Greek Zucchini and Herb Pie
- Total Time
- About 3 hours
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:One 10- inch pie, serving eight to ten
- 2¼ to 2½pounds zucchini, ends trimmed
- Salt to taste
- 2tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for brushing the phyllo dough
- 1large onion, finely chopped
- 2garlic cloves, minced
- 1cup finely chopped dill
- ½cup chopped fresh mint, or a combination of mint and parsley
- 1cup crumbled feta
- 3eggs, beaten
- Freshly ground pepper
- 12sheets phyllo dough or 1 recipe whole wheat yeasted olive oil pie pastry
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
167 calories; 6 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 21 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 432 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Grate the zucchini using a food processor or a hand grater. Place in a large colander, salt generously, and let drain for 1 hour, pressing down on it occasionally to squeeze out liquid. After an hour, take up handfuls and squeeze out moisture (or wrap in a kitchen towel and twist the towel to squeeze out the moisture). Place in a bowl.
- Step 2
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat, and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about five minutes, then add the garlic. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about one minute. Transfer to the bowl with the zucchini. Stir in the herbs, feta, eggs and pepper.
- Step 3
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 10-inch pie or cake pan. If using phyllo, line the pie dish with seven pieces of phyllo, lightly brushing each piece with oil and turning the dish after each addition so that the edges of the phyllo drape evenly over the pan. Fill with the zucchini mixture. Fold the draped edges in over the filling, lightly brushing the folded in sheets of phyllo, then layer the remaining five pieces on top, brushing each piece with olive oil. Stuff the edges into the sides of the pan. If using the olive oil pastry, divide the dough into two equal pieces. Roll out the first ball to a circle 2 inches wider than the pan. Line the pan with the pastry, and brush with olive oil. Top with the filling. Roll out the remaining dough. Place over the filling. Press the edges of the top and bottom layers of dough together, and pinch to form an attractive lip around the edge.
- Step 4
Make a few slashes in the top crust so that steam can escape as the pie bakes. Score in a few places with the tip of a knife, and brush with olive oil. Bake 50 to 60 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. Remove from the heat, and allow to cool 15 to 30 minutes or to room temperature. Slice in wedges and serve.
Tip
- Advance preparation: You can make the filling a day ahead. The pie can be baked ahead and reheated to crisp the phyllo. Reheat in a 325-degree oven for 15 minutes. If using yeasted olive oil dough, reheat at 275 degrees to re-crisp the crust. Martha Rose Shulman can be reached at martha-rose-shulman.com.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
CKNYC
Terrific! I sliced my zucchinis into paper thin rounds, as I prefer having some texture. No draining necessary. However, if I were to make it this way again, I'd do the following revisions:
- Only use 1.5 to 2 lbs zucchini (my deep dish pie plate was overloaded)
- Slice zucchini into thin rounds and skip the salting/draining
- Sauté the zucchini with the onions for a few minutes to soften
- Double the garlic and feta
Sublime!
Isabel
Thank you, this is exactly what I was hoping for. The only decision I need to make is using phyllo or pie crust. Happy to say I have both. I keep phyllo in the freezer for just this use.
Amy
I hate to admit how surprised I was that I enjoyed this so much. My sons fought over the leftovers. Really a perfect way to make use of an abundance of zucchini.
Marie Annette
Hi, l Loved this. Made it for my grandchildren and they loved it too. I added a little Parmesan, didn't have enough dill, so I chopped 1/2 cup of fresh parsley, and it worked well. I always love working with phyllo, always seems lighter than pie crust. Served this with roasted butternut squash. Perfect dinner.
Betsy Karpenkopf
I used the whole wheat yeasted dough. The outcome was fabulous. Delicious pie.
sg pa
Doubled the feta, added fresh grated nutmeg, hid a small amount of CSA fennel fine chopped with the onions. Kept the rest of the recipe the same. Excellent! I would make it again.
Deejay
This delicious pie is always a hit with family. The herbs definitely make this—a great way to make use of summer’s bounty. I make this with zucchini in the summer and cooked/drained frozen spinach in the winter—a highly adaptable recipe. Have also used goat cheese in place of feta when the store was out of it. The tip from a reader to stir in 1/4 cup flour to avoid a soggy bottom works great.
Gorgeous!
