Spring Spinach Spanakopita

This is one of our all-time favorite spinach dishes! Also, it is great as leftovers in lunches. A beautiful treat to bring along to spring potlucks.

Recipe adapted from: The Moosewood Cookbook, Mollie Katzen, 1977

Ingredients

• a little butter or olive oil; for the pan
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 c onion (or shallots) minced
• 1/2 t salt to taste
• 2 1/2 lb spinach stemmed and finely chopped
• 1/2 c parsley chopped
• 1/2 c dill chopped
• 5 medium cloves garlic or use green garlic or garlic scapes; chopped
• 3 whole scallions
• 3 T flour
• 2 to 3 c feta cheese crumbled
• 1/2 to 3/4 c ricotta or cottage cheese
• black pepper to taste
• 1/4 t nutmeg ground
• 1/3 to 1/2 c butter melted; or olive oil
• 1 lb (16 to 20 leaves) filo pastry thoroughly defrosted

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 oF. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
2. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or deep skillet. Add onion, salt, and saute for about 5 minutes, or until the onion softens. Add the spinach, turn up the heat, and cook, stirring until the spinach wilts (5-8 minutes). Stir in the garlic, herbs and scallions.
3. Sprinkle in the flour, stir, and cook over medium heat 2 to 3 more minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Mix in the cheeses, then correct the seasonings, adding black pepper to taste along the way.
5. Place a sheet of filo in the prepared pan, letting the pastry edges climb up the sides. Brush all over with olive oil or melted butter, then add another sheet. Keep going until you have a stack of 10 oiled or buttered sheets.
6. Add the filling, spreading it evenly to the edges. Continue layering and oiling or buttering the remaining filo on top of the filling. Oil or butter the top layer.
7. Gently (with a serrated knife in a sawing motion) cut the unbaked Spanakopita into squares.
8. Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes, or until golden and crispy. Serve hot or warm.

Serves 8.

Entree appetizer baked good entree greens spinach spring side