Baked Spanakopita Pasta With Greens and Feta
- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 4cups chopped spinach, Swiss chard or other mild greens (tough stems removed)
- 4cups chopped arugula, watercress or other peppery greens
- 1cup chopped fresh dill or parsley leaves and tender stems, or a combination
- 6scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced, whites and dark green parts separated
- 1pound tubular or curvy pasta, like rigatoni or fusilli
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
- 8ounces cream cheese (1 cup), cut into ½-inch cubes
- 4ounces mozzarella, grated (1 cup)
- 4ounces crumbled feta (1 cup)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
878 calories; 42 grams fat; 24 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 94 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 32 grams protein; 782 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
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Step 2
In a 3-quart/9-by-13-inch baking dish, toss the chopped spinach, arugula, herbs and scallion greens with 2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Squeeze the mixture with your hands to wilt, then set aside.
- Step 3
Cook the pasta in the boiling water until 2 minutes shy of al dente; reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain pasta and set aside. Return the pot to the stove.
- Step 4
Melt the butter in the pot over medium heat. Add the scallion whites, garlic and a pinch of salt, and sauté until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the cream cheese and pasta water and stir until smooth. Stir in the wilted greens, half the mozzarella and half the feta until combined. Stir in the pasta until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Step 5
Transfer the pasta to the baking dish, then top with remaining mozzarella and feta. Bake until the sauce has thickened and bubbly and the top has browned in spots, 10 to 15 minutes. If you like a crisper top, broil for a few minutes.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Belinda
This recipe looks awfully good, but I'd like to cut down on the fat. Might ricotta work in place of cream cheese and, if so, how much?
Cindy
Made according to directions; measured and weighed: 4 cups chopped baby spinach = 7 oz; 2 cups chopped arugula = 2.5 oz; 2 cups watercress = 3 oz; 1/2 cup chopped parsley + 1/2 cup chopped dill = .8 oz; followed all else exactly and would cut back on salt next time (salted greens + salty cheese + salted pasta water = too much!). Thought "4 servings" was odd b/c 9x13 STUFFED pan, but 3 of us almost ate the whole thing!! Dee-lish! To-tal hit! Mediterranean comfort food! YUM!
Jesse
Good recipe, but I found the feta to overpower the dish. Consider cutting the feta down to 2/3rds of a cup and bumping the mozz to 1.5 cups.
Team Dill
Absolutely loved this recipe! Note: Dill was the right choice against parsley. It was a delightful flavor against the cheese and greens!
Lis
Can this be made in advance refrigerated and then baked the next day?
nk
Add nutmeg, oregano, thyme brings the flavor profile closer to spanakopita. Increase amount of greens, steam briefly and squeeze into a strainer to make sure the final pasta isn’t too watery. Sesame seeds on top!
Rosie
Was pleasantly surprised by this recipe. Made it with pappardelle and used plain whole milk greek yogurt instead of cream cheese. I also added some chopped kalamata olives before baking.
Becca
Absolutely scrummy recipe. A few notes: 1 tsp of salt was plenty for us. If you use chard, cut up the stems and sauté them with the scallions and garlic. I think dill is important but didn’t have fresh - dried worked fine. Used Neufchâtel (1/3 less fat) cream cheese and still very creamy. Also, as this makes a full 9x13 pan there are definitely more than 4 servings so don’t let the calorie count throw you. I think we’ll get 7-8.
JJ
Loved this- I added some fresh lemon zest because I love Carla Hall’s Spanakopita recipe that has it.
Heather
Added lamb meatballs before baking . Used dill and spinach and gluten-free banza pasta. Boys liked.
Kate W
This tastes just like spanakopita! The dill is very prominent, but for us that was a good thing. I used extra feta (just to not have an awkward amount left over) and wish I had had more mozzarella on hand - I would have been happy to add that too. I was also generous with the cream cheese. I would maybe also toss in a few red pepper flakes, but it wasn’t missing it either. Next time I will chop the greens finer and use a smaller fusilli (we used “fusiloni” which was a tad too big).
joelene
Can I just say, this is the ultimate comfort food. The flavours were just excellent. I’ve got leftovers reheating now and I can not wait to have a second helping of this dish. I followed recipe as is and took on the tips from others to include dill (it’s a stand out flavour in this dish) along with the zest of 1 lemon which lifted from the creamy tones. Can not recommend highly enough.
slwtimes2
Very good. We could see this as a nice side to halibut or salmon. Could have used a lemony salad as a counterpoint if this is the main. Took the suggestion of other cooks to add thyme, oregano, lemon zest, red pepper flakes and a dash of nutmeg for true spanikopita flavors. They were spot on. A little dill forward for my husband. I might do half dill, half parsley next time. Scattered Imon a few Pablo bread crumbs and sesame seeds before broiling. Also, did not salt the greens or pasta water.
