Making spanakopita is a family affair. You need one person manning the phyllo, making sure to keep it covered with a moist towel. Another on oil patrol. A third set of hands on filling duty. And, of course, at least two folders. My family would spend hours hunched over the kitchen table, getting ready for the big Matza picnic. In retrospect, that wasn’t too bright. We could have, instead, whipped up a few of these casseroles, and spent the rest of the evening at a Dodger game. Silly us.
Ingredients
ASSEMBLY:
- 20 sheets (about ½ lb) frozen phyllo dough
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
FILLING:
- 2 lb spinach, chopped
- 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 scallions, thinly sliced
- 2 cups feta cheese (10 ounces)
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded or grated
- ¼ cup fresh dill, finely chopped
- ¼ cup parsley, finely chopped
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 2 eggs, beaten
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Thaw the phyllo, per the package’s instructions.
- To make the filling, place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add enough chopped spinach to fill the pan. As the spinach wilts, add more, until all the spinach is cooked and bright green, about 6-8 minutes. Remove cooked spinach to a colander. Once it cools, press down to remove as much liquid as possible.
- While the spinach is cooling, add 1 teaspoon of oil to the skillet. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the scallions. Sauté until the scallions are soft, about 3 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the scallions, drained spinach, feta cheese, Parmesan cheese, dill, parsley, salt, and nutmeg. Stir to combine and break up the largest chunks of feta. Add the eggs and continue stirring until combined.
- To assemble, begin by brushing a baking dish with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Place a sheet of phyllo dough along the bottom of the dish. Quickly brush a thin layer of oil, and then stack another sheet of phyllo. Repeat until you’ve used 10 sheets. Don’t worry if the phyllo tears a bit—that’s completely normal.
- Spread the filling over the bottom 10 sheets of phyllo, then repeat the phyllo process for the top 10 sheets, alternating phyllo and oil. Coat the top sheet of phyllo generously with the last of the olive oil.
- Transfer the baking dish to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until top is browned. Remove the spanakopita from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes, then slice and serve in triangles.