I made this for a dinner party last night. I prepared the filling the night before which dramatically cut-down on day-of prep-time. I was a little nervous about the filling being too wet after sitting in the fridge overnight. My worries were unnecessary as it set up beautifully. This is so pretty and delicious. Everyone raved about it! Thank you for another recipe to use up the prolific zucchini from the garden.
Donneek
Love this recipe! I have found that mixing 1/4 cup of flour in the filling with the grated zucchini and onions and the bottom didn't get soggy. I also put in two cloves of garlic. I have played around with different cheese and herb combinations. Parm or pecorino and italian seasonings, chili powder, cumin and queso fresco. All were a hit and no leftovers to reheat.
Kelch
This was a fantastic recipe. I added a sprinkle of nutmeg and doubled the dill. Absolutely making again.
NJR
A good dinner (beautiful presentation) that needed a bit more spice. I used parsley since I had neither dill nor mint, and added 4 oz. of broccoli to the 2 lbs. zuke in the grater but otherwise made the recipe as directed. It was good but needed something to kick it up - maybe some red pepper flakes? Some sharper cheese?
Darby
Followed suggestions to increase garlic and herbs, slice zucchini into thin rounds. Used the slicing tool on my food processor to do the rounds. Still salted and squeezed but only let it sit for 30 min while I prepped the rest of the ingredients and the phyllo. Delicious warm and cold. Used as an easy take-a-slice to work for the week.
mprice
This recipe is a hoax right? I made it today and the zucchini gave off nearly a quart of ‘juice’. It wasn’t bad but those herbs and two little buds of garlic couldn’t save it.
jt
I made with 2 pounds 4 oz zucchini and drained the zucchini really well
Milo
Needs some spice and make sure you reserve like 3 hours for this recipe
Deejay
This delicious pie is always a hit with family. The herbs definitely make this—a great way to make use of summer’s bounty. I make this with zucchini in the summer and cooked/drained frozen spinach in the winter—a highly adaptable recipe. Have also used goat cheese in place of feta when the store was out of it. The tip from a reader to stir in 1/4 cup flour to avoid a soggy bottom works great.
Susan
Excellent. No changes to recipe, but next time I would add more feta and maybe 1/2 tsp sriracha for some unexpected heat.
RB
Has anyone tried a Gluten Free crust for this recipe? How’d it go & what did you use?
Steve
Variation #1. 1 average size zucchini, half of a large fennel bulb and about 1/2 pound of raw asparagus (asparagus taste got lost so Skip this) grind the fennel separate from the zucchini as it has less liquid. Added 1/4 very thinly sliced red banana pepper cut to 2” lengths for more color.. herbs: equal portions of tarragon, basil, parsley, dill, mint. Will skip the basil next time as its flavor got lost but the tarragon, dill and mint worked well together. All other instructions R the same,
SeattleCindy
Used tromboncino squash shredded on a mandoline and stored in the freezer. Defrosted it then twisted it in two towels. It got a LOT of water out, and I didn't have to salt it. Definitely use full amount of dill and extra feta next time. The phyllo sat too long in the fridge and melded together. I used one block for a bottom crust and one for the top. Didn't oil between layers since I couldn't separate them. It still came out fantastic and saved a lot of calories from using oil every layer.
Donneek
Love this recipe! I have found that mixing 1/4 cup of flour in the filling with the grated zucchini and onions and the bottom didn't get soggy. I also put in two cloves of garlic. I have played around with different cheese and herb combinations. Parm or pecorino and italian seasonings, chili powder, cumin and queso fresco. All were a hit and no leftovers to reheat.
Jenny
I made this pie and it was a hit but I thought the bottom was too soggy . I had followed the directions and gotten a lot of fluid out of the zucchs. Then I tried it again, used my new baking steel, got my super strong you g adult male offspring to squeeze the zucchs in an impeccably clean towel, after I had squeezed it all I could. Used a teaspoon of corn starch. It seemed about the same. This first time was standard filo the second was thicker filo. Please reply if you have the cure.
sg pa
Doubled the feta, added fresh grated nutmeg, hid a small amount of CSA fennel fine chopped with the onions. Kept the rest of the recipe the same. Excellent! I would make it again.
GPM
I only needed 1.5 lbs of zucchini (and used up a bit of leftover kale) for a 9.5 pie dish. I did sauté my grated zucchini to remove water because I didn’t feel like waiting an hour. The only sacrifice, I’m assuming, was a bit of brighter green color but the kale made up for that just fine. Delicious! Ate it for lunch all week.
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