Kristin
I found the dish to be dry (not sure how to fix this), and spinach is an absolute must (if you’re craving the true spanikopita taste). I would do 6 c spinach and 2 c arugula so you don’t get overpowering arugula taste.
Roseanne L.
I wilted the greens in the big pot before starting the pasta. No need to add salt. Heated it briefly covered on low flame and then uncovered and waited until water evaporated. Removed greens to cooking pan at that point.
Elise
I made this with what I had on hand - ricotta / feta / Parmesan mixed with the greens; topped the pasta with a cream cheese slurry with Parmesan and leftover pesto. It was outstanding. Can anyone tell me if they made this ahead of time and froze it?
Leanne
Cooked as instructed except I used Mascarpone instead of cream cheese. Did not make the pasta water to taste at all salty but still added about 2 tsp. I thought the 2 tsp of salt on the greens would be plenty for this dish in combination with the feta and mozzarella and it turned out perfect for our taste. Also covered with foil lightly for the first 10 mins of baking and uncovered for the last 5 mins. Perfect. Will make again.
Brandon S
Made this for Mothers Day and it went over quite well. I used shallots instead of scallions and added some shrimp. It came out really nice.
Liam
Farfalle worked very well in this dish. Sauteed the red chard stems with the scallions and garlic in step 4 for added fiber and potassium. Kids loved it!
BB
What is grated mozzarella? Whole Foods and other cheese departments say no such thing.
Richard X
Buy mozzerella. Put it in the freezer for a bit. Use a box gratet to grate. Many cheese brands sell grated mozzarella, including Amazon Fresh.
Glory
For me, this needed a crunchy topping! 1tb melted butter, 1/2c panko, 2tb sesame seeds, a couple tb of reserved feta (finely crumbled) and mozzarella.
Hollyhock
Solid 4 stars. I used extra greens but, heeding other's comments, reduced salt to 1 teaspoon to wilt. Added dill and scallions after as I don't think they need wilting. I used 12 ounces of pasta and saved extra pasta water to thin the sauce so the dish wouldn't end up dry. I didn't salt the pasta because my feta was very salty but prior to putting the dish in the oven added more salt and pepper. Served as a side with chicken and salad makes at least 8 servings (using 12 oz of pasta).
Pam
I liked all the flavors but it was too salty.
Kashinkaned it out
Made this per instructions, but didn’t work. Dry on top and watery below, too much pasta (which was too big), and not enough spinach mixture. So next time I made it this way: Made a roux w/2 Tbls butter & 2 Tbls flour; added ~6 oz fontina cheese, cut up; 2 cups whole milk, & the pasta water. Then 8 oz of small shells, cooked; then spinach mix. At last minute, with the heat off, added the feta, then all went into pan and oven, with aluminum foil over it to keep it from drying out. Terrific!
Sally
I followed the recipe, using arugula and parsley, but I did substitute kale for the spinach. Like other comments, it makes a very full 9X13” pan, so the serving size is off. Easily feeds 6. Used less salt to wilt the greens, but found my finished dish needed more. And it was DRY. Tasted good, but really dry. This was not a creamy pasta dish I was expecting. It will not be a repeat recipe.
Chris D
Great - add hot pepper flakes and lemon zest
Ruth
Very tasty, and the fresh dill was worthwhile. Pretty rich, definitely ate too much of it the first night after picking at the ingredients while I cooked! Only used about 1/2 tsp (Morton) salt for the greens at the start, I used chopped baby spinach so it didn't need much help breaking down anyway. Didn't add any other salt than the salted pasta water and didn't need more to my taste. Made 4 large servings.
Haley
This was far too salty for my taste, and I am a salt lover. Not sure if I’d make again.
Sam
I made this a second time with arugula, after using watercress the first. Both are good, but watercress wins out! Saltiness may depend on your feta. I wilted the greens with just 1 tsp. of salt both times, but using a different type of feta did alter the saltiness level. Taste yours before you use it & adjust the salt accordingly. Still needs lemon zest. Also: I don't know what dainty portions you all are eating, but this made for 5 good-sized (one-dish-meal) servings for two 40-somethings.
Gretta
One of the rare recipes my husband didn't like because he found it "tasteless" even though I upped all the seasonings. But my adult kids liked it -- they just added a lot of hot sauce! Me-- I will have it for lunch the next 3 days.
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