Spanakopita with Arugula

spanakopita with arugula

This was the first time I made spanakopita where I made my own filo dough.  It took a lot longer to make than I anticipated but it ended up turning out very good.  I find it really difficult to make the dough as thin as I would prefer (or what is probably customary) and need to work on either the dough recipe or refine my rolling skills; however, this recipe I found online seemed to do the trick for now.  If you make your own dough, plan on adding an hour or two to the recipe below and be prepared for the novelty to wear off fast.  On the other hand, if you want to save time and energy go for the pre-made, store-bought filo.  For the filling, I added my own twist by including arugula in addition to the spinach to give it some added flavor and nutrition.  Also, I used a block of extra firm tofu to reduce the amount of feta cheese needed.

Serves: 8-10
Prep Time:  1-2 hr
Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients:

1 package filo dough (or 10-12, 9 x13 in. homemade sheets or slightly larger)
1 stick butter, melted
1 head spinach, cleaned and chopped
5 oz baby arugula
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced to chopped
1 container mushrooms, sliced
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
8 oz feta cheese, crumbled
1 block, extra firm tofu, crumbled
1 egg (optional)
1 squeezed lemon
1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
salt to taste

Directions: 

• preheat oven to 350º F
• steam spinach and arugula, drain and set aside
• saute garlic, onions, mushrooms in olive oil with a dash of salt until soft 
• crumble and combine feta and tofu in a large bowl
• using a fork mix in basil and parsley to the feta and tofu
• combine spinach, arugula, sauteed veggies/mushroom with feta mixture
• add lemon juice and throughly mix together all ingredients
• add in an egg if you think the ingredients are not bound together enough
• butter the bottom and sides of an 9 x 13 in. glass baking dish
• place a layer of filo along the bottom (its ok to have extra dough curling over the dish edge)
• brush a nice layer of butter on top of the filo
• repeat 5 to 6 times or more (depending on how much pastry you would like)
• evenly spread all of the filling on top of the filo dough
• press the "flaps" of the excess filo on top of the filling 
• add another 5-6 layers of filo as the top layer of pasty following the directions described above
• using a sharp knife carefully cut the entire dish into 16 equally sized triangles
• bake for approximately 1 hr, or until the top is well browned

Alternatives:

• use dried Italian seasoning if you don't have fresh parsley and basil
• leave out arugula and add another head of spinach
• try other greens, such as, kale or chard  
• add other vegetables (leeks, broccoli, or cauliflower)