Crustless Spanakopita Spinach and Feta Bake
A custardy, herb-flecked bake of wilted spinach, scallions, dill, and parsley folded with eggs, ricotta, and briny feta, set until golden and sliceable.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
This is a weeknight-friendly savory bake for anyone who loves the flavors of spinach pie but would rather skip the fuss and butter of layering pastry. It comes together in one skillet and one baking dish, leans on fresh herbs and briny cheese for its personality, and slices into tidy squares that hold their shape on a fork. It suits a quiet dinner at home just as well as a dish carried to a gathering, and it is just as good the next day.
Squeeze the wilted spinach truly dry before it meets the eggs. Spinach holds an enormous amount of water, and any that stays behind will weep into the custard and leave you with a loose, soggy slice. Pressing the greens in a colander concentrates their flavor and lets the eggs and ricotta set into a tender, custardy structure instead. Whisking the eggs smooth first, then folding everything together, keeps the feta in distinct salty pockets rather than dissolving it into blandness.
A creamy ricotta-egg base against the sharp, salty bite of feta, brightened by generous fresh dill, parsley, and scallions in every forkful. Eggs and both cheeses make it filling and a good source of protein, while the sheer volume of spinach folds in a real dose of greens. Olive oil rounds it out with heart-friendly richness, so a modest square eats like a full, nourishing meal.
Ingredients
- 12 cups fresh spinach
- 1 cup crumbled feta
- 6 large eggs
- 1/2 cup ricotta
- 5 scallions, sliced
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh dill
- 1/3 cup chopped parsley
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 1/2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat and prep: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and brush a baking dish generously with olive oil, since a bare dish holds onto set egg and makes the squares very hard to lift out whole. Mince the garlic, slice the scallions, and roughly chop the dill and the parsley.
- Wilt the spinach: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and scallions and cook, stirring, until fragrant and softened, about 2 minutes. Add the fresh spinach in handfuls, stirring as each batch collapses to make room for the next, until all of it is wilted and glossy, about 4 to 5 minutes. Twelve cups looks like far too much for the pan, since raw spinach cooks down to a small fraction of itself once the water comes out.
- Drain well: Transfer the spinach to a colander and press firmly with the back of a spoon to squeeze out as much liquid as you can, which is what keeps the finished bake from turning watery. Let it cool for a few minutes, then chop through it a few times if the strands are long.
- Make the custard: In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until they are smooth and uniformly yellow with no ropes of white left, because a streaky custard bakes into a patchy one. Whisk in the ricotta, then stir in the crumbled feta, the chopped dill, and the chopped parsley until evenly combined.
- Combine: Fold the drained spinach into the egg mixture until the greens are evenly distributed and no clumps remain. Take a minute over this, since a clump of spinach sitting in one corner means that corner is still loose when the rest of the dish has already set.
- Bake: Pour the mixture into the oiled baking dish and smooth the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the center is set and no longer jiggles when the dish is gently shaken and the top has taken on color. Start checking at 30 minutes, because an egg bake goes from just set to rubbery in the space of a few minutes.
- Rest and cut: Let the bake rest for 5 minutes before you touch it, since the custard goes on firming as it cools and a slice cut straight from the oven will slump on the plate. Cut it into squares and serve warm.
Variations
- Roasted red pepper: Fold in chopped jarred roasted red peppers, drained and patted dry, for a sweet, smoky note and a stripe of color through each square.
- Lemon and mint: Add grated lemon zest and a handful of chopped fresh mint along with the dill for a brighter, more fragrant slice.
- Leek instead of scallions: Swap thinly sliced leeks, white and pale-green parts, for the scallions and cook them a little longer until soft and sweet for a mellower base.
- Extra-creamy top: Sprinkle a little crumbled feta over the surface before baking so it browns into salty, golden flecks; this adds a bit more dairy.
- Chard and kale: Replace part of the spinach with chopped Swiss chard or de-stemmed kale, wilted the same way and squeezed dry, for a heartier, more textured green.
Storage & Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Let the bake cool completely before covering so condensation does not collect and soften the top.
To reheat, warm individual squares in a 325°F (163°C) oven or toaster oven for about 10 minutes until heated through; this keeps the top from turning rubbery the way a microwave can. If you are in a hurry, a microwave works in short bursts, though the texture stays firmer in the oven.
To get ahead, you can wilt and thoroughly drain the spinach and chop the herbs a day in advance, storing them covered in the refrigerator. The fully baked dish also reheats well, so baking it the day before a busy evening is a reliable move.
Notes & Tips
- Squeeze harder than you think: The single biggest factor in a firm slice is dry spinach. After draining, press it against the colander until almost no more liquid runs out; a lingering puddle in the pan means it needs another squeeze.
- Taste before you salt: Feta is already quite salty and varies a lot by brand, so taste a crumb first. If yours is sharp and briny, hold back on added salt and adjust after mixing.
- Pick a block, not pre-crumbled: Feta sold in brine as a block has better flavor and a creamier bite than the dry pre-crumbled kind; crumble it yourself just before mixing.
- Check doneness by the jiggle: The bake is ready when the center no longer wobbles like liquid under a gentle shake and a knife tip comes out clean. A little puff and golden top confirm it.
- Let it rest before cutting: Those few minutes of resting let the custard firm up so the squares lift out cleanly instead of falling apart. Cutting too soon gives ragged, loose edges.
- What to serve alongside: A simple tomato-and-cucumber salad or a spoonful of thick yogurt on the side balances the richness and rounds it into a full plate.
Nutrition & Mindful Eating
- Eggs, ricotta and feta do three separate jobs. The eggs set the whole tray, the ricotta keeps it soft and slightly wobbly at the center, and the feta seasons every bite from the inside, so a mouthful of greens tastes like a proper dish.
- Spinach cooks down to a fraction of what you started with, which means a great deal of it ends up in every square. Squeezed properly dry, it stays green and distinct rather than watery, and it brings folate, lutein and vitamin K along with it.
- Ricotta is what makes the texture. It holds in soft curds through the bake rather than melting into a solid layer, giving the custard little tender pockets, and it carries calcium and protein into the middle of the tray.
- Feta crumbled through goes salty and tangy and softens at the edges where it meets the heat. Its sharpness is what keeps a dish this soft from tasting muted, and it brings calcium along with the flavor.
- Dill, parsley and scallions go in raw and in quantity, so the tray smells like a garden the moment it comes out. The dill is the one you taste first, sharp and faintly of anise, and garlic softened in olive oil sits under all of it.
- As you eat, notice how the top has gone golden while the center stayed soft, and how the dill arrives just before the feta does, and take a square at the table rather than a forkful over the tray.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use frozen spinach instead of fresh?
Yes. Thaw it completely, then squeeze it very dry in a clean towel; frozen spinach holds even more water than fresh, so wringing it out well is essential to avoid a soggy bake. You can skip the wilting step and add it straight to the garlic and scallions to warm through.
Why did my bake turn out watery?
Almost always it is spinach that was not drained enough, or feta packed in brine that was added wet. Press the cooked greens firmly to release their liquid and pat brined feta dry before crumbling it in.
Can I make this in a muffin tin for individual portions?
Yes. Oil the cups well, divide the mixture among them, and bake at the same temperature for a shorter time, around 20 to 25 minutes, until each is set and golden. They are easy to pack and reheat.
Is this dish good served cold?
It is. Once fully set and chilled, the squares firm up nicely and taste clean and herby at room temperature or straight from the refrigerator, which makes it convenient for lunches or a picnic.