Greek Spanakotiropitakia (Spinach and cheese pitas) without phyllo

Spinach, feta, and fresh herbs are combined with a few other simple ingredients to make perfect pitas without phyllo. These are so easy to make, and even easier to eat! Enjoy them as a light meal, a side dish, or a simple snack.

Growing up in a Greek home it was really important to my parents that we had simple, healthy and Greek foods available! There were usually many versions of pitas floating around at any given time, but sometimes things had to be done simply. Maybe there was no time to roll out their own phyllo to make Kalitsounia (Cretan cheese pies) or Pumpkin or winter squash pita. Or, maybe they had used all their store-bought, paper-thin phyllo to make Bougatsa or Baklava! In situations like this they turned to this recipe for spanakotiropitakia without phyllo. Here, the delicious ingredients are held together in a batter made with eggs, flour and Greek yogourt. So much deliciousness, with so little fuss.

Why I love this recipe

This is a great dish that combines ingredients so popular in Greek cooking. Spinach and feta cheese combined and shaped without the need to fuss with phyllo dough. I love these, and I especially love how handy they are. When I make a batch I make sure to make enough to have them available in the fridge. When a hunger pang hits, it is healthier to reach for one of these than a bag of potato chips!

Key ingredients

Although this may seem like a long list of ingredients, nothing is complicated, hard to find, or something that you will have a hard time finding. Don’t you hate it when recipes ask you to find really obscure or expensive ingredients that you will only use for that one recipe!? I do! Don’t worry, that is certainly not the case here!

Spinach I try to use baby spinach whenever I can because I find it much easier to work with; there are not hard, thick stems that I have to get rid off. I just wash the baby spinach and chop it up.

Feta The King (or Queen) of Greek cheeses. I only use Greek feta, which is made with sheep milk, or a combination of sheep and goat milk. You can learn everything you need to know about feta by reading this article all about feta facts!

Eggs Unless specified, all my recipes that require eggs use large chicken eggs. A great binder and way to hold all these great ingredients together! I also use an egg yolk along with a bit of milk to make the egg wash which I brush on before baking.

Olive oil Greek olive oil is my go to for almost every recipe! The aroma, flavour and versatility of it is great. I only use Greek olive oil and try to ensure that it is pure and not diluted with other, cheaper seed oils.

Greek yogourt I love how thick Greek yogourt adds moisture and flavour to this recipe. I usually use 2% milk fat yogourt, but honestly, you can use no fat (or full fat!) yogourt with the same success.

Flour I use all purpose flour to make this recipe. It acts as a binder without imparting a strong flavour to the spinach and feta pitas.

Herbs I use fresh parsley and dried oregano in this recipe. I love the peppery bite of fresh parsley, and the flavour and aroma of dried Greek oregano cannot be beat!

Baking powder I like to add a bit of baking powder to this dough so that the spanakotiropitakia puff up a little bit. They end up with a really nice texture.

Sesame seeds These are optional and are really just a finishing touch to the recipe. I like using them though because I find that sesame seeds have a great flavour, and I like the texture that they add.

How to make it

Making these spanakotiropitakia is pretty easy. The complete, detailed instructions are in the recipe below, but in the meanwhile, here is the general idea:

Preparation

• Wash and chop your spinach and set aside.
• Crumble your feta and set aside.
• Wash and chop your parsley and set aside.
• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and then line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Instructions

Step 1
Combine your dry ingredients in a bowl.

Step 2
Combine your wet ingredients in a bowl.

Step 3
Mix together your wet and dry ingredients and knead by hand until a dough forms. Add in the spinach, parsley, oregano and pepper. Mix together and then add in the feta, and continue to mix either by hand or with a wooden spoon until all combined.

Step 4
Shape your spanakotiropitakia by portioning out 50 grams of dough and making oblong shapes. Place them on your parchment lined baking sheet.

Step 5
Prepare your egg wash and brush the tops of your spanakotiropitakia. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.

Step 6
Bake on the bottom rack of your oven for 25 – 30 minutes until golden brown.

Recipe substitutions

If you prefer, you can use grated halloumi cheese instead of the feta, or even other Greek cheeses such as grated kefalotyri or grated graviera.

Instead of parsley and Greek oregano, you can add fresh chopped chives or mint.

Helpful hints

I use 2% Greek yogourt to make these, primarily because that is usually what I have. They will work well with zero fat, or full fat yogourt too. I like using Greek yogourt because it is thick and not watery, which keeps the dough texture exactly where I want it!

I like to keep a small bowl of olive oil nearby when I shape the spanakotiropitakia. The dough can be a little sticky, and the oil makes the job a lot easier, and cleaner.

If you don’t have a kitchen scale (you should get one though, because they are pretty inexpensive and very handy), you can portion out equal portions of dough by using an ice cream scoop. However, if you want a scale, check this one out – I have it, and I love it!

Recipe variations

Combining spinach and feta is a common thing in Greek cooking. If you prefer to use phyllo, you can try making spanakopitakia triangles, or a sheet pan spanakopita quesadilla.

Storing and reheating

Freezing

These freeze really well. You can either freeze them after they are shaped, but before they are baked, or you can freeze them after they have been baked, and cooled. In either case, freeze them on a baking tray and once frozen transfer them to a freezer bag or container.

Storing in refrigerator

If you will be eating these up within a few days, keep them in the refrigerator. You can warm them up in the microwave, a preheated oven (350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 7 minutes) or the air fryer (350 degrees for about 3 – 5 minutes).

From frozen

If you will be baking these from frozen, allow them to come to room temperature for about 5 minutes and bake as directed in recipe. You will have to increase your cooking time. Alternatively you can allow them to defrost in the refrigerator and then bake as directed in the recipe.

Related recipes

Spinach and cheese pita pocket I love this recipe! All the great flavours of spanakotiropita, without the fuss. Simply stuff a pita with the great filling, toast and enjoy!

Vegan spanakopita (Νηστίσιμη σπανακόπιτα) This spanakopita is missing the cheese! Rice is used instead, making this a great vegan (and lenten) option.

Spanakopita mac and cheese Pure decadence! That is the only way to describe this dish. Creamy and full of spinach, everyone loves this recipe!

Thanks for sharing!