You know your study break is going great when it includes the word food. I recently had some authentic spanakopita from Niko Niko’s (featured on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives!) and since then have been wanting to recreate it at home. I figured I would attempt it today and decided to make extra to freeze as a quick snack or perfect addition to any meal. Before I knew it, my meal cooking expanded and I ended up making beef and bean burritos to add to my freezer meal haul. Overall my freezer meals were a success so I wanted to share the spanakopita with you all.

the spinach mixture cooking over the stove

Freezing them will stave off any future spanakopita cravings you may have . Hope you enjoy these flaky, buttery bites of satisfaction as much as I did!

Printable Recipe Here

Spanakopita

Makes around 25 spanakopita triangles

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed**
• 1 egg
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 16 sheets frozen phyllo dough
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

**Place the spinach in a strainer and drain well. Use your hands or a paper towel to squeeze all the excess water out

Directions

Preheat: 375 Fº

1. Heat up the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute until softened . Stir in the spinach and cook for a few minutes to evaporate any extra moisture. Remove from heat and allow it to cool.
2. In a medium bowl, lightly beat the egg. Add in the feta cheese, salt, and spinach mixture and stir until combined.
3. Remove 2 phyllo sheets and place on a large clean surface. Cover the remaining phyllo dough sheets with plastic wrap and a damp towel to prevent them from drying out.
4. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat each sheet with melted butter. Cut the phyllo dough lengthwise into 3 strips.
5. Place a teaspoon of filling in one corner and fold it diagonally. Hold the corner and fold up to make a second triangle. Keep folding until you have reached the end and fold the edge over. **
6. Place the triangles on a parchment covered baking sheet. Repeat the same process with another 2 sheets and continue till you have used all the filling. Brush the tops of the triangles with any butter left over.
7. Bake in a single layer at 375 Fº until golden brown, about 15 minutes. You can also freeze them and bake them while frozen, adding a few minutes to the bake time.

Tips:

**Here’s a great visual below from the MommiesNetwork blog on how to fold spanakopita:

-You can make these as small or as large as you want depending on how you cut the phyllo dough. I cut the sheets into 3 strips, but you can cut them into 2 (for larger spanakopita) or 4 (for mini spanakopita). Just be sure to adjust the filling.