Feta, spinach, mozzarella in a flaky pie crust
I had a craving for spanakopita. The deliciousness of feta and spinach in this tasty Greek treat is hard to beat. But the time-consuming process of making a filo dough was not an option. So, I decided to take the primary flavors and use a different (and quicker) pastry to create a delicious dinner – a Greek Spinach Galette.
To begin, I mixed up the pie crust dough. I used a food processor to quickly mix up a batch, but you can also mix by hand. I added some sour cream to make the dough a bit richer and pair with the filling. If you like making galettes (or tarts and pies) I strongly suggest mixing up a double batch of the dough and freezing half for later use. Just wrap in plastic wrap and put in a freezer bag.
Given how quickly spinach cooks, the filling is incredibly quick to make. After wilting the spinach and adding the remaining ingredients, you are ready to roll out the pie dough and make your galette.
Galettes are meant to be free form, so don’t worry about making a perfect circle. (If you do care, you can trim your edges) Roll your dough to roughly 1/8 in thick. Move your piecrust to the pan you are going to bake on and sprinkle the mozzarella in the center. Leave a few inches all around so that you can fold this part up to for the edge and top of the galette. Then, spread the filling on top of the mozzarella and fold the edges over the filling.
You will notice the use of mozzarella in this recipe and that it is not mixed in with the rest of the filling. This is a great little trick for savory galettes, especially if you have a wetter filling you are using. The cheese on the bottom helps form a barrier so the bottom crust does not get soggy during baking.
Before baking the galette in the oven, brush the top with a bit of scrambled egg to help give it a beautiful golden color. Once baked, allow your galette to rest for a few minutes to let the filling solidify just a bit then cut and enjoy.
This dish works well as a standalone for lunch. For dinners, I would pair it with a light salad. If you are looking for a quick appetizer, the same ingredients could be transformed into mini tarts quite easily. For whatever meal you make this for though, you can be sure it will disappear quickly!
– The Recipe –
Greek Spinach Galete
prep time: 15 min
total time: 55 hr
makes: 1 galette
Ingredients
Dough
- 1.5 c flour
- 8 tbsp butter
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sour cream
- 3/8 c ice cold water
- scrambled egg (for egg wash)
Filling
- 1 c shredded mozzarella
- 6 c uncooked spinach
- 1 c feta
- 1 tbsp sour cream
- 1/8 tsp oregano
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp capers
Directions
- In a food processor pulse the butter, salt, and flour together until well combined.
- Add the sour cream and add ice cold water slowly, pulsing between addition of water until the dough just comes together into a ball.
- Cover and allow the dough to rest while preparing the filling.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a pan on the stove, add a teaspoon of water and wilt the spinach on medium heat.
- Mix in the feta, sour cream, oregano, and garlic and capers.
- Roll out the pie dough to 1/8 in thick.
- Place the dough on a baking sheet and sprinkle the mozzarella on the center of the dough, leaving a few inches around the edge of the dough free.
- Place the filling on top of the cheese.
- Fold the edge of the piecrust up over the filling to form the edges of the galette.
- Brush the surface of the pie crust with the egg.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and cool for 2-3 minutes before slicing and serving.
Apricity 