Easy Puff Pastry Spanakopita Recipes

SPINACH PIE IN PUFF PASTRY (SPANAKOPITA)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment (preferable) but you can use aluminum foil with a light spray of cooking oil.
• Melt butter and cook onions for a few minutes, until soft. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
• Beat eggs in medium bowl. Add cooked onion, spinach, feta, parmesan, bread crumbs. Add salt, pepper, & nutmeg. Mix well with fork.
• Place one unfolded sheet of puff pastry on the parchment or sprayed aluminum foil. Spread the spinach mixture over the pastry, leaving a border of one inch all around the edges. Keep the spinach flat; do not pile high.
• Brush the edges with the egg wash made with the last egg. Cover with the second sheet of pastry that has been slightly flattened with a rolling pin to one inch bigger than the first sheet. (This ensures all the spinach will be covered). Press edges together with fingertips or fork, making sure mixture is sealed well. Brush just the top with egg wash, careful not to drip any down the sides. Cut a few slits in the top with a sharp knife to allow steam to escape.
• Bake 30-40 minutes, until golden brown. Can be served hot or at room temperature.

PUFF PASTRY SPANAKOPITA BRAID

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C / 360F. Prepare your spinach. First, defrost it. Either leave it out to thaw for a few hours at room temperature, or use your microwave's defrost setting for a few minutes. It doesn't need to be warm or completely thawed, you just want to loosen up the blocks of spinach enough to be able to squeeze out moisture. To do this, I like to put all the spinach into a sieve or colander and use a heavy bowl to press down and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
• Place the spinach into a large bowl and set aside.
• Heat a little oil in a frying pan and saute the onion until soft.
• Add the onion into the bowl with the spinach and mix in the feta, cream cheese, lemon juice and mint. Add a little extra cream cheese if needed to bind everything together into a nice creamy filling.
• Time to prepare the braid. There are images of process in the blog post above. Unroll your puff pastry to lay flat on a baking tray lined with baking paper (your pastry may come rolled in baking paper that you can use).
• Use kitchen scissors or a knife to cut slices (just under 1/3rd of the way in) on either side. Scoop your filling (1/2 per braid) in the middle and bring the pastry strips on either side up to cover the filling, allowing them to overlap in the middle.
• Whisk an egg thoroughly in a small bowl and brush over the top of the spanakopita braids.
• Bake for 25 minutes or until the top is crisp and golden.

PUFF PASTRY SPANAKOPITA

Steps:

• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F.
• Heat 2 tsp. of the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add a batch of spinach and toss with tongs until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Transfer with tongs to a colander set over a bowl, and let drain. Repeat with the remaining spinach (don't add more oil).
• Wipe the pan dry, reduce the heat to medium, and add the remaining 2 Tbs. oil. Add the onion and scallions and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• In a large bowl, lightly beat the 3 whole eggs. Season with 1/2 tsp. salt, a generous grind of black pepper, and the nutmeg. Stir in the dill, parsley, and pecorino. Gently stir in the feta.
• Squeeze handfuls of the spinach to release as much liquid as possible; then pull apart the clumps with your fingers. Add the spinach and the onion mixture to the eggs and stir gently to combine.
• Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Without unfolding, cut one pastry sheet crosswise into thirds (refrigerate the other sheet). On a lightly floured work surface, unfold a third of the pastry, cut it into thirds, and roll each piece into a 4-inch square. Transfer the squares to the baking sheets. Repeat with the 2 remaining thirds to yield 9 squares. Spread about 1/2 cup of the filling over each square in an even layer, leaving a 3/4-inch border on all sides.
• In a small bowl, whisk the 2 egg yolks and 2 tsp. water. Lightly brush the egg wash over the pastry borders. Cut the other pastry sheet as above, but roll each piece into a 5-inch square. Place the squares over the filling and press the top and bottom edges of the pastries together to seal.
• Brush the top of each with the remaining egg wash and cut a small vent to allow steam to escape. Bake, swapping and rotating the baking sheets' positions halfway through baking, until a knife inserted into the filling comes out clean and the pastry is puffed and deep golden, about 20 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes, cut each square in half on the diagonal, and serve.

EASY SPANAKOPITA (GREEK SPINACH AND FETA PIE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F
• Gently roll out each sheet of puff pastry to the size of your pan (approximately 9 x 13). Spray pan with spray and place the first sheet of pastry.
• Making sure that all the liquid has been squeezed and drained from the spinach, mix spinach with the feta, cottage cheese, eggs, pepper and dill. Spread mixture in pan.
• Top mixture with second sheet of pastry and brush with egg wash (optional).
• Bake till golden brown, approximately 35 minutes.