Greek Spanakopita Triangles or feta and spinach pies, a fantastic appetizer or healthy snack and can be enjoyed either warm or cold. Learn how to fold the phyllo dough to perfection and impress all your guests with these fabulous bites.
What are spanakopita triangles?
Spanakopita is a Greek pie commonly made from spinach, feta cheese, spring onions and eggs, but other ingredients and seasoning can be added as well.
There is also a vegan version which is usually consumed during Lent, and it does not contain dairy or eggs. My Greek spanakipita triangles are sure to please a crowd.
I absolutely adore these spinach pies, they are a fabulous snack whenever l feel peckish. They can also can be served as an excellent starter for any meal, be it a fancy dinner, a party or just just the usual supper.
And my partner agrees as well, so needless to say that they disappear in less than 10 minutes once they are out of the oven. We don’t even wait for them to cool down?
They are also a fabulous afterschool snack to little ones, or you can add one or two to the school lunch box, the kids will never refuse them, not even those you dislike spinach.
How do you fold phyllo dough into spanakopita triangles/turnovers?
The only thing that really puts me off making them every single day is the folding bit, it is quite a time-consuming job.
Or maybe that’s just me too impatient to see them in the oven, as l could normally spend hours in the kitchen without getting bored or complaining that l’m tired.
But once all the triangles are folded up nicely, you know you’ll be having some serious goodies.
So, all you need to do is:
- lay 1 phyllo sheet on the work surface and brush generously with olive oil. Hold it in half, then using a sharp knife cut it into 4 strips.
- place a teaspoon of the spinach mixture right at the end of each strip, then fold it into a triangle. Job done!
I am not usually so lazy in the kitchen, and wouldn’t usually mind the folding bit.
But I guess when I am pressed by time, I really rush to get everything done sooner rather than later, before my two little girls start whinging. They are such attention-seekers. Mummy’s girls, hey!
Or, if you really don’t want to use phyllo pastry, why not use puff pastry, that should make life easier, just cut it into squares, then add the filling, and fold into a triangle. How simple!
Can you freeze Spanakopita triangles?
Yes, absolutely! I would recommend freezing them before baking, so follow all the steps above, and just pop from in the oven from frozen whenever you need them.
The baking time might vary slightly, I would think they will take a bit longer in the oven from frozen.
Other healthy snacks made with spinach
I absolutely love these Spanakopita triangles, they are healthy, delicious, can be enjoyed anytime, and go vey well with kids too.
Take them on a picnic, or put them in your kids’ lunch box, or give them some as an after school snack, there are just perfect no matter what.
Spinach can be replaced with kale if you wish, and cow’s cheese can be replaced with feta cheese or ricotta.
Other spinach bites you might love:
Tomato, Spinach and Asparagus Tartlets
If you’ve tried these SPANAKOPITA TRIANGLES or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
Greek Spanakopita Triangles or feta and spinach pies, a fantastic appetizer or healthy snack and can be enjoyed either warm or cold. Learn how to fold the phyllo dough to perfection and impress all your guests with these fabulous bites.
- 5 phyllo pastry sheets
- 250 g cow's cheese (or feta cheese)
- 1 cup frozen spinach, thawned
- 1 egg
- 1 spring onion
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 cup olive oil
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Break the cow's cheese into big chunks and add them to a bowl. I used Apetina block cheese, which is quite crumbly, so I could just mash it with a fork. Otherwise, just grate the cheese.
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Next, chop the spinach and spring onion finely and add them to the bowl together with the egg and mix well until combined.
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Add the salt and pepper and mix again until you have a uniform paste.
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Lay 1 phyllo sheet on the work surface and brush generously with olive oil.
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Hold it in half, then using a sharp knife cut it into 4 strips.
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Place a teaspoon of the spinach mixture right at the end of each strip, then fold it into a tringle.
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Repeat with the remaining phyllo sheets until all the spinach mixture has been used up.
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Line a baking tray with non-stick parchment paper and bake the triangles at 180 degrees C until golden and crunchy.
If you would like to see the measurements in cups and ounces, please click on the US CUSTOMARY link.
Silvia says
May 12, 2016 at 8:00 pmArata extraordinar de bine :).
Si cred ca sunt si foarte bune, combinatia de branza cu spanac e foarte gustoasa, mai ales ricotta.
Daniela Apostol says
May 12, 2016 at 8:19 pmMultumesc! Mi se facuse dor de pateurile noastre cu branza si m-am gandit sa adaug si spanac, sunt tare bune, intr-adevar.
