Spanakopita

Spanakopita 






​Prep Time: 35 Min
Cook Time: 55 - 60 Min

WHAT YOU NEED

• 1/4 C EVOO
• 1 Bunch Green Onions, sliced
• 1 Yellow Onion, diced
• 3 cloves Garlic, crushed & minced
• 600g Frozen Spinach
• 6 Tbsp. Fresh Dill, chopped
• 6 Tbsp. Fresh Parsley, chopped
• 1/2 Lemon, juiced
• 1/2 Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/4 Tsp. Cayenne
• 1/4 Tsp. Ground Nutmeg
• 1/2 Tsp. + Sea Salt
• Cracked Pepper To Taste
• 280g Full Fat Ricotta
• 200g Feta, crumbled
• 2 Large Free-Range Eggs, lightly beaten
  
• FOR THE PHYLLO
• 1/2 C Unsalted Butter, melted
• 454g Frozen Phyllo, thawed overnight in the fridge (You will need 17 sheets)
• White Sesame Seeds

DIRECTIONS

• Remove the phyllo from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. 
• In the meantime, begin heating the EVOO, pep flakes, and garlic, in a medium sized pan set to medium. Once heated, let the garlic sizzle without browning for a minute before adding the green & yellow onions and a good pinch of sea salt. Stir and cook until onions are translucent, (about 5 mins) add the frozen spinach, reduce the heat, and cover until spinach has thawed and warmed through. Remove cover and increase heat again to start reducing liquid. Stir in the fresh dill, parsley, lemon juice, and a good pinch of sea salt & cracked pepper. Continue to cook until liquid is completely reduced. Remove from heat and cool.
• Stir together the ricotta, feta, eggs, cayenne, 1/2 tsp. sea salt, cracked pepper to taste, and nutmeg. Once cooled, fold the spinach mixture in to the ricotta mixture and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 F
• Mel the butter in the microwave and set aside. 
• Carefully open and unroll the phyllo sheets. Use sharp scissors to cut the sheets in half leaving you two sets of approximately 9"x13" sheets. Soak a paper towel and place it on top of one side of the sheets to keep them moist.
• Brush a 9"x13" baking dish with the melted butter and carefully place your first sheet down. Brush it generously with butter and place another sheet on top. Continue to add sheets, butter, and add more sheets until you have 10 layers of buttered phyllo.
• Spoon all of the filling in to the dish and spread it to evenly form a layer. Press it down with a spatula to ensure it's packed and even.
• Continue with phyllo sheets and butter another 7 times. Use a sharp knife to cut the top layers of the spanakopita in to 8 slices. Sprinkle the top with sea salt & white sesame seeds.
• Bake uncovered for 40 - 45 minutes until golden brown and crispy on top. Remove from oven and set on to a wire cooling rack for at least 10 minutes.
• Finish cutting through the slices and serve. ENJOY!

HAPPY VEG