Spanakopita
Author: 
Recipe type: Appetizer
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 24
 
Make this dish ahead and freeze until party day. Makes party prep a snap and your guests will be impressed.
Ingredients
  • Filling!
  • olive oil
  • 1 large white onion, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper
  • pinch of ground cinnamon, freshly ground nutmeg, s&p
  • 2 packages frozen chopped spinach
  • 1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
  • 2½ cups feta cheese
  • ½ cup grated Parmessan cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • Ingredients and tools!
  • Spanakopita triangles
  • 1 roll of thawed filo dough
  • melted butter – approximately 1 stick
  • brush
  • large cutting board or parchment paper
  • plastic wrap
  • clean damp dishtowel
Instructions
  1. Filling!
  2. Thaw spinach and squeeze out excess moisture.
  3. Saute onion, garlic and spices in olive oil until onion begins to brown.
  4. Combine onion mixture in big bowl with spinach, cheeses, and eggs.
  5. Cooks tip: Can store mixture in fridge or freezer at this point for future use.
  6. Triangles!
  7. Place two sheets of parchment paper side by side. Open and unroll filo on one sheet. Cover immediately with plastic wrap and a damp dishtowel. Remove one sheet of filo and place on adjacent parchment paper. Cover stack immediately. Brush filo sheet with melted butter – not to saturate. Place approx. 2 tablespoon of spinach/cheese mixture on the middle of the bottom edge of buttered filo, Fold right third inward and left third inward to cover filling. Roll mixture up diagonally, like a flag, to form a triangle. Brush with butter and transfer to cookie sheet lined with buttered parchment paper. Don’t worry if dough tears. Use your butter like glue.
  8. Bake now or store!
  9. Bake at 350 for 20 - 25 minutes. I like mine really brown so I often turn on the broiler and crisp them up on the middle rack for 3-5 minutes. Makes 24 if you don't lose any sheets. If any filling is leftover, freeze it for future use in a small batch of spanakopita, omelets, etc.
  10. Rolled raw spanakopita can be cooked immediately, stored in the fridge a day, or frozen. I like to re-butter stored spanakopita before baking. You can bake them frozen but I prefer to defrost mine covered in the fridge.
Notes
Special note on working with filo dough:

It is good to have a healthy respect for filo dough. Dry exposed filo turns to brittle paper. Prepare to sacrifice at least one sheet as homage to the filo gods. Success earns a glass of wine. Failure earns two.
“I love problems that can be solved with butter.”
This is what my friend said when I taught her to make this dish.
Recipe by Tasting Pour by Jade Helm at https://tastingpour.com/2014/12/domaine-meriwether-sparkling-wine-and.html/