Spanakopita

Vegan spanakopita

Vegan variation on a classic recipe from Greece: rich and delicious spinach-"cheese" pie.

Yield: 8 servings

Time: 1½ hours

Tools

  • pie plate
  • large saucepan or Dutch oven
  • wooden spoon
  • large bowl
  • pastry brush

Ingredients

  • ⅓ c olive oil, divided
  • 1 pound fresh spinach, cleaned and trimmed
  • 4-5 green onions  or  1 c white/yellow onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ c fresh dill, chopped
  • 2 t dried oregano
  • ½ t salt
  • ½ t pepper
  • dash of nutmeg
  • 1 c feta, such as tofu feta or almond feta, crumbled*
  • ½ batch homemade phyllo dough**

Directions

Preheat oven to 350º. Oil the pie plate and set aside.

Heat 2 T oil, add onion and garlic, and sauté, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add spinach and stir constantly until it’s limp and fairly dry. Remove from heat.

Add dill, oregano, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and mix well. Fold in the feta, then taste and adjust seasonings. If it’s very dry, add a T or two of olive oil.

Divide the phyllo into four equal pieces and roll out into circles slightly bigger than the pie plate. Place one in the plate with the edges hanging over the side and brush with oil. Repeat with another circle of phyllo.

Spread the spinach mixture over the dough, then repeat the dough, oil, dough, oil steps.

Press the edges of the dough together, then tuck into the pan under the filling.

Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.

Notes

* If you don’t have vegan feta on hand, you can substitte pressed firm or extra-firm tofu. Add 2-3 T lemon juice for tang and some additional salt.

** If using store-bought filo pastry, you’ll want to use half a pound of it and a square or rectangular dish rather than a pie plate. Lay out one sheet in baking dish (it will hang over the side), brush with oil, lay another on top, brush with oil, and repeat until you’ve used a half of the sheets. Spread filling on top, then repeat the one sheet and oil process with the rest of the filo.

You can also use puff pastry – just divide half a pound into two pieces and use one on the bottom, one on top.

Language note: Spanakopita means "spinach pie" in Greek. Since this has cheese, the correct name is spanakotiropita. If it only had cheese, it would be called tiropita.

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Vegan spanakopita