Cheater’s Spanakopita recipe from Molly MacRae

 

Spinach in abundance was one of the first signs of spring when we had a big garden back in northeast Tennessee (where deer and the occasional bear or cow wandered by). Spinach has such a great, fresh green taste (even when it’s frozen). It’s a bright taste, too, when combined with dill, lemon, and feta in spanakopita (spinach feta pie).

Out of necessity and choice I made a few changes to the original recipe. As a result it throws together pretty quickly. The original calls for leeks instead of onions, 8 sheets of phyllo dough, and fresh spinach. There weren’t any leeks at the store, hence the onions. And I decided to cheat with the puff pastry and frozen spinach we already had in the freezer. The pie came out well enough that we look forward to having cheater’s spanakopita again.

You’ll find a free, downloadable, printable pdf of the recipe below the cooking directions.

 

Cheater’s Spanakopita

Adapted from Alexa Weibel at The New York Times

 

    

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter (plus more to butter the skillet before assembling the pie)

1 large onion (about 3 cups chopped)

6 garlic cloves, chopped

Kosher salt and black pepper

10 ounces frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed to remove liquid)

3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup chopped fresh dill

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1 lemon, zested and juiced

Pinch of ground nutmeg

2 large eggs, beaten

6 ounces crumbled feta

1 sheet frozen, ready-to-bake puff pastry, thawed

 

Directions

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F with a rack in the middle position.

In a large (8- to 10-inch) cast-iron skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer onion garlic mixture to a medium bowl. Let the skillet cool.

Stir thawed spinach into the onion and garlic until thoroughly combined. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. 

In a large bowl, stir together the parsley, dill, Parmesan, lemon zest and juice, and nutmeg. 

Stir in the spinach mixture. Taste for salt and pepper (remembering that the feta you’re going to add next is salty).Stir in the eggs, then gently fold in the feta (trying to leave the large pieces intact).

Wipe the cooled skillet clean with a paper towel. Butter the bottom and sides. On a lightly floured board, roll the puff pastry sheet into a square large enough to cover the bottom and of the skillet and come at least partway up the sides so that you’ll be able to fold the corners over the filling.

Spoon the spinach-feta mixture into the pastry-lined skillet. Fold the corners over the filling.

Cook over medium heat on the stovetop for about 5 minutes to crisp the bottom crust. Transfer to the middle rack of the oven. Bake until the pastry is golden brown, 20-25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let the pie sit for 10 minutes to cool and firm. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

🌸 click here for a free, downloadable, printable pdf of this recipe 🌸

 

 

Now available for pre-order – All Shell Breaks Loose

book 3 in the Haunted Shell Shop Mysteries!

On North Carolina’s Ocracoke Island, Maureen Nash sells exquisite seashells to locals and tourists—with Bonny the shop cat and the ghost of a Welsh pirate for company. And when needed, she steps in to help the police solve a murder . . .

Dr. Irving Allred is boasting around town that he’s about to get his hands on an authentic haunted sword. But minutes after Maureen hears the story, a woman walks into the Moon Shell, sword in hand. She found it while walking her bulldog on the beach—and its blade is stained with what looks like blood. Looks like it’s time to call the sheriff’s department.

Allred is furious that his prize is now in police custody—and even more agitated that an unknown buyer was trying to outbid him. He’s convinced the sword will lead him straight to the ghosts he’s been hunting. He’s not the only one on the Outer Banks who’s been searching for spirits, though. An odd visitor also showed up at Maureen’s shop claiming the ability to sense them . . . though somehow she didn’t seem to notice Maureen’s spectral friend hanging about.

When a man who’d been camping nearby is found cut down along the shore, Maureen starts providing some unofficial assistance to Captain Rob Tate by digging into the island’s maritime history. But it’s not the only mystery she’s facing—because the shop’s resident ghost is seeing ghosts himself . . . 

Happy reading!

 

The Boston Globe says Molly MacRae writes “murder with a dose of drollery.” She’s the author of the award-winning, national bestselling Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries and the Highland Bookshop Mysteries. As Margaret Welch, she writes books for Annie’s Fiction. Her short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and she’s a winner of the Sherwood Anderson Award for Short Fiction. Visit Molly on Facebook and Pinterest and connect with her on Instagram or Bluesky.