Spinach pie or spanakopita gets a wintry twist with the addition of caramelized roasted delicata squash chunks!
pumpkin spanakopita from Eats Well With Others

If you ever want your fiance to reconsider proposing marriage to you, just desecrate the food of his ancestors.

Switch up ingredients! Add orange vegetables! USE LESS NO BUTTER!

And do it all with the kind of reckless disregard for tradition that makes people turn in their graves.

IMG_3221

Or ask for their rings back.

KIDDING. Kind of.

IMG_3208

The.Boy and I have been together long enough that he’s come to realize that not only do I have an aversion to ever making the same thing twice, but.

Nothing is sacred when it comes to my kitchen experiments.

Of course, it’s totally fine when it’s my grandmother’s recipes I’m messing with, but when the shoe is on the other foot, someone feels like it’s his filial right to whine, moan, and complain about eating dinner.

IMG_3215

Until I finally take matters into my own hands and shove a crispy, creamy, sweet, tangy, salty, buttery-without-butter piece of roasted delicata squash/swiss chard/feta stuffed phyllo dough in his mouth.

And then he’s all, “well maybe I’ll just have three slices”.

Just. Right. Boys?!

IMG_3225

The one piece of constructive criticism he did have was that it might be better if the filling:phyllo ratio was a little bigger. I made this in a LARGE baking sheet, but you might want to try it out in a 9×13-inch setting or even smaller to make the slices a bit thicker.

This is my submission to WEEK FIVE of the 12 Weeks of Winter Squash! If you dabble in squash at all this week, feel free to link up!

IMG_3219

One year ago…Pumpkin Pie Bread Pudding with Bourbon Icing

Two years ago…Moroccan Butternut Squash and Chickpea Tagine with Quinoa, The River Cafe’s Winter Minestrone

Three years ago…Pumpkin Ravioli with Sage and Toasted Hazelnuts, Savory Pumpkin Knot Rolls

Four years ago…Aromatic Noodles with Lime Peanut Sauce

Pumpkin Spanakopita
 
Spinach pie or spanakopita gets a wintry twist with the addition of caramelized roasted delicata squash chunks!
Yield: 6-12 servings
Ingredients
For the filling
  • 1 delicata squash, seeded and cut into ½-inch cubes
  • 1 bunch swiss chard, destemmed and coarsely chopped
  • ¼ cup water
  • ½ lb feta cheese, crumbled
  • ¾ cup nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 tsp dried dill
  • 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
  • salt, to taste
For the phyllo
  • 7 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ lb (9x13-inch) phyllo, thawed
  • ¾ cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400. Arrange the delicata squash on a large baking tray lined with parchment paper and roast for 20-30 minutes or until fork-tender. Set aside. Increase the oven temperature to 425.
  2. Place the swiss chard in a large microwave-safe bowl with the water in it. Cover the bowl with a large dinner plate and microwave on high until the chard is wilted and decreased in volume by half, about 5 minutes. Remove the bowl and let sit, covered, for 1 minute. Carefully remove the plate and transfer the chard to a strainer set in the sink. Using the back of a wooden spoon, gently press the chard against the side of the strainer to remove as much water as possible. Roughly chop the chard.
  3. Place the spinach in a large bowl and toss with the delicata squash, feta, yogurt, eggs, dill, garlic, black pepper, and salt. Set aside.
  4. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay 1 phyllo sheet on the parchment and brush thoroughly with the olive oil. Repeat with 9 more sheets, brushing each with olive oil, for 10 layers total.
  5. Spread the filling evenly over the phyllo. Cover the filling with 6 more phyllo sheets, brushing with olive oil and sprinkling with parmesan cheese. Press down on the sheets to make sure there are no air bubbles. Using a sharp knife, cut the top three(ish) layers of parchment into 12 pieces. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until phyllo is crisp and golden. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Heavily adapted from America's Test Kitchen
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 square

IMG_3236

blog_share_subscribe
Share →

78 Responses to Pumpkin Spanakopita

  1. Beth says:

    I’m loving your squash recipes! And there’s no recipe that’s so sacred that you can’t tinker with it.

  2. Christine says:

    My oh my, your dishes of late are really so tempting! Never used phyllo dough so this will be an adventure 🙂 And The.Boy needs to know not everyone can deal with heavy duty butter so an alternative is always something many can be thankful for. Give him a hug for me.

