Here's an easy was to make Greek Spanakopita, which is a spinach and feta cheese pie, into an appetizer you can serve for holidays, football Sundays or take them for lunch!
★ Why You'll Love this Recipe ★
These tasty pockets are stuffed with spinach, shallot, walnuts and feta cheese then folded up in flaky phyllo dough which adds more rich flavor and crispy texture.
Greek Spanakopita can be served with tzatziki sauce which makes the perfect dip for these triangles. The dip is totally optional. You don't need it. The spinach feta triangles are delicious all on their own.
However, the yogurt and cucumber based sauce adds a layer of cool tangy flavor that changes up the whole experience of eating these and offers some variety if you're planning on eating more than one triangle. Which, I mean, I would. 🙂
The great part about this sauce is that you can make it yourself, or you can just buy it ready-made. Most grocery stores sell it!
★ Ingredients You'll Need ★
The phyllo dough is pretty time consuming to work with, but the flaky goodness is worth it I think! You can substitute with puff pastry dough to save time if you'd like.
★ How to Make this Recipe ★
If you've never worked with phyllo dough before, it can be a little tedious because of the many layers, but it's not difficult.
Here are the steps involved in preparing the filling and folding up the triangles. (Full recipe further down)
- Thaw and squeeze spinach.
- Sauté shallot and spinach.
- Combine spinach and shallot with cheeses and nuts.
- Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
- Brush phyllo dough layers with butter.
- Cut dough into strips.
- Add spinach mixture to each then fold.
- Brush with butter.
- Bake.
- Serve warm with tzatziki sauce.
The process is not hard. Just follow the steps!
★ Tips & FAQs ★
Why is my spanakopita soggy on the bottom?
Sometimes this happens if you don't squeeze your spinach to remove excess water. This is an important step in the recipe below. Don't skip it!
Be sure to also use frozen spinach. Fresh spinach holds too much moisture and you wont be able to squeeze it like you can with a block of frozen chopped spinach.
Can I use puff pastry instead of phyllo dough?
Yes, you can. This will produce a puffier pastry and you will not need layers. If using puff pastry instead of phyllo dough, take one rectangle of dough, fold it in half to form a triangle then seal the open edge. Brush with butter and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Is Greek Spanakopita healthy?
These savory triangle pastries are stuffed with healthy spinach and walnuts as well as cheese. So you do get some great vitamins from these ingredients. You can chek out other nutrition facts below.
Can I use margarine instead of butter?
Yes, you can reduce fat by using margarine instead of butter if you prefer.
★ More Recipes you'll Love ★
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Spinach Feta Triangles
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil olive, grape seed or avocado oil
- 1 shallots peeled and diced
- 10 oz frozen spinach
- 6 oz feta cheese
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cups walnuts finely chopped
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ pepper
- 8 oz phyllo dough sheets
- ¼ cup butter (½ stick) melted
Optional
- 16 oz Tzatziki sauce for dipping
- fresh dill for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400˚.
- In a small skillet, sauté shallots in oil until soft, about 3 minutes.
- Defrost and thoroughly drain spinach by placing in a colander and running under hot water. Press or squeeze to remove excess liquid. Add to shallots, stir to combine.
- Transfer spinach mixture to bowl; fold in Feta, Parmesan cheese and walnuts.
- Add nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.
- Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough flat (cover rest with damp towel to prevent drying); brush with butter.
- Layer a second sheet on top of the first brush with butter.
- Cut the sheets lengthwise into 3-inch-wide-strips.
- Spoon 3 tablespoon of spinach mixture onto the end of one strip and fold over to form a triangle.
- Continue folding in a triangular shape to form a triangular pocket.
- Repeat with remaining ingredients.
- Set the pockets on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400˚ until golden brown, about 15 mins. Serve hot.
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