop 1 heaping tablespoon of filling into the corner. Fold the phyllo up over the filling and to the edge of the sheet creating the beginning of the triangle. Fold again, and repeat until the full triangle has formed. Set aside and cover with another damp cloth while shaping remaining spanakopita.
- Once all the triangles are shaped, place on a baking tray and brush tops with butter. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
- Spanakopita can be served right away or reheated. The unbaked spanakopita can also be stored in the freezer and baked another time.