Spinach & Mushroom Spanakopita

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb (16 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

• 1 (6 oz) bag baby spinach, washed

• 1 lb crimini mushrooms, sliced

• 1 large yellow onion, diced

• 10.5 oz (300 g) feta cheese, cubed

• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

• 8 sheets phyllo pastry, thawed

• 1/4 cup grated parmesan

• 2 large eggs

• 2-3 large cloves garlic, minced

• sprigs of fresh thyme, oregano, mint

• zest of 1 lemon

• 3 Tbsp + 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1/8 tsp ground pepper

• salt, optional

This delicious recipe & these photos come to us from Savory & Savvy — check out her page for more tips & delicious recipes!

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare all your ingredients. Preheat oven to 400° F.

2. In a small pan over medium heat, toast the pine nuts until golden, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

3. In a large pan over medium heat, add 1 Tbsp oil and onions with a small pinch of salt. Saute until soft, about 5-7 min and mix in garlic until aromatic about 1 min. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

4. In the same pan over medium heat, add 1 Tbsp oil and saute fresh spinach until just wilted and cooked, about 3-4 minutes. Drain any extra water from the pan. Transfer cooked spinach to large mixing bowl with onions.

5. In the same pan over medium heat, add 1 Tbsp olive oil and saute sliced mushrooms over medium heat until softened and the liquid has evaporated about 8-10 minutes. Drain extra liquid, if any. Transfer to the mixing bowl with onions and spinach.

6. To the mixing bowl with onions, spinach and mushrooms, add drained frozen spinach, pine nuts, lemon zest, feta, herbs and pepper. Mix well to combine. Adjust seasoning to taste at this point if needed. (I usually don’t add salt since it’s pretty salty with the cheeses but this would be the time to test to see if you want to add any more.)

7. Add whisked eggs and mix well. Set bowl aside closeby.

8. Tear off a rectangular strip of parchment paper large. The size should be large enough to cover the bottom of the pan, fold over and cover the top of the pie. (I used a 10″ cast iron skillet.) Take parchment paper, scrunch into a ball, and quickly wet under running water making it soft and pliable. Squeeze excess water and unfold onto your workspace. Wipe off any remaining water from the parchment paper.

9. Brush thin even layer of olive oil on top of parchment paper.

10. Lay the first two phyllo sheets side by side making sure the edges overlap slightly and cover the length of the parchment paper. Brush a light layer of olive oil across the phyllo sheets. Repeat 4 times. Feel free to add a few more layers if you want more phyllo.

11. Carefully slide the parchment paper with phyllo layers on top of the cast iron skillet and center so you have an even amount of overlapping edges on both sides. Gently press down the center to shape inside of the skillet.

12. Add spinach mixture and spread evenly on the skillet. Top with parmesan and black pepper.

13. Carefully peel the overlapping phyllo edges away from the parchment paper and fold over to cover the top of the filling. Tear off or use scissors to cut the hanging parchment paper as close to the edge of the skillet.

14. Place cast-iron skillet on stove over high heat for 2 minutes to begin to cook and crisp the bottom. Then transfer the skillet to the middle of the oven for 20 minutes or until golden. You may need to rotate the skillet to brown evenly.

15. When ready, remove the Spanakopita from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Carefully remove onto cutting board and slice. Serve warm and enjoy!