Spanakopita Triangles: the tasty, bite-sized appetizer recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you cut spanakopita into triangles with phyllo dough? ›

Pour the feta and spinach over the filo pastry. Roll from one end to the other to obtain a long strip. Use a large knife to cut the phyllo pastries into triangles and place them on a baking tray. Brush each triangle with egg yolk.

To bake the frozen spanakopita, preheat the oven to 350F (180C) and put the frozen triangles on a baking sheet, then brush each with butter. Bake for 30 minutes, or until deeply-golden brown.

FREEZING -- If not baking right away, flash freeze for about 1 hour then wrap individual triangles in wax paper, place in freezer bags. When baking from frozen, increase baking time to about 20 minutes and watch closely for last 5 minutes.

Cut puff pastry sheet into 9 equal squares for mini triangles or alternatively, cut the sheet into quarters. Add 1 teaspoon of the cheese mixture into the centre or 1 heaped tablespoon for large triangles. Egg wash each corner of the puff squares to make an L shape. Fold over corner to corner to make a triangle shape.

Not necessarily, but butter is used traditionally and creates beautifully golden and crisp layers. If you don't want to use butter, you still need to brush the pastry with another form of fat to help your pastry cook properly.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool and serve. *I like to bake half of the Spanakopita and freeze the other half. To do this, after step 9, freeze the triangles on the baking sheet for one hour until solid, then place triangles in a zipper bag and freeze for up to four months.

Alternate the phyllo sheets to cover the entire pan, brushing each sheet of phyllo with butter as you go. This should take approximately 6 to 8 sheets of phyllo. Place the filling into the phyllo lined pan and fold the overhanging phyllo dough over the filling.

Scoring your spanakopita after you've assembled it (prior to baking it) vents the pie, which also helps it from getting soggy. Also, using as shallow of a pan as possible keeps steam and sogginess to a minimum. You can use olive oil instead of butter (or a mix) to brush on the phyllo.

Heat in medium-heated oven until warmed through. You can also portion cooked leftover spanakopita and freeze for a later time. Warm in oven; no need to thaw in advance.

*Phyllo dough will become soggy in the microwave. On the off-chance you have leftovers, reheat the spanakopita in a 350-degree oven for 10 minutes.

What to serve with spanakopita? ›

The best side dishes to serve with Spanakopita are Greek salad, Tzatziki, hummus, Greek yogurt, cheese dip, southwest salad dressing, falafel, roasted vegetables, lemon roasted potatoes, Greek rice, Mediterranean quinoa salad, and orzo salad.

This recipe will yield about 28 triangles. This recipe will store well in the fridge for 2 – 3 days in an airtight container. You can freeze Spanakopita!

If you are fortunate enough to have any leftovers, reheat spanakopita by using a toaster oven or regular oven. Using a microwave results in a soggier version. Toaster oven: Reheat for 4 – 5 until warm throughout.

To get that flaky effect, you need to brush some sort of fat between each layer of dough. Usually I use unsalted butter, which gives the finished product a beautiful golden color. For those who don't want to use dairy, you can substitute extra-virgin olive oil for the butter.

Phyllo pastries come in many different shapes and sizes. You can use phyllo to create large or appetizer-size strudels, triangles, beggars' purses, turnovers, or full-size dishes that are cut before serving (like baklava or spinach pie).

History and Tradition

The savory snack may be related to ispanakli, a similar Turkish dish. The most delicious and authentic spanakopita recipes in the world are believed to be derived from the region of Epirus, in the north west of Greece.