  3. Spinach and squash in a pie? Yes please!

  4. Johanna GGG says:

    I’d take three pieces too – sound lovely though I would go for more pumpkin and less swiss chard – that’s the way I roll – and would probably horrify the boy more 🙂

  5. I could normally take or leave spanakopita… but this is a completely different story! I also like the idea of increasing the filling ratio… because frankly I could probably eat the filling with a spoon!

  6. Looks like a delicious twist on this classic dish!

  7. Love all the flaky layers! Yum!

  8. Love the flakiness of the phyllo! Looks amazing.

  9. My husband hates when I try to change things up, too. He’s all “why can’t we just have regular pasta?” and I get cranky. So I’m going to make this for him and tell him to deal with it because this looks delicious!

  10. Simply Life says:

    what a fun idea for pumpkin!

  11. What a nice take on spanakopita!

  12. Trisha says:

    Beautiful! I love that even though he complained, he couldn’t help but eat 3 pieces since it was so good. I think you’ve successfully reeled him in with your cooking skills. 🙂

  13. I’ll send you all of my family recipes if you can somehow incorporate squash and remove all the butter. This sounds AMAZINGLY wonderful and delicious.

  14. such a great idea! I love dishes with unexpected veggies in them!

  15. Omg, what???? I didn’t think I could possibly love spanakopita more. But… of course he had 3 slices! Gimme.

  16. This is all sorts of amazing! I love the flakiness of spanakopita. The flavors here are super wintry and I love that. Well done!

  17. Oh…fiddling like this is a GOOD thing. A really, really good thing! Glad a certain someone came around. Sort of. 😉

  18. Jessie says:

    JUST three slices. He must not have been very hungry 😉 I’d be all over this spanakopita, no matter the filling:phyllo ratio. What an awesome way to use pumpkin to shake up a classic!

  19. BRILLIANT. I think I need to run out and get phyllo dough so I can make this pronto – yum!

  20. i like anything stuffed inside phyllo dough. love the idea of using olive oil.

  21. SallyBR says:

    Absolutely brilliant take on a classic! He will re-propose all over again, I guarantee it!

  22. Anything stuffed in a flaky dough is a welcome treat.
    Your version looks very nice Joanne. Happy Monday.

  23. I love how you think lady! Squash in spanakopita…Freakin’ brilliant.

  24. Pam says:

    You are so creative! I think making it in a 9×13 is a great idea… I like the idea of a thick piece of this beauty.

  25. Delicata squash is my new obsession! And I love spanakopita, Win!

  26. You know I love me some Greek food and I was skeptical but looking at the recipe I think this is a really beautifully done healthier version! Pinning this for later! Much love and great job!

  27. Such a fun take on traditional spanakopita! Love this!!

  28. Tahnycooks says:

    I would have a hard time stopping at 3 slices! Looks sooooo good!

  29. Wow, Joanne! You make things like this spanakopita look easy! It looks so perfect and incredibly delicious.

  30. What a wonderful idea! Phyllo is so versatile I feel as though you can make almost anything with it!

  31. I want to curl up in between those layers of deliciousness! You have mad skills, gurrrrl!

  32. I am so utterly impressed with this, lady! You got some talent, mama 🙂

  33. I am all for you incorporating pumpkin into things like spanakopita. Even better if you mail me a slice (or five ;)).

  34. Erica says:

    Very creative, Joanne!…What a wonderful variation of this popular dish….That Pumpkin Spanakopita looks amazing!

  35. Meg says:

    Oh, spanakopita . . . just seeing the name makes my mouth water! This sounds and looks so good!

  36. How funny, It’s a good thing my husband came from a meatloaf and mashed potatoes family, hard to mess that up (I think, I never make either 😉 Actually, come to think of it, the one time I did attempt meatloaf, I made it with ground turkey, sun dried tomatoes and feta. I suppose I got a bit of the same attitude as the.boy. ;}

  37. Kate says:

    Have you tried this with mashed/pureed squash? I feel like that texture would compliment the cheese/spinach.

  38. Deena kakaya says:

    What a lovely idea, I can see how it would really work x

  39. Karen says:

    Looks crispy and wonderfully satisfying. Good job!

