10-minute Spanakopita (Spinach & Feta Triangles)

 


Spanakopita is one low effort appetizer that never fails to impress. It's just equal part spinach and cheese, seasoned with herbs and aromatics, wrapped in phyllo - which you can easily find in the frozen section next to the puff pastry and frozen fruits. Don't make your own phyllo. Let the machines roll these paper thin sheets for you. 

My version is largely inspired by reading box ingredients from my favorite frozen version, and simplifying it for home cooking. While not entirely traditional, ricotta adds a creaminess to the potentially dry and crumbly feta (especially if you purchase the pre-crumbled containers instead of the square blocks), that really improves the overall texture. 

Having repeatedly made tik tok's viral baked feta, I noticed it to be a cheese that doesn't really "melt", it holds shape almost stubbornly even after long baking. While warm softened feta is delicious, for a veggie filling I do need a cheese that kind of oozes. Feel free to grate some gouda or cheddar instead or in addition to the ricotta. Any cheese that melts into a semi-liquid under the broiler will do well here. 

I'm using dried minced onion and garlic here again, not just for convenience, but to have them absorb the extra liquid from the wilted spinach. For fresh aromatics, you generally need to fry both the onions and the spinach to draw out the moisture and make sure the filling is not too wet. I prefer wilting to frying as it's quicker, easier, and preserves the color and freshness better imo. 

I like my ricotta dishes eggless where possible. Ravioli, manicotti, stuffed shell, you name it. I find the texture more smooth, and less likely to get gummy. Encouraged by the lack of eggs on the box ingredients, I chose to omit eggs in my spanakopita. It allows me to taste the filling mixture and adjust for salt without worrying about salmonella, which is a great added bonus. 

Ingredients:

filling

  • 4oz fresh baby spinach 
  • 2oz feta 
  • 2oz ricotta 
  • 1tsp dry minced onions 
  • 1/2tsp dry minced garlic 
  • 1/2tsp dry dill 
  • 1/2tsp coarse salt (or to taste) 
  • 1/4tsp pepper 

wrapper:

  • 1 roll store bought phyllo sheets (you won't need all of them) 
  • olive oil for brushing

Instruction:

  1. pour hot water over spinach to wilt it; drain and rinse in cold water
  2. squeeze out excess water using paper towel; give it a rough chop to separate
  3. combine spinach, feta, ricotta, onion, garlic, dill, salt, and pepper
  4. brush 1 sheet of phyllo with olive oil; layer another sheet on top. 
  5. cut the sheet into 2 inch width strips. 
  6. add the filling to each strip and roll up the triangles. 
  7. airfry at 400F for 6~8min, until wrapper is golden and crispy.

Enjoy!

Check out my YouTube Channel for Step-by-Step Videos!






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