Description
A delicious and visually stunning spinach filo spiral pie featuring tender baby spinach, crumbled feta cheese, and fragrant nigella seeds wrapped in crisp, buttery filo pastry coils. Perfect as a savory appetizer or light meal, this Greek-inspired pie offers a delightful combination of flaky texture and creamy filling with an easy baking method.
Ingredients
Scale
Filling
- 300g baby spinach
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 200g feta, crumbled
- 50g salted butter, melted, plus a knob for frying
Pastry
- 7 shop-bought filo sheets
- 1 tbsp nigella seeds
Instructions
- Cook the spinach: Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the baby spinach and cook, stirring, until wilted. No oil or water is needed, as the spinach will steam in its own moisture. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Drain the spinach: Transfer the cooked spinach into a clean tea towel and squeeze out as much water as possible. Chop the spinach finely and place it in a mixing bowl.
- Sauté the onion: Heat a knob of butter in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onion and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent. Transfer the cooked onion to the bowl with the chopped spinach.
- Combine the filling: Add the crumbled feta to the spinach and onion mixture. Stir well with a fork until fully combined. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Preheat the oven and prepare the dish: Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan) or gas mark 5. Brush a 24 x 4 cm deep metal pie dish generously with some of the melted butter to prevent sticking.
- Assemble the rolls: Lay one filo sheet flat on your work surface. Brush it lightly with melted butter. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the spinach and feta filling in a line along the longest edge of the filo. Roll the sheet loosely into a long sausage shape without rolling too tightly to avoid splitting the pastry.
- Create the spiral: Coil the rolled filo sausage into a spiral and place it in the center of the prepared pie dish.
- Repeat assembly: Repeat the process with the remaining filo sheets and filling, arranging each coil around the central spiral in a circular pattern to fill the pie dish.
- Final touches and baking: Brush the tops of the spiral pie generously with remaining melted butter. Sprinkle the top with nigella seeds for texture and flavor. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until the filo is golden brown and crisp.
- Serve: Let the pie cool slightly before slicing and serving warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- For a vegan version, substitute the feta with a drained chopped jar of artichoke hearts and some olives, and use olive oil instead of butter.
- Be gentle when rolling the filo pastry to avoid tearing.
- Ensure to squeeze out all the water from the spinach to prevent soggy pastry.
- Use a brush to apply melted butter evenly for crisp and golden filo layers.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Greek
Keywords: spinach pie, filo pastry, feta, vegan option, Greek pie, savory pie, nigella seeds, baked pie, vegetarian