  40. Tracey says:

    This is such a phenomenal twist on traditional spanakopita – I’m not one bit surprised the boy came around on it 🙂

  41. Love how you remixed this recipe! Great addition!

  42. I love spanakopita…and I love this twist on it. I am all about the squash!

  43. Kathryn says:

    This is such a great idea. I am quite partial to spanakopita but the addition of squash in there just makes it into something so much more satisfying-sounding.

  44. NEED! M has GOT to be used to you switching things up by now!!! haha, it’s your nature to “healthify”!

  45. Megan says:

    This looks amazing to me. Experiment away! I also have an aversion to making the same thing more than once. I tried so many new recipes for Thanksgiving. It was a lot of fun.

  46. Christina says:

    I have eaten more squash this fall than ever before. You may or may not be the source of this… 🙂

  47. P says:

    Sometimes things need to be changed up a bit for fun. I love the idea of pumpkin in spanakopita!

  48. I love spanakopita! Switching it up by adding pumpkin is a great idea, and I’ll probably want 3 slices, too!

  49. I am so loving all your squash recipes! Such a genius idea to use swiss chard and pumpkin! I make burek (which is basically spinakopita) almost monthly for my husband who insists for it to be just like his mothers. I may have to give him a heart attack and make this instead!

  50. Shannon says:

    this sounds absolutely delicious! i’d have three slices, too 😉

  51. Bea says:

    Oh yes – this sounds absolutely amazing!!! Yum!

  52. Monica says:

    Love this lightened up version! I would eat “just” take 3 slices, too!

  53. Lynn says:

    That looks very tasty!

  54. patsy says:

    I think this is a fabulous new spin on a classic dish!

  55. As if pumpkin pie wasn’t dangerous enough!

  56. Wow, this looks fantastic! I’ll have just three slices too! 😛

  57. Next year I’ll be picking spinach from the garden to definitely make this! What a beauty!

  58. Monet says:

    Beautiful. I love delicata squash. Thank you for sharing, my friend! I hope you are having a great start to your week!

  59. I love the idea of incorporating pumpkin in Spanakopita. Looks utterly delicious Joanne!

  60. He’ll be criticising you for changing *this* recipe next time around 🙂 I think this is a great twist on tradition!

  61. Hotly Spiced says:

    That’s a gorgeous looking pie. I would love to come home and find a meal like this – it looks very tasty xx

  62. Haha, you’re not trying to replace his grandma’s recipe…just switch it up for a change 😉 This looks great, Joanne! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

  63. What a delicious idea! Joanne I love this Greek pie with spinach and even with meat, but made with vegetables like these- Oh boy and vegetarian delight …for sure!

  64. grace says:

    i agree that a thicker version might be better, but this still looks mighty fine. 🙂

  65. This looks exceptional, and the filling-to-phyllo ratio looks just perfect to me, because I’m kinda just in it for the phyllo. Seriously though, this version looks better than the original, and considering how good the traditional kind is, that’s saying something!

  66. What a great twist on spanakopita! I love that there’s no butter and the pumpkin addition, yum 😉

  67. That is super creative Joanne! I am sure I would love it – I can not say no to spanakopita – so good!

  68. Reeni says:

    Us food bloggers were made for tinkering with recipes! It’s what feeds our souls. This looks thoroughly delectable! Loving the addition of squash!

  69. I love the combination of ingredients in this and that it’s so much healthier than traditional versions! Experimenting and changing up traditional recipes is how we get amazing new ones – test away!

  70. Love the changes you made. It sounds delicious 🙂

  71. Victoria says:

    Fabulous!! I love this sweet addition to one of my favorite Greek classics. Well done, m’dear 🙂

  72. I’m glad you’re exercising your right to tinkering with his favorites. This twist on spanakopita looks outrageous!

  73. borisa says:

    Excellent recipe!!! I made something similar last night. The only ingredients I not using for baking pita is pumpkin. This kind of vegetable is not that much popular in Yugoslavian cuisine. Everything else is just right:)

  74. Rika says:

    I love phyllo with anything, and I agree chunky squash is a perfect filling. Looks very easy to veganise, thank you!

  75. […] Pumpkin Spanakopita from Eats Well with Others […]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *