Quick Spanokopita

I love biting into a Phyllo dough pastry but working with fresh phyllo can be a little tricky! Even if I follow the best practices to handle them. For example, keeping the Phyllo rolls in their plastic bags, and cover the layers with a damp towel to prevent them from drying out. But it is super easy when peeling one sheet from the next to tear them. That always happens. And one time, I must have taken out a package to bake something and for some reason ended up refreezing it. Fast forward a few months later, and when I tried to peel a layer, corners were stuck together, sheets were tearing in the middle. It was such a mess that I thought making something else!

Come to think of it, most likely after baking it, no one would have noticed it! But carefully peeling, then laying one sheet in the baking dish, then spraying each layer with some oil is a delicate operation and takes a while. Then what can I do with the sheets that got all torn out? At that point, I grabbed the broken pieces and crumbled them like a sheet of paper. I didn’t want to throw anything away, so I thought, maybe I can use the crumbled sheets as a base. This was a great way to use all the sheets, the intact ones and those who came apart. No waste! Love it!

The balls of phyllo can neatly fill the baking dish without tearing apart.

I sprayed oil and proceeded to spoon the spinach/greens/mushrooms/cheese mixture on top. You can also add some mashed potatoes to the mix.

Top with another layer of phyllo balls, spray more oil. It is ready for baking! Only spraying the top, instead of each layer uses a lot less oil and the dish came together a lot faster.

– Don’t overcrowd the dough. Just place a ball next to the other, never on top. If you use an 8×8 square baking dish, you can fit 9 balls of sough at the bottom and at the top. Keep the other sheets in their plastic package and freeze for next time.

– It is super important to squeeze as much of the liquid from the cooked spinach or greens.

– Lightly score the Spanokopita before baking it. This will create vents and allow the pie to better cook. It will also make it easier to cut squares.

I experimented baking it at a lower temperature (325F) for an hour and at 350F for 35-40 minutes and both worked but I had to keep an eye on it at 350F because towards the end the top tends to quickly get brown. At this point, if I have the time, I would go for the longer bake.

Serve with a salad, or slices of ripe tomatoes, basil and a drizzle of olive oil.