Dinner Spanakopita

A couple weeks ago we went to the wedding of our good friends, Natalie and Mark. We were so excited to go, not just to share in the joy of our friends, but also to EAT! You see, Natalie and Mark got married at the same place as John and I so we were thrilled to finally get to eat the food since we didn't eat anything on the day of our wedding. One of my favorite foods during their wedding was the spanakopita that was being passed during cocktail hour. If I ate less than 5 I'd be surprised, I grabbed one every time the tray passed!

After gorging myself on them at their wedding you'd think I have had my fill, but no... I needed more. So I decided to try my hand at making them at home. I remembered seeing a recipe for them on Annie's blog a long time ago so I dug it up and made them. They were surprisingly easy to make and so very delicious. I sung my own praises as I ate this, declaring myself a kitchen Goddess (yeah... I know... I'm not proud). I paired them with a simple Greek salad and called it a day. Perfect dinner in my opinion!

Source: Slightly adapted from Annie's Eats, originally from Ina Garten

Yields 6 strudels

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 small yellow onion, chopped small

2 green onions, yellow and white parts, chopped

1 10 oz package frozen spinach, defrosted and drained

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp. bread crumbs

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 cup small crumbled feta cheese

12 sheets phyllo dough, defrosted

6 tbsp. butter, melted

Directions:

1- Preheat the oven to 375.

2- Heat the oil in a saute pan. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the green onions, cook 2 minutes. Set aside.

3- In a mixing bowl combine the spinach, egg, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Stir well. Add the onion mixture, stirring until well combined.

4- Gently fold in the feta.

5- Place one sheet of phyllo on a flat work surface. Brush lightly with butter. Top with an additional sheet of phyllo, repeating until 4 sheets are layered. Using a pizza cutter, slice the phyllo in half, lengthwise. 

6- Spoon about 1/3 cup spinach mixture onto the top of one phyllo rectangle. Roll the dough as if folding a flag, folding the dough over the filling then folding diagonally over itself. Repeat until a triangle is formed (there are videos of this on youtube if you're confused). Place seal side down on a baking sheet. Repeat until all triangles are formed. 

7- Brush the tops with melted butter, sprinkle with flaked salt (kosher salt works well) and bake 30-35 minutes until golden brown.