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.
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Equipment
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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!
Amazing recipe!
Full of flavor and easy to make.
Definitely a repeat in my family.
Will definitely try this receip. It looks delicious…….Thank you, Keep these great dishes coming……
I have been dying for a good Spinach Pie, but the phyllo dough is so labor intensive that it turns me off from making it. I honestly didn’t even miss the phyllo dough with the puff pastry replacement! I used a small rectangle pan so I used the 2 puff pastry sheets – one on the bottom and one on top. I put the two eggs in the filling and brushed the top layer with butter. I also swapped out the cottage cheese for ricotta and the parmesan for feta and I added dried dill. I definitely could have added more salt and more feta – but now I know. This will definitely be a staple to curb my cravings without all the labor. Thank you for this!
So happy to hear you liked it Stephanie!
Can I replace the cottage cheese with feta cheese?
No, unfortunately they are too different in flavor and texture for them to be swapped.
I didn’t have any cottage cheese 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!
I only used one puff pastry sheet and rolled it out like the directions said. It came out perfectly.
Sure you can If you like the feta taste better..feta is a bit dryer but it still would be flavorful. Enjoy and explore you own taste buds…
I subbed feta and it turned out great. Made it for brunch with some girlfriends, and they all raved about it. I thought it was good too.
can this be prepared the night before and served cold? looking for something to take to a potluck at work.
Hmm, probably? It’s hard to say offhand how good it would be cold. I’d probably need to try it.
I only eat it cold much more taste when it’s cold…
This was so good! We made it as printed except that we added some lemon juice and zest. It’s a keeper!!!! Thanks for the super recipe. :)
My variation on this is made with shortcrust pastry, and fish (whatever is in season, or tinned fish like mackerel and tuna, and a couple of strips of anchovy), but no cheeses. To the lady who wanted to get rid of the dairy – she could try mashed chickpeas or white beans, and some of the water in which they have been cooked (aquafaba).
Hey Beth,
Just wanted to say thank you so much for sharing so delicious and healthy recipes, I have tried quite a few of them and all turned out great.
Keep up the good work!
Thank you!! :)
Any advice on trying to make this recipe dairy-free?
I’ve made it before and LOVED it, but since have been instructed to cut dairy from diet. And I need to use up this extra pastry sheet that’s been sitting in my freezer since last time LOL
That would probably be pretty difficult for this one… maybe a mix of crumbled tofu and nutritional yeast? I think you might be better off filling the pastry dough with something else. I’m thinking of something similar to a samosa! Like a mix of curried potatoes and peas. :)
Can Inprepare this pie @ 9:00 am refrigerate than cook at 5:00 PM same day?
You can prepare the filling ahead of time, but I wouldn’t put it in the dough until just before you bake it.
Hi, Your recipe looks great! In your introduction, you mention Phillo dough but your actually using puff Pastery. They are two different types of dough…just in case those who’ve never used it before get confused!
Right, in the introduction I said that I hate working with phyllo dough so I used puff pastry instead. :)
Actually in the very beginning of your recipe this is what you have posted : Phyllo dough makes this rich and delicious spinach pie a breeze to prepare. Perfect for breakfast, lunch, or brunch!
Aha! I know how that happened… I had assistants helping me fill in those fields in the recipe card, and they clearly missed the mark on that one! LOL. I have a whole paragraph in the beginning about why I used puff pastry instead of phyllo. 😅 Thanks for catching that!
This is now in our rotation. My daughter and I love it. It’s great to know I’m getting her to eat some good protein and greens! I do add some mozzarella with the parm to make it cheesier.
This is my first attempt to make a Spinach Pie. It was delicious! I enjoyed making this.
This is the first recipe I’ve tried from Budget Bytes and it was a success! So easy to pull together and easy to add your on additions as you see fit. I subbed greek yogurt for the cottage cheese, added in feta, and bacon (cuz #baconbody) and it came out delicious! I’m looking forward to making other recipes!
Hey Beth. Love this recipe!
I’ve made it with ricotta instead of cottage cheese and it tasted great. Last night I tried it with only feta and some halloumi (not the most budget friendly cheeses, I know), I also sautéed some leeks and spring onions (scallions) to add to the filling.
Not ashamed to say that this technically only serves 4 for me 🙈.
Just wondering how well this feeezes?
I’m not sure this one will freeze very well, but only because of the flakey dough. I think that part might get soggy.