Rule #1 of food blog design: Never launch a new design or features the day before you go on vacation or travel.
I thought I had learned this lesson, oh…..5 WordPress themes ago, but apparently I underwent a momentary lapse of good judgement last Friday. Not only were we going on a family vacation at Disney World, but we were hosting Food Blog Forum in Orlando at Disney World for 100 attendees and their families. (More on those fun times in another post!)
Scott and I started getting emails from readers that, “Your site be broke!” as one so eloquently wrote. But our energy was dedicated to creating magical moments for FBF attendees and our boys, and not for freaking out on a broke site. So we stopped checking emails and just had fun.
It was harder than I’m making it sound. There’s no such thing as “stop checking emails” or “turning off phones” for geeks like us. But we did our best and you know what? Our weekend was one of the best eeeevvveerrrrr!!!
Broccoli Spanakopita…or Broccolikopita
Spanakopita is a Greek pastry, usually filled with spinach and feta cheese folded in layers of filo dough. Most of the time, I see them folded into triangles (kinda like how you fold an American flag), but I decided that rolls were easier to shape, easy enough for my boys to help me in the kitchen.
Instead of spinach, we used fresh broccoli, something we had plenty of in the garden. Crispy, flaky and savory.
The first step is to lightly saute the onions, garlic and broccoli in olive oil. Season with a pinch of ground nutmeg and salt and pepper.
The broccoli should still be a little crunchy and bright green. Let the pan cool a bit and then stir in the raw egg. If the pan is too hot, the egg will cook. Remember, this all goes in the oven later for 20 minutes, so everything will be perfectly cooked.
Lay out a sheet of filo, brush with melted butter, then add another sheet. Spoon a couple tablespoons of the broccoli filling in the middle, near the bottom.
Fold over both sides.
Roll up.
Once you’re done with all of the rolls, brush the tops with butter.
Bake for 20 minutes and serve hot!
Broccoli Spanakopita Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 1 head broccoli, finely chopped
- pinch ground nutmeg
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 cup feta cheese
- 1 egg, whisked
- 20 sheets filo dough (about 1/2 package), covered with barely-damp towel
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
- Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Swirl in the olive oil and saute the onions until transluscent. Add in the garlic and the broccoli and saute for 3 minutes, or until the broccoli is just starting to get tender but still bright green. Season with nutmeg, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Remove from heat and let cool until no longer steaming. Stir in the egg and the feta cheese.
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Lay 1 filo sheet on clean surface. Brush completely with melted butter. Lay another sheet on top. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the broccoli filling 1" from the bottom edge, in the middle. Fold the left side of the filo sheet over, then fold the right side over. Fold the bottom edge towards to top and roll. Place on baking sheet seam side down. Brush the top with melted butter. Repeat with remaining to make 10 rolls.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until tops are golden brown and crispy.
Did you try this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a review in the comment section! I always appreciate your feedback and I know other readers do, too!
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Just made this last night. Everyone loved it. (Shocking–that rarely happens!) Thanks for the recipe. I bet you can add all sorts of veggies to it as well. Next time I’ll probably use wonton/egg roll wrappers or make them in one long roll baklava style as was suggested above.
Thank you so much!! – jaden
Trying it today, lets see what happens. My friend isnt into veggies, but what the heck, im going to use my dough that was negated for beef Wellington. I will send up an update. Wish me luck.
I too bought pastry for Beef Wellington….and then abandoned the idea. We were just at a cooking demo with Chef Gordon Ramsey and he made it look so easy.
Hello there! Your recipe sounds yummy but I wanted to make some correction as a Greek.
First of all spanakopita is only made with spinach (or spanaki in greek) no broccoli.
Secondly we don’t use broccoli for pies so you proppably should’t call it broccolikopita ( or brokolopita) but broccoli pie or something.
And last we don’t usually bake the filling ,unless the veggies are too hard (potatos for example) or the stuffing has meat, we just leave it to cook together with the sheets of dough!
P.S you could try your own handmade dough which is pretty easy and really delicious just ad flour, warm water a little bit of olive oil, a little bit of salt and small glass of wine. ^^
Megan, you are so right! The commercial dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves), baklava, and spanakopita are never as good as homemade and I’ve tried them all. It used to be almost impossible to get Greek recipes, as my grandmother would always say you need a little bit of this and a little bit of that! LOL Now, Greek food is very popular and Greeks have written many wonderful cookbooks. I probably have about 12 now.
Leyla, you actually could roll it long and then cut it, like you do with baklava. The dough holds up well when cooked, so that would work.
These used to be baked in a 13 X 9 and cut into triangles, and I would have never thought of this concept, especially with the broccoli. What a lovely idea! Can’t wait to try this.
I have a horrible habit of doing recipes without checking the fridge *grr*. I thought we had feta but we didnt, and everything was set to go so I added ricotta instead as well as 2 boiled potatos sitting sadly in the fridge. I was going to add a little mozzarella cheese but forgot all about that lol. It needed a little something like a spice but I guess if I used feta I would have got that tang sort of taste.
My mom rolled some long, like length wise. I liked this way better because it came out more crisp and not as doughy, she was originally going to curl it into a pinwheel sort after but she said I had put too much filling in.
