Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie) is a staple dish that our family serves for just about every holiday and gathering. Usually, we make a huge pan of it to feed all of the people we entertain. This year my husband Pantelis and I spent our first Greek Orthodox Easter in Atlanta away from our families. It’s our favorite holiday for everything it symbolizes and of course the FOOD! We didn’t want to miss out on all of the Easter dishes we are used to devouring. So we decided to attempt our first solo Easter feast. So what a better time than to experiment and make my first Spanakopita Swirl.
To say we were nervous is an understatement. We invited our good friends over (who had never experienced Greek Easter food) so we had a lot to live up to! I’ve made our family spanakopita recipe so many times before but I’ve never made a paired down version for just a few people. I took inspiration from a Greek food store we would shop at often when we lived in Cleveland. We were obsessed with their individual serving size of spanakopita in a small swirl shape.
I also tried to lighten up our traditional recipe by substituting Greek olive oil for butter as well as and cut back on the cheese and eggs. I knew it would still taste amazing but I had my reservations about how the swirl would look.
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How to make Spanakopita Swirl
- One key factor to keep in mind when making the swirl version is the thickness and length of your phyllo dough sheets. If the sheets you are using are thin and narrow you will want to double up the layer. To add thickness and length to make a nice roll that way the filling doesn’t spill out while baking. Start by mixing together the filling ingredients. Then prepare a work station which could be a kitchen table or counter. Make sure there is enough room to lay out all of the necessary ingredients.
- Pour your olive oil into a small bowl and grab a pastry brush and grease your pan. Unroll all of the phyllo dough sheets laying them on the counter (on top of parchment if it doesn’t already come in the package). Place a kitchen towel on top of the exposed dough. This will keep the stack of phyllo sheets from drying out. So you’ve got your filling and your work station ready, time to start rollin’!
- Lay a single sheet of phyllo dough flat in front of you horizontally. Gently brush the entire sheet with olive oil. Spoon the spinach filling mixture onto the sheet in a thin line, making sure not to put it too close to the edge. Start to roll the dough around gently but tightly and then roll the entire sheet upwards. You can add more olive oil if needed while you are rolling.
- Fold in the ends of the roll slightly and brush the top with olive oil. Gently start to form into a coil, and place on the outside edge of the pan. Continuing making coils until your pan is completely filled.
- Brush the top of the coils with olive oil and place in a preheated 350 degree F oven. Bake until golden brown which is roughly 45 minutes depending on your oven. Allow the swirl to cool slightly before removing from the pan and/or cutting.
More Greek Recipes to Serve with Spanakopita Swirl
- GREEK LEMON POTATOES
- SPANAKOPITA PULL APART BREAD
- TZATZIKI SAUCE
- YAPRAKIA (STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES)
- TRADITIONAL GREEK PEASANT SALAD (HORIATIKI SALAD)
- TSOUREKI – GREEK SWEET BREAD
- GREEK EASTER EGGS
- SKORDALIA (Greek garlic dip)
Have you made Spanakopita before? If so, we’d love to hear from you so leave us a comment below! Stay up to date on our latest recipes by following us on Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #Hearthealthygreek in any recipes you recreate! And get them delivered right to your mailbox by subscribing to our mailing list!
Spanakopita Swirl (Greek Spinach Pie)
Ingredients
- ½ lb chopped frozen spinach
- ½ lb feta cheese
- ½ lb ricotta cheese
- 3 large green onions
- 4 tbsp fresh chopped dill
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 package phyllo dough
Instructions
- Allow your frozen spinach to thaw and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl combine spinach feta and ricotta.
- Chop the green onions and dill and add to the bowl, add salt and pepper and stir until all ingredients are combined.
- Crack the egg into a small bowl and beat with a whisk then add to the spinach mixture and stir.
- To assemble the swirl clear a large area of a table or countertop and pour olive oil into a small bowl.
- Place a sheet of phyllo flat in front of you and using a pastry brush grease the entire sheet with olive oil. If your phyllo sheets are thin you may want to layer more than one at a time.
- Add the filling to the sheet in an even long log leaving a slight border around the edge.
- Start to roll the phyllo around the filling in firmly by gently at the bottom until completely rolled. You can add more oil if needed while rolling.
- Fold in the ends of the roll slightly and brush the top with olive oil and then gently start to form into a coil and place on the outside edge of the pan.
- Repeat steps 6 through 10 until and place the rolled pastry edge to edge in the pan until the pant is completely filled. Then brush the entire swirl with olive oil.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Allow the swirl to cool slightly before cutting. The coils will also easily pull apart!
