I absolutely love spinach pie. It’s rich, but not quite as heavy as a quiche, it has a deliciously flakey crust, and it works as a savory breakfast, brunch, or just anytime meal. It’s so good that I literally can’t wait to eat the leftovers, even though I know that puff pastry isn’t going to be crispy anymore. It just tastes so good.
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What is Spinach Pie?
This spinach pie is inspired by spanakopita, which is a savory Greek pie made with phyllo dough, feta, and spinach (see an authentic spanakopita recipe here). To make my spinach pie a little easier, I used a couple of short cuts: frozen spinach and frozen puff pastry dough. And then to keep the price on the lower side, I replaced the feta with cottage cheese (totally not similar cheeses, but it works here). The result is fast, easy, and still oh so delicious!
Where to Find Puff Pastry
The puff pastry dough is an important part of this recipe. You can find frozen puff pastry dough near the frozen desserts and frozen pie crusts in most major grocery stores. I used this one from Pepperidge Farm, but if you want to try making your own, check out this recipe for homemade puff pastry from my friend, Christina, at Dessert for Two.
Store-bought puff pastry usually comes in a box of two sheets, with each sheet folded into thirds. You only need one sheet, so save the second one for the next time you want to make spinach pie! You’ll also need to fully thaw the puff pastry before you begin, so make sure to take it out of the freezer at least an hour before you make your spinach pie.
What Else Can I Add to Spinach Pie?
This is another one of those recipes that can take a lot of fun add-ins. Try tossing in some chopped sun dried tomatoes, or maybe some cooked bacon. Or how about some feta cheese or roasted red peppers? A little bit of dill would also take the flavor up a notch!
Spinach Pie
Servings 8 slicesIngredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry ($2.40)
- 1 lb. frozen chopped spinach ($1.99)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 1 clove garlic ($0.08)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 1 cup cottage cheese ($0.40)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan ($0.44)
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 3 large eggs, divided ($0.63)
Instructions
- Make sure to take the puff pastry and spinach out ahead of time to thaw (spinach can be thawed quickly in the microwave, if needed, but do not thaw the puff pastry in the microwave). Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add the onion, garlic, and olive oil to a skillet and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent. Set the onions and garlic aside to cool slightly.
- Add the cottage cheese, Parmesan, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and two of the eggs to a bowl, and stir to combine (save the third egg to brush on top of the pastry before baking).
- Squeeze out as much water as possible from the thawed spinach. Add the squeezed spinach and sautéed onion and garlic to the bowl with the cheese mixture. Stir to combine again.
- Place a sheet of parchment paper on your work surface (or dust lightly with flour) and roll the thawed puff pastry out until it's just slightly larger, about 10×10 inches.
- Drape the rolled pastry dough out over a pie plate. Spread the spinach and cheese mixture inside the pastry dough, then take the corners and fold them in toward the center. The pastry will not fully cover the top, but that's okay (see step by step photos below).
- Lightly whisk the remaining egg and brush it over the surface of the pastry dough. Bake the spinach pie for about 45 minutes, or until the pasty on top has puffed up significantly and turned golden brown.
- Remove the spinach pie from the oven, let sit for about five minutes, then slice into eight pieces and serve.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Glass Pie Plate
Nutrition
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Love Spinach? Try these other spinach-licious recipes:
- Double Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Easy Creamed Spinach
- Spinach Artichoke Grilled Cheese
- Creamy Pesto Mac and Cheese with Spinach
How to Make Spinach Pie – Step By Step Photos
Make sure to thaw one sheet of puff pastry and one pound of frozen chopped spinach before you begin. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Dice one yellow onion and mince one clove of garlic. Add the onion, garlic, and olive oil to a skillet and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent. Set the onion and garlic aside to cool slightly.
Add 1 cup cottage cheese, ¼ cup grated Parmesan, 2 large eggs, ⅛ tsp nutmeg, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper to a bowl. Stir to combine.
