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
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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!
Made this recipe exactly as described, and it came out wonderful! Holds up good as leftovers too.
I was suspicious of baking cottage cheese, so I used 4% (normal fat) cottage cheese. I never realized cottage cheese baked/melted so nicely.
This is my first time using a pastry puff, I’ve been missing out. I had a ceramic pie dish and forgot to grease it, so it stuck pretty badly. No biggie.
I had an extra sheet of puff pastry in my freezer from a different recipe, so this seemed like a really easy way to use that up! I had almost everything on hand already (just had to get cottage cheese). It turned out great! I made some roasted potatoes to go on the side and ate the leftovers for breakfast for a few days (I reheated in the toaster oven, I thought it wouldn’t do as well in the microwave). The only thing I didn’t do was the egg wash step, I don’t have a pastry brush and couldn’t figure out how to get the egg wash on without making a mess. It didn’t look as pretty as yours, but tasted just fine!
This looks so tasty! I don’t know what I would serve it with, though – any suggestions? :)
I usually just eat it on its own, but I suppose if you’re serving it as a breakfast or brunch you could pair it with some fried eggs and a side of fruit. :)
Do you think I could sub ricotta for the cottage cheese? SOMEONE ate the cottage cheese I had set aside for this recipe!!!
Haha! Don’t you hate it when that happens?? I think that might work, but it’s hard to say for sure without testing it. One notable difference is that cottage cheese tends to have a bit more salt, whereas ricotta tends to be sweeter. So that may change the flavor profile a bit.
I’ve never had spinach pie, so I’m not sure what I was expecting (maybe like a spinach quiche or something), but it greatly exceeded my expectations. I had fresh spinach that was starting to go bad, so I used fresh and cooked it in the skillet with the onion and garlic. I will definitely be making this again. Thanks Beth and the budget bytes team for all your great recipes and hard work! So many people, including myself, appreciate it.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Another wonderful dish! I used fresh spinach and a pie crust (because that’s what I had) and it was delicious. I’m not a big spinach fan, and even I loved it. For anyone using fresh spinach, I just sauteed it with the onions and garlic and didn’t have to worry about draining or anything.
I made this today, Truly it was delicious and picture perfect. If I could send you a photo here I would as I was quite proud of the outcome. I upped the nutmeg just a bit (only because I grated too much using fresh) It was delicious. I can see me using some of this on toasted English Muffin for breakfast,
I don’t usually use Puff Pastry, so what to do with the leftovers? Can I use a pie crust instead, even though I know it won’t be ‘authentic’. Just wondering….
There are lots of fun things you can do with it. Unfortunately, I don’t have any of them on my site, but if you do a quick google search for “recipe with puff pastry” you’ll find a lot of cool ideas!
There are lots of recipes online for simple pastries using the dough, usually with fruit fillings. Alternatively, you could cut it up into little triangles and bake them up by themselves. They make really nice sides for soup or stew meals. I also like to use them for chicken a la king, in lieu of biscuits or toast.
I have this spinach pie in my meal plan today with a note to use the recipe linked below (1/2 batch) for breakfast tomorrow!
https://www.thekitchn.com/cream-cheese-breakfast-pastries-recipe-23133465
Super simple thing is to take sausage (bulk or links) and wrap the puff pastry around it, and bake on a baking sheet until cooked through, then cut it into 2 or 3 inch slices. So easy and fast!
Could this recipe be made using fresh spinach?
Yes, but you’ll want to cook the spinach down to remove most of the water first. :)
I just chop the fresh spinach and throw it in. Works perfectly!
I substituted (and doubled) garam masala for the nutmeg and……muah! I loved this recipe! Thank you so much.
thank you, beth.
another brilliant winner from you.
this simple delicious dish reminds me of the spanikopita i used to eat in a greek diner on the upper west side in manhattan back in the 1990’s.
i used less spinach, rolled out the dough more, and the quarters almost met in the middle. – lovely looking.
GURL. Not only was this easy, yummy, and filling, but my 7 year old destroyed it!
Going in the recipe list for sure
Do you think this could be prepared and then frozen before it’s baked? I would love to make this into little cups and take out individual servings for breakfast.
That’s a great idea! I haven’t tried it, so I’m not sure, but if you do please report back on how it worked out!
Could you please do a copycat of Dr. Praeger’s Spinach Littles, or literally just hash browns with veggies hidden inside? Toddler moms will rejoice. These things are EXPENSIVE. Love your recipes!
I second this suggestion <3
Any advice about cooking this without using pastry? Recipe sounds delicious.
Hmm, I’d need to experiment with that a bit first, I think.
Maybe you can try making it like a casserole covered with foil (and poke some holes so that steam can escape) and uncover for the last 5-10 minutes? You could sprinkle more parm at the end. Then serve it on toast or a low carb substitute