Fall Garden Greens Spanakopita

It's not technically fall yet, but whatever.  I have the greens in my garden which state otherwise.  To accompany our meal of lamb kabobs, I made what would otherwise be considered a fairly standard spanakopita, using all the tender greens bursting forth from our vegetable garden.  And, what an outstandingly healthy Mediterranean-ish way to use such a garden melange.  Even the children were smitten with it.

With all sorts of new studies carefully looking at the synergy between leafy greens which are cooked in extra virgin olive oil, and the bodies ability uptake more nutrients from those greens, this is not only tasty but heart healthy to boot. 

Ingredients
8 cups washed and dried greens coarsely chopped in any combination such as:  kale, beet greens, collards, spinach, swiss chard etc., large, coarse stems discarded
1 pound package thawed phyllo dough
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons UP Certified Extra Virgin Olive Oil
 8 oz. whole milk ricotta
1 teaspoon corn starch
8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves finely minced
salt and pepper to taste

Instrucitons
Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Brush a 9"x13" baking pan liberally with olive oil.

In a large saute pan over medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.  Add the diced onion and saute until translucent.  Add the minced garlic and saute for another minute before adding the greens and saute until cooked down, about 3 additional minutes.  Add the feta and ricotta to the greens and mix thoroughly.  Add 1 teaspoon cornstarch to 2 tablespoons of water and add to the greens.  Continue cooking over medium high heat until the mixture thickens and season with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.  Allow the mixture to cool until just barely warm.

Take the thawed phyllo out of the refrigerator. Unroll the sheets and cover with a clean barely dampened towel.


Liberally brush three sheets or spray three sheets with extra virgin olive oil and layer one on top of another, lining the bottom and part way up the sides of the baking pan. Add 1/3 of the spinach mixture and spread evenly over the phyllo.  Continue brushing each sheet with olive oil and layering three sheets at a time followed by two more layers of spinach and ending with three sheets of phyllo on top.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until the top is deep golden brown and crisp.   Allow to cool slightly and cut into squares.