Equipment
Ingredients
Filling
- 45 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 200 g leek, cleaned and thinly sliced (white and light green parts only)
- 50 g spring onions, finely chopped
- 10 g garlic, minced
- 500 g fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped if leaves are large
- 15 g fresh dill, finely chopped
- 10 g fresh mint, finely chopped
- 200 g feta cheese, crumbled
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 g kosher salt
- 2 g black pepper, freshly ground
Topping
- 150 g phyllo dough, thawed if frozen
- 50 g unsalted butter, melted
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 359 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbohydrates
- 24 g
- Fat
- 25 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 731 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 11 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 10 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 110 mg
- Potassium
- 646 mg
- Calcium
- 297 mg
- Iron
- 4.8 mg
- Magnesium
- 92 mg
- Phosphorus
- 226 mg
- Zinc
- 1.9 mg
- Vitamin A
- 575 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 32 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.5 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 3.3 mg
- Vitamin K
- 427 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.4 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.7 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.27 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.62 mg
- Niacin
- 2.1 mg
- Folate
- 213 mcg
- Water
- 129 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F. Thoroughly wash your leeks to remove any hidden grit, then slice them.
Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a 25cm (10-inch) cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced leeks and spring onions, sautéing until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Begin adding the spinach in batches, tossing frequently. Cook until the spinach is fully wilted and all excess liquid in the pan has completely evaporated. This is critical to prevent a soggy crust.
Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the fresh dill, mint, crumbled feta, salt, and black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Quickly mix in the lightly beaten eggs until evenly distributed. Smooth the top of the mixture into an even layer.
Lay a sheet of phyllo dough flat on your workstation. Brush it lightly with melted butter. Loosely scrunch or crinkle the sheet like an accordion and place it on top of the spinach mixture in the skillet. Repeat with the remaining sheets until the entire surface is covered in ruffled pastry. Brush any remaining butter over the top.
Transfer the cast iron skillet to the preheated oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the phyllo pastry is deeply golden and shatteringly crisp, and the internal temperature of the filling reaches 74°C/165°F.
Remove the skillet from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing. This allows the egg and cheese binder to set, ensuring clean slices.
Chef's Notes
- Crinkling the phyllo instead of layering it flat serves a dual purpose: it creates more surface area for maximum crispness and traps air pockets that insulate the delicate pastry from the moist filling below.
- For the best flavor, seek out Greek feta packed in brine rather than pre-crumbled dry feta. The high moisture and tanginess of block feta will melt more harmoniously into the filling.
- Do not skip the resting step. Slicing immediately out of the oven will cause the filling to spill out; cooling allows the egg proteins to finish coagulating.
- Wash leeks meticulously. Cut them in half lengthwise and run them under cold water, fanning the layers to flush out the fine sand that gets trapped as they grow.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Phyllo will lose its crispness in the refrigerator.
Reheating: Reheat in a 180C/350F oven for 10-15 minutes until the pastry crisps up again. Do not microwave.
Troubleshooting
Soggy pastry or excessively watery filling
Cause: Moisture from the spinach was not fully evaporated during the stovetop cooking phase.
Fix: Cannot be fully fixed once baked, but you can serve the portions using a slotted spoon to drain excess liquid on the plate.
Prevention: Cook the spinach over medium heat until the pan is visibly dry before adding the eggs and cheese. You can also press the cooked spinach against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon to check for pooling water.
Phyllo dough is cracking and tearing before assembly
Cause: The dough has dried out from exposure to air.
Fix: Torn pieces can still be buttered, crinkled, and used; the ruffled topping easily hides imperfections.
Prevention: Keep the stack of phyllo sheets covered with a damp (not wet) kitchen towel while you work, pulling out only one sheet at a time.
Cultural Context
Spanakopita is a cornerstone of Greek culinary tradition, historically utilizing seasonal wild greens and hand-stretched phyllo dough by village home cooks. This skillet method modernizes the classic pie for contemporary weeknight cooking. By building the dish in cast iron, we eliminate the need for a bottom crust which often turns soggy, while highlighting the contrast between the lush, herbaceous filling and the airy, butter-crisped topping.
