Mixed Greens Spanikopitas with Goat Cheese

I don’t know if you guys have the same trouble I do with a trip to Costco but I always find the most wonderful ingredients to play with and yet they come in such large packages, I’m left with figuring out what to do with it all.

A recent trip left me in that very state when I brought home a large bag of mixed greens containing kale, Swiss chard and spinach. I started out using it in a very awesome Asian influenced salad with a lime peanut dressing. It was so yummy I will have to make it again soon, so I can share it because I forgot to take pictures until at least half way through eating it.

After that I was left with around 8 cups of the greens to do something with. Such beautiful leafy greens and yet I needed a way to use them because I hate to waste. Flipping through my recipe collection, I came across the recipe for spanikopitas and thought, “Why not?”

Digging around in the fridge for feta didn’t yield any, so I substituted soft goat cheese instead. After all, why bother sticking to a completely traditional recipe when I was already changing it up. That’s how new recipes are born.

The spanikopitas came out tasting wonderful, although hubby thought they needed some sort of sauce to dip them into because they were just a little drier than he likes. So next time, I’m planning on serving them with a lovely light tomato sauce to finish them off. Either way, I think they are just tasty!

Mixed Greens Spanikopitas with Goat Cheese

heidi medina

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Notes

2 Tbsp. Olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

8 cups mixed greens, chopped (I used kale, Swiss chard and spinach)

2 large cloves garlic, minced

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

3 Tbsp. Romano cheese, grated

1/4 cup bread crumbs + more for sprinkling

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 cup soft goat cheese or feta

24 sheets fillo pastry dough, thawed

Egg wash:

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 Tbsp. butter

1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 375.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook onion until it is soft. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.

Add green mix and cook until wilted down, adding a tablespoon of water if necessary. Remove from the heat and allow the mix to cool.

Once cool, stir eggs, cheeses, breadcrumbs, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper and mix gently.

Place fillo dough on clean work surface. Place one sheet on the surface and paint with the egg wash and sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon of bread crumbs. Add another sheet of the dough on top, then paint with egg wash and sprinkle with more bread crumbs. Repeat two more times until you have a 4 sheet layer of the dough. Cut the fillo sheets in half lengthwise.

Place about 1/3 cup of filling on the bottom corner of the fillo rectangle. Start folding the dough across in a triangle and continue folding the dough up as if folding a flag.

Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and Brush tops with a little of the egg wash.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve immediately.

These also freeze well.

More Greek inspired recipes:

Greek Mac and Cheese from Lemon and Olives

Gluten Free Greek Pasta Salad from Lets Be Yummy

Baklava Cups from A Couple Cooks

Vegetarian Gyros from Paaka Shaale

Classic Brian from The Foodie Corner

Lamb Souvlaki and Greek Salad from Gourmet Getaways