Squeeze out as much water from the thawed spinach as possible. This is really important because you don’t want your spinach pie to be soggy!
Add the spinach and sautéed onion and garlic to the bowl with the cheese mixture, then stir to combine again.
And now the spinach pie filling is complete! Let’s move on to the puff pastry.
You’re going to need the puff pastry to be a little larger than it is as it comes, so lay the pastry dough on a sheet of parchment paper or a lightly floured surface, then roll it out until it’s about 10×10 inches.
Drape the pastry dough over a pie dish. There should be enough to drape over the sides (you’ll fold that over the top after it’s filled).
Add the spinach and cheese mixture to the pie plate and spread it out evenly.
Fold the corners in toward the center (it’s okay if they don’t fully cover the top. Lightly whisk the last egg, then brush it over the surface of the puff pastry.
Bake the pie in the preheated 375ºF oven for 45 minutes, or until the pastry on top is puffed up and deeply golden brown. Let the pie sit for about five minutes before slicing into 8 pieces and serving.
It’s sooooo good!
Really keen to try this recipe, wondering if it would work with tasty or cheddar cheese, or if it would be too dry? Any advice appreciated.
Hi Rhiannon, cheddar cheese would work. Though, you might have some pooling (fat separating from the milk solids). I am unsure what tasty is. xoxo -Monti
Absolutely delicious!
I subbed feta cheese.
I’m making this for the second time today, and this time I actually have cottage cheese on hand. The first time I didn’t have any, so I chopped up a hunk of Brie (!) I had getting old in the fridge. It was delicious!
Next time, I’ll add smoked paprika, lemon juice, feta, and fresh dill to the cheese mixture. Now that eggs are so pricey, I’d use just 2, and pour about 2/3rds into the cheese mix and use the rest to brush the crust. Minor, minor stuff, really good as is!
I will love to try it
Several of the 5 star ratings were with changes to the recipe. I made it as written and thought it was a little disappointing. I love all things spinach, but definitely think it needed some feta.
Question. Has anyone made this as a crustless spinach pie? Love puff pastry but not good for diabetics. Thank you so much.
This will be my 4th time making this pie and each and every time there is not one crumb left. I’ve had guest offer to pay for one to be brought to their parties !
I would recommend to use the cube feta instead of crumbles and ricotta cheese for cottage cheese. Otherwise exhalent
This was a delicious and easy dinner! It reheated really well in the microwave the next several days for breakfast and lunches too (no sogginess). Definitely a keeper!
I made your spinach pie.Thank you for the recipe.It was soo delicious.It had real taste!
This was fantastic. I took the recommendation of adding things for fun – I used vegan greek cheese instead of cottage cheese (lactose intolerant), and added in chopped sundried tomatoes and a bit of smoked paprika. I made this yesterday, and we hadn’t even finished eating before I was asked to make it again.
THANK YOU for publishing 😁. I have always loved this!
This was a great and quick recipe. Perfect for lunch while working at home. I used fresh spinach and cooked it down. Turned out delicious!
Absolutely AMAZING!! I’ve made this recipe with a few tweaks half a dozen times now.
I didn’t have any cottage cheese the first time I made it so I substituted it with about 4 ounces of crumbled Feta cheese and added about 1 cup of mozzarella. I also added a little more garlic and Parmesan cheese. This tasted amazing!! I will definitely be making it again and again. The feta makes this into an awesome Spanikopita pie.
I only used one puff pastry sheet instead of phillo because it’s easier to find and use. I rolled it out like the directions said. It came out perfectly.
This is definitely one of my go to recipes now. Easy enough for just myself but special enough for guests
We love this recipe. and have made it numerous times. While it’s great when warm, we prefer it at room temperature or cool. Especially love it for breakfast. But it’s great for picnics and light summer suppers with a piece of chicken (or your preferred protein) and salad.
My husband is diabetic and this fits into our meal plans beautifully.