Hi Everyone! I decided to make Spanakopitas this week for the kids. It’s always been one of my favourite things to eat, I figured … why not try to make them? Maybe the kids will like them. I asked myself why I’ve never tried making them before. Then, I quickly realised it’s because they aren’t easy to make! At least they weren’t for me (as I was managing a child as well), but I’m sure I’ll get better at it as I do it more often. So, without further adieu, here’s my attempt at making Spanakopita’s, opa!
Please be kind if you’re Greek and reading this post, LOL! This was my first attempt and while I think I did a good job, I definitely know I can perfect it better. But then again, that’s the reason why I’m posting it. For those that want to try this out for yourself, I’m happy to break it down for you!
Before I get started with the recipe, allow me to introduce my assistant chef for the day, Jackson, who was home from preschool.
Dinner Spanakopitas
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
3 scallions, white and green parts chopped
2 (10 ounce) packages of frozen spinach, defrosted
4 extra large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Plain dry bread crumbs
1 tsp grated nutmeg
2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 cups small-diced feta cheese (12 ounces)
3 tbsp toasted pine nuts
24 sheets frozen phyllo dough, defrosted
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Flaked sea salt, such as Maldon, for sprinkling
1. Preheat oven to 375 degreesÂ
2. Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan, add the onions and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat. Add the scallions and cook for another 2 minutes until the scallions are wilted but still green. Since I hate chopping onions, Jackson used my mini blender to chop the onions all by himself!
3. Meanwhile, gently squeeze most of the water out of the spinach and place it in a large bowl.
4. When the onion/scallions are done, add them to the spinach. Mix in the eggs, Parmesan cheese, 3 tablespoons of bread crumbs, the nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Gently fold in the feta and pine nuts. My lil chef was eager to crack all the eggs by himself. He’s getting really good at cracking and mixing without a ton of mess!Â
5. Now comes the fun stuff! Place one sheet of phyllo dough flat on a clean work surface with the long end in front of you. Brush the dough lightly with butter and sprinkle it with a teaspoon of bread crumbs. Slide another sheet of phyllo dough on top of the first, brush it with butter, and sprinkle lightly with bread crumbs (use just enough bread crumbs so the layers of phyllo don’t stick together). Repeat this step until you have 4 layers of phyllo.
6. Cut your 4 layer phyllo sheets in half  length way (I actually cut them into 3 rows because I found the triangles were too big if  you cut the sheet in half) and place 1/3 cup of spinach filling on the shorter end.Â
This is where it got tricky for me. Everyone does it differently. I wanted triangles. The cookbook didn’t explain this well at all. So, click “here“Â to see how to make perfect triangles. Oh, and please use good phyllo dough. I bought mine from Metro and I found it way too thin and dry.
7. Place your triangles on a baking sheet, seam sides down. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with flaked salt and bake for 30-35 minutes, until phyllo is browned and crisp. Serve hot and don’t forget to enjoy! Jameson sure did bahaha! :)
Hope you guys like what you see and if you give it a try, be sure to let me know how you made out!  My only piece of advice is to be mindful about the nutmeg and pine nuts. Some of you may think it’s strange, but the recipe called for it. I think it was supposed to be rustic?? Either way, the pine nuts and nutmeg go hand in hand. If you decide not to use pine nuts, don’t use the nutmeg either. Also, don’t oversalt the tops of your triangles with salt flakes. If you use good full fat feta cheese (such as Krinos), you really don’t need more. That’s all for now!
And as always, my doors are always open; you’re welcome to pop in for a meal on me! Until next time, Robyn xo