Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)

Easter. Resurrection Day! 

Today, our family celebrated Christ Jesus. He is our Lord and Savior;The risen King of Kings! Glory! Hallelujah!

Friday night: We attended church service to celebrate the coming Easter Sunday. Our church is very, very large; therefore they have many services to provide ample room for worshiping the Lord Jesus Christ. Afterwards we gathered with a few friends over dinner. It was a joyous occasion.

Saturday Night: We met with my parents, my youngest sister and her two children. They attended the Saturday night Easter service. Afterwards we all met for pizza and enjoyed celebrating together.

Easter Sunday:
Even though not all of our children could be with us, our daughter, my husband and I gathered for breakfast. I served "Hot Cross Buns" as we drank coffee and sat around our table discussing our blessings. We are very grateful to live in a country where we can worship God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, freely and in the manner or our choosing. We are truly blessed. Thank you Jesus for your ultimate sacrifice! We believe!

After a leisurely breakfast, I began the laborious process of preparing "Spanakopita", a Greek spinach pie casserole. Actually, I made two different kinds: triangle pies and a large casserole. Not everyone will be so ambitious, but I wanted to have a few quick pies for later on in the week. This is an easy to save for leftovers. Simple and quick to warm up.

This recipe, as I mentioned, is labor intensive. So, be patient and take your time. Your efforts will be rewarded.

The Spanakopita is very flaky because of the buttery olive oil that is layered in-between each super-fine sheet of the phyllo dough. The spinach filling is scrumptious, dreamy, and creamy! So flavorful and delicious. Enjoy!

Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)

Makes one, 13” x 9” x 2” casserole dish

Serves 8


Ingredients

• 5 slices of bacon – sliced into small slicles
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup button mushrooms – fresh, chopped finely
• 2 pounds baby spinach, rinsed and chopped
• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground pepper
• 14 sheets phyllo dough – This must be thawed prior to making this recipe.
• ½ cup olive oil plus 2 Tablespoons of melted butter – mix together

Directions

1. Lightly oil a 13”x 9” x 2” casserole baking dish.
2. In a large skillet, fry the bacon until dark and crisp and keep the grease.
3. Add in the 3 tablespoons olive oil, over medium heat, sauté onion, and garlic, until soft and lightly browned. 
4. Stir in spinach, parsley, and mushrooms. Season with the salt and pepper, cover with a lid and continue to sauté until spinach is limp, about 3 – 4 minutes. While the spinach is wilting, prepare the cheese and egg mixture.
5. In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, and feta. 
6. Pour this mixture over the warm spinach. Place the pot over a medium heat for about 3 minutes and stir well. Turn off heat, set aside and let it set and cool slightly as you prepare the crust.
7. Heat the ¼ cup of olive oil enough to melt in the butter. Turn off heat and let it set.

Assembly of the bottom crust layers:

1. Your phyllo dough should be thawed. The phyllo dough sheets are extremely thin and fragile, if they tear, no worries, just continue to gently pull them apart and reassemble them into a sheet in the casserole dish.
2. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough in the prepared baking dish, using a pastry brush, lightly coat the phyllo sheet with the olive oil/butter mixture. 
3. Lay another sheet of phyllo dough on top and again brush with olive oil/butter mixture, and repeat process with 5 more sheets of phyllo. The sheets will be slightly larger than your dish, but let the phyllo go up the sides of the dish.
4. Next, Spoon in the prepared spinach and cheese mixture into pan and fold the overhanging dough over filling. 
5. Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees.

Assembly of the top crust layer:

1. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough over the top of the spinach mixture. Brush with oil.
2. Repeat as before with the remaining 8 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each additional layer with the olive oil/butter. After the last sheet has been laid on top, brush with the oil/butter.
3. Tuck all the phyllo edges down into the dish by pushing it down with a spatula or your fingers to seal filling.
4. Using a sharp knife, slice the dough completely, all the way across the center of the casserole, left to right, at the widest edges.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until a beautiful dark golden brown. 
6. Remove from the oven and let it cool about 10 minutes before slicing.
7. Cut into even squares and serve while very warm.

How to make Triangle Pies

1. Working with the long side of the phyllo sheet, take 1 sheet from the stack, lay it on the counter that has been covered with a large piece of parchment paper. 
2. Lightly brush the entire surface with the olive oil/butter mixture. Repeat this two more times.
3. Using a pizza wheel cutter, cut down the middle the widest middle; edge to edge. 
4. Place 2 tablespoons of the spinach filling in the corner of each strip.
5. Now, as if you would fold a flag or a paper football, fold the corner of phyllo over to enclose the filling, forming a triangle. Continue folding the entire strip until you reach the end. With the edge seam-side down, place the triangles on a large baking sheet and brush the tops with the olive oil/butter. 
6. Repeat with the remaining spinach filling. I usually make about 8 pies and then will make a small 8’ x 8” mini casserole. 
7. Space the triangle pies a cookie sheet tray; space evenly apart so that they are not touching and then bake until golden brown in a 350 F degrees oven for about 25 minutes. 
8. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly.
9. Serve warm.
10. Cool completely before storing in baggies.
11. Freeze for a month or refrigerate for 1 week.
12. Thaw before reheating.

Reheat on a covered microwave safe dish for 1 minute on high power. Be careful the filling will be very hot!