Spanakopita is a greek dish that’s traditionally stuffed with spinach and feta cheese, and it can be served as an appetizer or a meal depending on how many you eat.
It’s an easy dish to make, but there is more to eating it than just heating it up and diving in. This traditional dish is not only loved in Greece, but also across the globe. (Interestingly, it’s believed that it was actually invented by accident by an American woman who visited Greece in the 1960s.)
It’s easy to make, and whether you’re making it for a family dinner or preparing it as a buffet for a party, you’ll certainly want to find some tasty side dishes that complement the spinach and feta perfectly.
Although spanakopita is typically eaten for dinner, it’s actually a great dish for breakfast, packed full of veggies and protein. Layer a piece of spanakopita with a handful of fresh strawberries, and you’ve got a high-energy meal that will keep you going until lunch time.
Side dishes to eat with spanakopita
Most recipes for spanakopita a Greek savory pastry call for a layer of feta cheese, but you can vary the flavors by adding other cheeses, such as mozzarella or cottage cheese, or skip the cheese altogether and add herbs and spices like oregano and/or dill.
For a more substantial dish that can double as a main dish (alongside a salad or a green vegetable dish), add chopped meat or poultry to the filling or top the spanakopita with a fried egg.
The humble Greek spinach pie (spanakopita) is one of the world’s best comfort foods, and it pairs well with many different kinds of side dishes. For example, you can pair it with
- Greek salad
- tzatziki yogur
- feta cheese
- hummus
- baba ganoush
- tabouleh
- pilaf
- pita bread
- mashed potato
The possibilities are endless. The two most common types of spanakopita in Greece are the spinach and the cheese variety, which is similar to spanakorizo, but with more filling.
The flavors are similar in both, but the spinach variety tends to have more of a salty taste due to the feta, while the cheese variety can taste more savory if your cheese is fresh and flavorful. Both can be eaten on their own, but they interact with each other to create more complex dishes when paired with a few side dishes.
How to cook spanakopita
Spanakopita is a greek dish that consists of spinach, cheese, and filo pastry. The main ingredients of spanakopita are spinach and feta cheese.
Not only is this dish tasty, it contains loads of protein and it also has some vitamin A in it. Spanakopita is a Greek dish made up of spinach, onions, and feta cheese, wrapped up in phyllo dough.
It’s made with flaky filo pastry filled with fresh, leafy spinach and feta cheese. It is brushed with melted butter, sprinkled with sesame seeds and dried mint.
First, make the spanakopita filling: Prepping the spanakopita filling can be broken down into 3 simple steps: preparing the spinach, cooking the aromatics & wilting the kale, & mixing the filling. It can be cooked in a frying pan or in the oven.
It is a delicious dish served with tzatziki and pita bread or pita chips. It’s usually baked in the oven but can also be cooked on the stovetop. If you’re looking for an easy, healthy dish to serve your friends or family, we’ve got you covered.
What to drink with spanakopita
Drink pairing is the art of matching your favorite drinks with your favorite foods. When done well, a drink pairing can enhance the flavor of the food and vice versa, creating a more satisfying experience.
The first step to finding the best drink pairings is to understand how different drinks are classified. The most basic classification system is wine, beer, and liquor. Wine and beer both come from fruits and grains, but the production of each is quite different.
Liquor, on the other hand, is produced by fermenting and distilling a variety of sources, including fruits, grains, veggies, and even meat and fish. You’d think that milk and orange juice would be the obvious beverage pairing for spanakopita, the Greek spinach pie.
But in fact, the two don’t really complement each other as well as you might think. Milk tends to overpower the spinach flavor. Since spanakopita is normally served as an appetizer or side dish, you’ll want something that will complement the other foods at your meal.
Try having spanakopita with a glass of champagne or white wine. The wine’s fruity notes will complement the spinach and cheese flavor.
Can I freeze spanakopita?
Can you freeze spanakopita? Yes, but you need to know how to do it properly. Frozen spanakopita can be a real treat, especially when you’re trying to save money on your electricity bill.
There are several ways of freezing spanakopita. You should choose the method that best suits your freezer and your taste buds.
You can freeze spanakopita in its original baking dish. This is a good method if you don’t plan on eating the spanakopita right away. Just remember, this is a delicate dish. The phyllo dough is going to get really soggy if you don’t take the right precautions.
Greek spinach pie freezes very well. Freezing baked spanakopita isn’t as good as eating it fresh, but the frozen spanakopita can still be reheated for a tasty, satisfying meal.