It’s time to experiment with a classic! This Spanakopita Tart is perfect for breakfast, a side dish or as a main dish. We can’t wait for you to try!
Growing up, we always looked forward to my mother’s Spanakopita. The delicious spinach, onion and feta blend, sandwiched between crispy layers and layers of buttery filo dough. Yes please!
This is one dish, that we can safely say everyone in our extended family cooks just a little bit differently. Some add more onions, some add different herbs, and some even add different cheese, in addition to the feta. All versions are equally tasty, but the one thing that is consistent is the amount of time it takes to put a traditional Spanakopita together. Working with filo dough can be time consuming and difficult, and the entire process can take up to half a day. Who has that kind of time?
We decided to experiment with puff pastry to see if we could get as flavorful a dish in less time and here are the results. We still achieved the same buttery flavor with the puff pastry and we did it in 90 minutes! Let us know what you think.
HOW TO MAKE THE SPANAKOPITA TART
- Begin by preparing the puff pastry shell for the Spanakopita. Follow the directions on the packaging of the puff pastry and please note our additional tips in the detailed recipe below.
- Measure and prepare the ingredients for the Spanakopita filling.
- Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat and sauté the leeks and scallions for 3-4 minutes.
- Begin to add baby spinach to the sautéed leeks and scallion mixture, one handful at a time. As the spinach cooks down, add another handful of spinach until all the spinach has been cooked. Add the parsley, dill, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and add in the crumbled feta cheese. Combine well.
- Poor the prepared spinach mixture into the prepared puff pastry pie plate and spread evenly. Gently beat the two eggs and pour over the spinach mixture. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 35 minutes or until the eggs are cooked.
WHY DO YOU USE PUFF PASTRY INSTEAD OF THE FILO DOUGH?
We like our take on this traditional Greek recipe because it is easier, faster and tastes just as delicious. The puff pastry has the same buttery flavor as the filo dough which is also covered with butter when assembling the Spanakopita. The final presentation is also very pretty as it comes out very artisan looking.
CAN I USE FROZEN SPINACH INSTEAD OF FRESH?
Yes, frozen spinach can be used to make this recipe. Be sure to defrost it and squeeze out all the excess water to avoid having a soggy puff pastry shell.
Spanakopita Tart Recipe
Spanakopita Tart
Ingredients
Spanakopita Tart Pie Shell
- 1 14 oz Puff Pastry
Spanakopita Tart Filling
- 1 lb baby spinach thoroughly washed and dried
- 1 leek, chopped white part only
- 4 scallions, chopped
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
- 2 eggs
Instructions
- Begin by preparing the Puff Pastry Shell. Please note the following:- Most of the Puff Pastry we have found is rectangular in shape so you may need to cut about 3-4 inches off the end and place it on the shorter side of the puff pastry in order to cover the pie plate. (see photo in post)- Be very sure to grease your pie plate with olive oil or butter.- You will need to cook the Puff Pastry in the pie plate before you fill it. Follow the directions on the box of the Puff Pastry.- When you remove it from the oven, it will be Puffy. Don't worry, it will settle as you are preparing your Spanakopita filling.
- Heat 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in deep saute pan under medium heat. Saute leeks and scallions for 3-4 minutes.
- Begin to add baby spinach to the sauteed leeks and scallion mixture, one handful at a time, As the spinach cooks down, add another handful of spinach until all the spinach has been cooked.
- Add the parsley, dill, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste and combine well.
- Remove the spinach mixture from the heat. Crumble the feta cheese over the spinach mixture and combine well.
- Pour the spinach mixture into the prepared puff pastry shell and spread evenly.
- Gently beat the eggs in a small bowl and pour evenly over the spinach mixture in the prepared puff pastry shell.
- Bake at 325° for 35 minutes or until egg is thoroughly cooked.
- Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
[…] If you like Spanakopita, try our Spanakopita Tart for a breakfast […]