www.marissa.co Easy Spinach Pie

Easy Filo Spinach Pie

Spinach pies are easy to make, delicious and served on many occasions. You can enjoy them as a snack or pack them for a lunch box meal or picnic. The pies make an unusual starter or main course for lunch or dinner. To me, they taste like the pies you buy in bakeries on your holidays in Greece or Cyprus. The pie(s) is delicious served hot, warm and even cold.

The mixture can be added to a closed pie, as shown in the photo. If you have time, you can make traditional triangles or if you are catering for a dinner party or need canapés, make spinach pie purses. Let your imagination run wild, cigars sausage rolls and individual squares work well too.

This recipe can be adapted for vegan friends too. Make the filling omitting the cheeses, brushing the filo with olive oil. You can either add double the amount of spinach or add in 2 finely chopped and sautéed leeks to the mixture.

Easy Spinach Pie
 
Preparation time
Cooking time
Total time
 
An easy spinach pie to enjoy in a crispy filo pastry shell.
Marissa:
Recipe type: Mains
Cuisine: Greek Cypriot
Servings: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1 packet filo pastry (6 sheets)
  • 3 onions finely chopped or blended (+-125g cooked down onion)
  • 75g butter or olive oil
  • 200g drained and chopped spinach
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 3 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped or 1 tablespoon dried dill
  • 1 block feta cheese rinsed and crumbled
  • 250g mature Cheddar or Manchego or Graviera
  • Salt and white pepper to taste
  • Optional
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds to garnish
Method
  1. Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl.
  2. For individual pies: shape as cigars, parcels or triangles.
  3. Butter or oil a sheet of filo, lay another sheet on top and cut to your desired size, fill and shape.
  4. Brush the pies with butter or oil and bake at 180°C until crispy and brown.
  5. For a family-style pie, drape the pastry over the sides of the container, brushing each layer except the last. When you run out of filo pastry add in all your filling.
  6. Starting with the top layer of filo pastry, fold over the overhanging filo to cover the filling.
  7. Keep going until all the layers have concealed the spinach mixture.
  8. Brush with butter or oil.
  9. Lightly score the top, as a portion guide ensuring that you do not score the filling layer.
  10. If using sprinkle with sesame seeds, over the top of the pies.
  11. Bake 180°C for 20-40 minutes depending on the size of your pies, the pies are cooked when a knife inserted has mixture that comes out in clumps rather than steaks.
  12. If your pies start to take colour, loosely place a piece of greaseproof paper on top of the pie to cook without colouring further.
Tips
Using Frozen
200g spinach drained is equal to 500g frozen spinach
900g frozen Ocado 363g drained and chopped
Using Fresh
4 bags soften in butter or oil, drained to release all the water and chop

Leftover filling
Any remaining filling from individual pies can be added to a toasted sandwich.

Vegan Pies
Make the filling omitting the cheeses and doubling the spinach or adding in a few chopped and sautéed leeks.
Enjoy this easy spinach pie recipe.

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