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.
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
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!
If using Feta. Would I use the same amount?
I’m not sure, since I’ve never tried it, but there is a link to a spanakopita recipe, which uses feta, in the paragraph titled, “what is spinach pie” that you can try.
Hello, love using your recipes. Attempted to make this but it didn’t turn out as great looking as yours. It came out with lots of liquid bubbling around the edges and quite soggy. I used two square puff pastry sheets that I rolled out and tried to piece together in the pie dish. Any ideas or tips for next time?
Did you squeeze out the thawed spinach really well? If there is too much liquid left in the spinach the filling will be too watery.
We are going to make this tonight using pyhlo dough instead of puff pastry fingers crossed that it comes out alright and tasty
The family really enjoys this pie. I was wondering if I could substitute feta for the cottage cheese. I think your suggestion was to add feta.
Gratefully,
Nelson
It might work, but you have to consider the fact that feta and cottage cheese are very different in their texture, moisture level, and salt content. So it will probably change both the texture and flavor of the dish.
It’s looks like a big souffle from Panera 😂. I’m sure it tastes much better though. Excited to try it!
Can’t wait to try this! Can I leave out the eggs all together and just add extra cheese?
I haven’t tried that, so I’m not sure how much of an effect it will have on the outcome. :)
Just for something really quick I bought Birds Eye creamed spinach, added cream cheese, pepper, minced onion, garlic powder . Used my extra large muffin pan, philio sheet in place, scooped the spinach mixture into muffin pan and made individual cakes.
Prep time maybe 5 minutes….
Quick, easy and delicious breakfast on the go cakes.
Thank you!!!!
Nice hack! Thanks for sharing that with us. :)
This recipe is delicious. I had to substitute because of not having everything I needed in the kitchen, but it appears to be incredibly versatile. I overlapped the puff pastry on the top of the spinach pie and it worked wonderfully. It’s a definite keeper, especially as my five-year-old loved it. Substitutes were spring onion in place of onion, Greek yoghurt in place of cottage cheese and mozzarella cheese in place of parmesan.
Another great recipe from Budget Bytes! Just made it- it turned out just as pictured and tasted delicious. So easy!
This is my third time making this. I love spanakopita and love finding new ways to make it. The recipe is great just as is. I add or leave out based on what is in the house. Tonight I had leftover filling so added some artichoke hearts and spread over boneless chicken thighs after I spread pesto on them. Took extra sheet of puffed pastry and baked together. Yummy
i didn’t have spinach so i substituted for fresh rainbow chard, beetroot leaves and kale from the garden and sautéed it with the onions and garlic. i didn’t have cottage cheese either, so substituted that for cottage cheese for feta and ricotta. delicious! thanks for a great base recipe and love the pastry fold over method. i’ll do that with all pies in future!
Would this work replacing the frozen spinach with fresh zucchini? Shredded with the moisture squeezed out?
(Sorry I commented this in a weird spot before)
Hmm, I’m not sure! You’d definitely want to get as much moisture out as humanly possible. :P
Oven window? Ha, that’s rich. My oven doesn’t even have a light, let alone a window. Anyway, the recipe turned out well. I couldn’t find cottage cheese, so I used ricotta and it was delicious. I used fresh spinach because it needed to be cooked before it spoiled. Very easy to make. I will make this again.
I had an abundance of fresh spinach from my mom’s garden, so I thought I’d make this! It was AMAZING, my family loved it! We can’t wait til the next time we have TONS of spinach to eat!
Can I Substitute fresh spinach and should I cook it first?
Yes, you can use fresh spinach if you prefer. :) I would just sauté it down in a skillet first to remove some of the moisture. That should only take about 5 minutes.
Excellent. Thank you!