We bet you enjoyed a slice of pie! It is probably the number one comfort food, with crunchy filo dough gently wrapping your filling of choice—the combinations are endless, pleasure unlimited! Pies enjoy a very special place in Greek cooking. They are the unsung heroes, always on the table, always discreet, and extremely satisfying.
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Preparation time
00:20
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Cooking time
01:00
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Serves
6
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Cuisine
Greek
Ingredients
- 1kg of fresh spinach (if not available, you can also add frozen spinach)
- 6-7 spring onions
- 300g of feta cheese
- a small bunch of dill
- 2 eggs
- salt and pepper
- extra virgin olive oil
- 500g of filo pastry
The Aroma of a Greek Bakery
There’s a moment, early in the morning in a Greek village, when the air changes. It’s when the scent of freshly baked bread begins to drift through the alleys, wrapping everything in a warm, fragrant hug. The village bakery isn’t just a place for baking—it’s a true meeting point, almost like the kafeneio. People chat, laugh, share stories, and family recipes while waiting their turn.
Stepping into a traditional Greek bakery is almost a mystical experience. You're greeted by a wave of aromas: the bold scent of melting cheese, like in the classic tiropita, or the herbal freshness of wild greens, found in xortopita. And then there’s her—the undisputed queen: spanakopita, filled with spinach, leeks, and cheese, all wrapped in golden, crispy filo.
These savory pies are simple and honest, made with ingredients that speak of land, seasons, and tradition. They’re filling, satisfying, and often enough to make up an entire meal on their own.
Spanakopita: A Savory Pie That Tastes Like Home
In Greece, pites—savory pies—are a cornerstone of traditional cooking. Long before modern kitchens, when life revolved around the fields and the hearth, pies were the centerpiece of the rural table. Cooks would make them using whatever the season—or their pantry—had to offer: vegetables from the garden, foraged greens, homemade cheese, and inherited spice blends.
Even in the heart of winter, when fresh produce was scarce, a clever cook could whip up a delicious pie from preserved or backyard-grown ingredients.
From north to south, every region in Greece has its take: hearty meat pies baked over wood fires in the north, or bite-sized fried marathopites filled with wild fennel in the south. But the most beloved of all is spanakopita, with its comforting filling of spinach and cheese.
Below, you’ll find our recipe, so you can recreate a true taste of the Greek bakery right in your kitchen.
Spinach pie recipe (spanakopita)
1. Rinse the spinach very well, blanch it in boiling water, drain it well, and let it cool completely. Once cooled squeeze with kitchen towels any excess water out, chop coarsely, and easily open the spinach leaves.
2. Chop the green onions finely, brown them in a pan, and set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, add the chopped spinach, onions, chop in the dill, crumble the feta into small chunks, and crack in the eggs.
4. Mix well, and you are ready to add the spinach mixture into the pastry.
5. Start with 3 filo pastry sheets for the first layer, one or two for the middle, and reserve three of them for the top.
6. Brush your tray with extra virgin olive oil, place the first sheet, and repeat for the second spinach and feta cheese mixture.
7. Once you place the third filo on, it doesn’t need any olive oil. Place more of your spinach pie mix towards the edges so that you don’t get thick and empty crust.
8. It can have one or two middle layers, entirely up to you, just make sure you spread the filling evenly.
9. Brush the top 3 filo layers with olive oil.
10. Cut through before baking at 180°C in a medium heated oven, cook time 40 to 50 minutes until golden.