Melissa @ My Wife Can Cook says
May 17, 2016 at 11:16 amYum, looks delicious! I haven’t used phyllo dough more than a couple times. But after seeing this, I need to try it out.
Daniela Apostol says
May 17, 2016 at 6:12 pmThank you 🙂
Helen @ family-friends-food says
May 17, 2016 at 11:16 amOh, those look delicious! I could just eat one right now 🙂
Daniela Apostol says
May 17, 2016 at 6:13 pmThank you!
Lisa | Garlic + Zest says
May 17, 2016 at 11:42 amthese look and sound amazing. I’ve only worked with phyllo dough once, but this looks really easy to do, and I know my family would love it!
Christie says
May 17, 2016 at 12:50 pmI would love these little triangles. They are perfect for a party and I am sure they would freeze perfectly.
Daniela Apostol says
May 17, 2016 at 6:12 pmThank you! 🙂
Nancy | Plus Ate Six says
May 18, 2016 at 1:29 amOh I love spinach and feta together as a combo – I wouldn’t be able to stop at just the one!
Daniela Apostol says
May 18, 2016 at 4:35 amThat is a very tasty combination indeed. Thank you for your comment! ?
Elizabeth says
September 24, 2016 at 2:17 pmJust so you know. These are not called “triangles”. They’re called samosas. Call them what they are.
Daniela Apostol says
September 24, 2016 at 5:33 pmPeople associate samosas with the Indian snack that has that specific Asian seasoning, mine are a Greek style snack without any strong seasoning, that is the reason why l will not name them samosas,as people would be expecting an Indian snack, and that would be deceiving.
Hope that helps!
NotleftbehindinAtl says
December 2, 2016 at 6:36 pmMy mother always told me,”if you don’t have anything kind to say…don’t say it at all!”
It’s not always what you say it’s all in the words you use.
Blessings
Desi Anderson says
August 15, 2017 at 8:26 amThis is so rude, they have nothing to do with samosas,except the triangle shape, and samosas are more like pyramid, completely different dough and filling and technique,it’s just sad to see rude comments like this one.
Fani says
December 19, 2018 at 9:59 pmMiss Elizabeth, I am Greek-American and that’s what we called them, triangles in English and trigona in Greek. Also, except triagles , we roll them like flogera ( an instrument called flute). They are delicious!!!
Daniela Anderson says
December 20, 2018 at 6:50 pmThank you for your comment, l’m glad l got it right 😊
Shannon says
February 2, 2017 at 10:38 pmI’m about to make these! Can you be more specific in how long you need to leave them in the oven?
Daniela Anderson says
February 2, 2017 at 11:52 pmHi Shannon! Thank you for your comment! Check them after 15 minutes, just to get an idea how long more they need to be in there for. Each oven can be different, but they should not need to be in there for longer than 25-30 minutes. I hope this helps!
Karen says
February 10, 2017 at 12:46 amHi Daniela. Thank you for this recipe! Can they be made ahead and reheated?
Daniela Anderson says
February 10, 2017 at 1:00 amHi Karen! Thank you for your comment! They can definitely be made ahead, and although they are absolutely delicious cold too, if you prefer them warm, just pop them in the preheated oven for 5 minutes or so, that should do. I would go for 180-200 degrees Celsius. I hope this helps!
joan mcnary says
December 21, 2017 at 5:00 pmThese are just wonderful! I was so pleased to find a recipe that called for olive oil rather than butter. Thank you so much for sharing!
Daniela Anderson says
December 21, 2017 at 7:27 pmHi Joan,
Thank you for your comment! I am glad you liked the recipe, it is one of my favourite.
Pongodhall says
March 7, 2018 at 8:30 amI’m struggling with spelling, spanikoptica, a traditional Greek pastry NOT samosa at all. But many countries tries cook same types of things. when I was vegetarian I had a lot of these every time I was in Greece. Lovely, I make them often, but vegan gf, other half now has obsession. I will give him this recipe. Thanks for recipe.
Ashley says
March 27, 2018 at 12:13 amI made this recipe tonight and it was fantastic! I was worried it wouldn’t be as rich with olive oil instead of butter, but it turned out delicious! My 4 year old even loved it, and he doesn’t love vegetables.
Daniela Anderson says
March 27, 2018 at 7:15 amHi Ashley, Thank you for your comment! I am glad you enjoyed my recipe, my little ones like it too.