Byrek Me Spinaq | Albanian Spinach Pie

Byrek mi spinaq slice with asparagus and potato

5 from 13 votes

Byrek Me Spinaq | Albanian Spinach Pie

Byrek Me Spinaq which is an Albanian Spinach Pie is a delicious savory pie made with spinach and feta filling layered between flaky Phyllo (Filo) pastry sheets.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1

Total Time1 15

Course: Baking, Lunch Recipes

Cuisine: Albanian, European

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: Pieces

Calories: 273kcal

Author: Sandhya Ramakrishnan

Equipment

1 Oven
1 saute pan
1 spatula

Ingredients

1 package Phyllo or filo pastry sheets
½ cup Spring onion Finely chopped
1 lb Spinach Washed and coarsely chopped
2 cloves Garlic minced
¾ cup Greek yogurt or hung yogurt
1 cup Feta cheese More or less as per your liking – grated/crumbled
¾ cup Butter or olive oil You could use a combination of both
to taste Salt and pepper
2 teaspoon Red chili flakes Optional
2 teaspoon Olive oil to saute

Instructions

Prepare the phyllo pastry sheets. Remove it from the freezer and defrost it as per the instructions. It is very important to properly thaw the sheets; otherwise, it could rip very easily. I have been there and done that several times when I try to rush the thawing process.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the olive oil to it. Mix both wells and keep aside.
Sauté it for about 1 minute and then add the minced garlic . Cook for a minute and then add the chopped spinach.
Sauté the spinach until the leaves wilt and then remove it from flame.
Transfer the spinach mixture to a large bowl and let it cool a bit.
Now add the grated/crumbled feta cheese, yogurt, salt and pepper, red chili flakes and mix well. When adding salt, remember that the feta cheese already has salt in it. So keep that in mind and add the salt accordingly.
Grease a 9 x 13 pan and start layering out the phyllo sheets. Lay one sheet and then brush with the melted butter/oil all over the surface. Lay another sheet on top and repeat the same. Do the layering, until you use up 15 sheets.
Now add the spinach mixture to the tray and spread evenly.
Top with the remaining 15 sheets of phyllo repeating the process of layering. Liberally brush the topmost layer with the remaining butter/oil mixture. Make sure to seal the edges well so the filling does not ooze out.
Bake in a preheated 375 F oven for about 45 minutes, or until the pie is golden brown. Check with a knife to see if the bottom-most layer is cooked and crunchy.
Remove from oven and let it cool for about 15 minutes.
Slice the Albanian Spinach Pie and serve.

Video

Notes

Expert tips

I cannot insist on how important it is to thaw the phyllo sheets patiently. That makes assembling the spinach pie much easier without tearing.
Remove as much as moisture you can from the spinach filling. I let the spinach sit in the pan for few minutes after cooking and then remove just the filling with the slotted spoon.
A binding agent like egg or yogurt is important to keep the filling intact.
The extra heat from the red pepper flakes works beautifully with the mild pastry sheets. I would highly recommend it.
If you are looking for a change, you could mix up the feta with other cheese of your choice. It would just not be a traditional Albanian spinach pie, but will be delicious.
We won't be using all the butter / oil mixture. Just use enough to keep the layers of the phyllo sheet intact.

Nutrition