Fresh Spinach Side Dish RecipeSpanakopita Recipe Greek Spinach Pie TutorialIf youve not made classic Greek spanakopita before, youre in for a treat I am sharing a family favorite an easy spanakopita recipe. Crispy phyllo fillo pie filled with a soft spinach and feta mixture. Totally holiday worthy Tips, video, and step by step photos are included What is Spanakopita Spanakopita is one of my favorite Greek comfort foods, rivaled only by this moussaka casserole. In a perfect worldlike during the holidaysboth casseroles find a place at the table. My six year old daughter describes spanakopita this way, awesome crunchy pie with green stuff on the inside. And to a large degree, her description is accurate. Spanakopita is a popular Greek pie made of golden, perfectly crisp, phyllo or fillo pastry dough with a comforting filling of spinach and feta. You can certainly make snack sized spanakopita shaped into triangles or even rolls or cigars, but I tend to make the classic, simple casserole more often. Watch how to make Spanakopita Spanakopita Lessons. When I was at an Atlanta area Greek festival a few weeks ago, my daughters lunch of choice was a piece of spanakopita and a side of Greek salad. Luckily, she allowed me a taste it was heavenlyI tend to lean towards a make it from scratch kind of mentality, so I decided to pull the hearts out of fresh, organic artichokes instead. Make a side to match any kind of main in 20 minutes or less with these great recipes. Quick and healthy recipes from Cooking Light. Greek Turkey Meatballs with Spinach and Feta Ground turkey meatballs are loaded with feta cheese, spinach and Greek herbs and spices. Easiest side dish recipes from Martha Stewart, including mashed potatoes, green beans, roasted vegetables, brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce, cornbread dressing. Fresh Spinach Pasta Adapted from David Lebovitzs My Paris Kitchen. Guess what Making your own pasta is dead simple all you need is plain flour and eggs, plus a. Get Fresh Vegetable Lasagna with Spinach and Zucchini Recipe from Food Network. Spinach is high in vitamins A and C, and also packs a Popeyesized punch of iron, fiber and protein. Because fresh spinach cooks down to just a fraction of. Best Fresh Spinach Side Dish RecipesI ended up chatting with the woman behind the lavish lunch her name was Yaya Helen. We discussed a classic Greek spanakopita recipe and shared some lessons and tipsClassic spanakopita filling is simple. The key filling ingredients in a spanakopita recipe are spinach and feta, but equally important is adding plenty of fresh herbs I used two whole bunches of parsley, and I kept some of the stems to chop along with the leaves parsley stems pack a ton of flavor More flavor is added from the onions, garlic and a little dill weed. You can certainly use dried oregano or thyme, if you like. To bind everything together, I used four large eggs. Note not every cheese works in spanakopita, its best to stick to quality feta cheese. Do I need to cook the spinach in advanceThis is an easier spanakopita recipe the quick n dirty version so to speak. I do not cook the spinach or any part of the filling in advance. Using chopped frozen spinach thawed allows me to simply mix it in with the remaining filling ingredients. But one thing you must do, be sure to drain all liquid from the thawed spinach. I ended up squeezing the spinach by hand a few times until it could no longer produce any liquid. If you do use fresh spinach, you will need to cook it with the onions and garlic, drain, and let cool completely before mixing the filling. SHOP THE MEDITERRANEAN DISHTips for working with phyllo fillo Golden, crispy phyllo fillo, encasing the soft spinach filling is really what spanakopita is all aboutQuality of phyllo fillo dough can make or break the recipe. I am a big fan of organic dough from The Fillo Factory. Its vegan and contains no preservatives no cholesterol and no trans fat. And one big thing for me as a cook, The Fillo Factory dough always comes in good condition, which makes it easy to work with. I have often used it to make baklava, pies, and even pizza. Once youve selected quality phyllo fillo, follow these tips for best results  The dough must be thawed properly too much moisture will make the dough or sheets sticky and hard to manage. When thawing, do not remove the phyllo fillo from the package, place it in the fridge 1. Before you begin assembling the spanakopita casserole, unroll the thawed phyllo