Thanks for the recipe!
I find it funny that the feta was left out of the recipe. I saw a few mentioned it so I didn’t bother asking as well but it isn’t amended yet. I would guess its added with the egg? I have never tried broccoli with feta. I think I might try mozzarella in a batch and feta in another and see how they both turn out. Would mozz make the FILO soggy?
Oops so sorry guys! Yes, it’s added with the eggs!
I have never tried feta cheese before. Does anyone have a comparison to what it tastes like? I don’t want to but the mixings, make a batch, just to find out I don’t like the flavor!!!
I’ve only ever tried spanakopita from the Costco box and although tasty – I don’t dare think they could ever compare to the real thing (ie Acutally made at home) These looks fantastic and guilt-free.
a good twist for the traditional spanakopita. for another twist, since all i have are wonton wrappers – i’ll try it with those!
That looks really good.
http://bit.ly/HCeR7S
Thank you for another winning recipe Jaden!
Made these last night along with a batch of standard spanokpita for comparison but the broccolikopita was the favorite. (Still have most of spanakopita left)
I made broccolikopita tiny appetizer size by brushing only half of a filo sheet with melted butter then folding filo sheet in half before filling with a scant TBS of filling.
So pretty and delicious.
Tried with egg roll wrapper and then fried. Was really good! Hit with the family.
That’s what we love about you…you know the rules of blogging and then promptly thumb your nose at them 🙂
Genius idea with these, Jaden!
Holy moly! That massive fish you caught on your trip!!!!!! Love your Mac & Cheese too.
Great idea. I love the “little broccoli pies”. Where can I learn more about your Food Blogg Forums?
Thank you!!
I love broccoli! This is a must-make. Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
“Happy Cooking”
Have you ever tried freezing the uncooked ones? How did that work out? Same heating instructions? These look amazing!!
yes! freeze them in a single layer (just line them up in a freezer bag and lay flat in freezer) add 5 minutes to your cooking time.
Where does the feta come into the recipe?
Tricky to pronounce but it looks delicious!
Great looking rolls; just one small objection; spanakopita actually means spinach (spanaki) pie (pita). Greeks make large pies or rolls or triangles, stuffing them with all sorts of vegetables, meats and/or cheeses, singly or combined. So what you have is a “broccolopita” or “broccolopitakia”, i.e. little broccoli pies.
Regarding using egg roll wrappers: funnily enough, in the 1990s, before there were Asian markets in Greece, filo was the usual substitute used for egg rolls, spring rolls, etc.
I made these last night. Man, they were good. Even my 10 yr. old liked them and she usually doesn’t like cooked broccoli. I’ll definitely be making these again. Thanks for this great recipe.
This looks fantastic! I’m sorry to hear about your site “breaking” I would be excited to put up the new changes, too. Also, I’m a phone checker….so I feel your pain!
I’m glad you had a good time in WDW. I know I had an amazing time at the forum! Thanks again!
These look delicious, Jaden! Also, I love the idea of subbing the filo dough with egg roll wrappers (suggested by Kat). I bake egg roll appetizers all the time and they turn out great.
Such a great idea! I love spanakopita and I love broccoli, can’t wait to try this!
you forgot the feta????
I had the same question. I think she forgot it! I would add it to the mix right before I rolled it up!
This was intended for Tracy! ..about the Feta!
What a great idea! Love it! It was SO great to see you again and learn from you and your husband for another fabulous Food Blog Forum! You are amazing and so fabulous, and I am honored to know you and to have had the opportunity to attend 3 Food Blog Forums! I hope to see you soon!
I love this idea! It takes the roll idea from spring or egg rolls but keeps the traditional spanikopita ingredients and cooking method. Much healthier than frying too!
Can you use egg roll wraps with this recipe?
oooh what a great idea! Though I’ve never baked egg roll wrappers before, just deep fried.
i love the idea of using broccoli. for some reason, i always end up with extra in the fridge. this is a great way to use it up
Love spanakopita and your idea using broccoli! It’s hard when the blog goes down but most importantly, marveling that it’s up and running now 😀
Love this idea! I haven’t had a good spanakopita since our wedding…why not try my next one with broccoli instead?!
These look beautiful!!
Crispy with a healthy inside – perfect appetizer!
Oh my these look and sound amazing. What a brilliant idea to sub out spinach for broccoli. From one delectable green vegetable to another!
I must be missing it – but when is the feta added??
I’m allergic to eggs 🙁 , what can I put in place of them??
Hi Debby, you can add in 3 tablespoons of vegetable broth + 1 teaspoon flour instead of the eggs. It just helps the broccoli mixture bind together a little better.
The pictures look simply delicious! This looks like a great twist on a staple finger food. Looking forward to trying it myself.
I loove broccoli! And I need to learn more about Greek food, I feel like I underappreciate it–aside from my daily Greek Salad for lunch!
I love broccoli with feta and this is a bajillion times better because its portable.
I’ve never seen the roll shape before – my first thought was ooooh baked spring/egg rolls (egg rolls nomnomnomnom). Does the roll shape affect the pastry texture in any way? My favorite part of spanakopita are the [many] flaky layers of buttered pastry.
Oh I love spanakopita but I’ve never seen it with broccoli before, must make!