Spanakopita

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, Emeril's There's a Chef in My World, HarperCollins Publishers, New York, 2006

Show: The Essence of EmerilEpisode: International Finger Food

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (7)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(7)

Cook Time:
15 min
Level:
Difficult
Yield:
16 to 18 triangles

Times:

Prep: 40 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 15 min
Total:: 55 min

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Ingredients

2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 (8-ounce) package feta cheese, crumbled
24 sheets frozen phyllo pastry, thawed
1 1/2 cups melted unsalted butter

Directions

Position rack in center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place the spinach in a wire-mesh strainer or colander, place over a sink and drain well. Use your hands or a paper towel to squeeze the excess water out of the spinach.

Place the spinach in a medium mixing bowl. Add the salt, pepper, oregano, parsley, and basil. Stir in the beaten egg, olive oil, and lemon juice. Add the feta cheese and mix well to combine. Set aside.

Gently unfold the phyllo dough.* Lay 1 sheet of phyllo on a large cutting board and gently brush with the melted butter. Place a second phyllo sheet on top of the first and brush with butter. Repeat 2 more times until you have a stack of 4 phyllo sheets with butter brushed between the layers.

Using a sharp knife, cut the phyllo sheets lengthwise into 3 strips. Place 2 tablespoons of the spinach filling 1 inch from the bottom end of each strip.

Take the bottom right corner of the strip between your thumb and finger and fold over the spinach filling to the left to make a triangle. Gently pull up the bottom left corner and fold up to make a second triangle. Continue folding until you reach the top. Place the triangle, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the completed triangle lightly with butter.

Repeat with the remaining strips and phyllo sheets until all of the filling is used.

Arrange the triangles 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden and heated all the way through. Remove the spanakopita from the oven and cool slightly on the baking sheet.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

*It is important to keep a piece of plastic wrap and a damp cloth or paper towel over the phyllo sheets that you are not working with to keep them from drying out.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Spanakopita
barb highland park, IL 01-22-2010
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Pretty Good - listen to Bob
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I make this all the time but I modify slightly by adding fresh parsley eliminating the dried spices. I also DEFINITELY add... sauteed chopped onions - a must have flavor. other than that, the recipe is fine. you are always able to modify the amount of feta you are adding - even double the amount emeril uses. i also use salted butter and use just enough to lubricate layers - don't need to specify an exact amount - i never use as much as i meltRead more
recipe Spanakopita
Kelly herndon, VA 12-28-2009
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Too much butter!
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I used half this amount of butter and it was too much. The phyllo dough isn't as hard as people make it out to be...just... layer them and you can't tell where they've ripped. Other than that, very good. Made them for my picky boyfriend and he ate them for dinner instead of his favorite, pepperoni pizza! Next time I will use the premade phyllo cups to save time and use less butter.Read more
recipe Spanakopita
Bob Melbourne, FL 10-05-2008
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I'd change a couple things
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I used to be a Chef at Emeril's Tchoup Chop - I'd add 1/2 cup of small diced onions, sauteed in butter, 1/2 tsp. of fresh... ground nutmeg, 1 Cup of ricotta and 2 tsp. chiffonade of fresh mint. In fact, I'd replace the dried herbs with double the amount of fresh herbs. OH - and I'd change the spelling to SPANIKOPITA. Other than that, it's great. Chef Bob chefbob@cfl.rr.comRead more
recipe Spanakopita
Lisa Port ST. Lucie, FL 10-03-2008
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this is awsome
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

just saw emril make this and thought it would be a great snack to take to a party or at home for a quick snack. yum yum
recipe Spanakopita
McKenna Haiku, HI 09-28-2008
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Loved it
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I love this recipe it is wonderful!! i make it all the time
recipe Spanakopita
Anonymous 07-27-2008
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Easy and impressive!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This recipe is great - a little time consuming, but that is to be expected given the phyllo dough. The directions make it so... easy to correctly fold the triangles. This was my first attempt and they looked professional. I did add some cream cheese to the recipe and it was delicious.Read more