fillo sheets and place them carefully between two ever so slightly damp kitchen cloths. This helps the sheets remain lenient so they wont tear too much. Phyllo fillo sheets will tear, and thats perfectly fine. Just make sure you save a couple good sheets for the top of the spanakopita casserole. Do not skimp on the butter or oil I use quality olive oil here instead to keep it light but do not overdo it either. You need to brush each of the layers with a little olive oil you can see this in the video above or the step by step tutorial below the recipeWhat to serve with this spanakopita recipe Spanakopita makes a great side dish for special gatherings and holiday dinners But its also hearty enough to serve as a vegetarian dinner with a side of Greek tzatziki and a simple salad like fattoush, Greek salad, or this Mediterranean chickpea salad. You can cut the spanakopita into small squares and serve it as mezze or starter next to other Mediterranean dips and appetizers like  Roasted red pepper hummus, whipped feta dip, antipasto skeweres, Israeli Couscous, or even this pretty panzanella board. Lets get to the spanakopita recipe And be sure to see the step by step photos below. Print. Spanakopita Recipe Greek Spinach PieAuthor The Mediterranean Dish. Prep Time 2. 0 mins. Cook Time 1 hour. Total Time 1 hour 2. Yield 1. 2Cuisine Greek. Ingredients. For the Spinach and Feta Filling. Private Reserve extra virgin olive oil. Freshly ground black pepper. How To Make Cannolis. For the Crust. Instructions. Preheat the oven to 3. F. Before you begin mixing the filling, be sure the spinach is very well drained, and squeeze out any excess liquid by hand. To make the filling In a mixing bowl, add the spinach and the remaining filling ingredients. Stir until all is well combined. Unroll the phyllo fillo sheets and place them between two very lightly damp kitchen cloths. Prepare a 9 12 X 1. Brush the bottom and sides of the dish with olive oil. To assemble the spanakopita Line the baking dish with two sheets of phyllo fillo letting them cover the sides of the dish. Brush with olive oil. Add two more sheets in the same manner, and brush them with olive oil. Repeat until two thirds of the phyllo fillo is used up. Now, evenly spread the spinach and feta filling over the phyllo fillo crust. Top with two more sheets, and brush with olive oil. Continue to layer the phyllo fillo sheets, two at a time, brushing with olive oil, until you have used up all the sheets. Brush the very top layer with olive oil, and sprinkle with just a few drops of water. Fold the flaps or excess from the sides, you can crumble them a little. Brush the folded sides well with olive oil. Bake in the 3. 25 degrees F heated oven for 1 hour, or until the phyllo fillo crust is crisp and golden brown. Remove from the oven. Cut into squares and serve Enjoy 3. SHOP THE MEDITERRANEAN DISHStep by step photos for this spanakopita recipe Squeeze all the liquid out of the thawed spinach IMPORTANTTo make the filling in a mixing bowl add the spinach, parsley, onions, garlic, olive oil, feta, eggs, dill weed, and black pepper Mix well with a wooden spoon. Unroll the phyllo fillo and place between two lightly damp cloths see the tips above. Oil the baking dish. Layer the phyllo fillo, 2 sheets at a time, brush each layer with olive oil. Do this until you have used up two thirds of the package. Once you  have placed two thirds of the phyllo fillo down, spread the spinach and feta mixture and smooth out with a wooden spoon so its spread evenly. Continue layering the phyllo fillo sheets as you did before, and brush each layer with the olive oil, until you have finished the package. Roll or fold down the excess phyllo fillo from the sides. Brush the top layer with olive oil and sprinkle just a tiny bit of water on top. Bake in 3. 25 degrees F for 1 hour or until the phyllo fillo crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and cut into squares. Enjoy warmThis post is sponsored by The Fillo Factory, makers of quality, gourmet fillo dough. The Fillo Factory dough can be found in different sizes and in Organic White Wheat Organic Spelt and Organic Wheat. Vegan no preservatives no cholestrol no trans fat. Available at grocery stores nationwide click here to find a retailer near you. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that make this site possible. MORE RECIPES TO TRYFeta and Strawberry Tart with Fillo Crust. Moussaka Greek Eggplant Casserole Loaded Lebanese Rice Hashweh.