Greek-Style Spinach, Feta & Polenta Pie
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Think of this dish as a cross between baked polenta, a quiche, and a frittata.
Inspired by a recipe from Diana Henry’s lovely cookbook From the Oven to the Table: Simple Dishes That Look After Themselves, this recipe is based on a Greek dish called kourkouto, a simple and savory “pie” that replaces the phyllo dough in a traditional phyllo pie with a batter made from eggs, cheese, Greek yogurt, and cornmeal. Think of it as a cross between baked polenta, a quiche, and a frittata — and since this version is filled with spinach, feta, and dill, it has spanakopita vibes. It’s a uniquely delicious (and easy!) vegetarian main course that’s perfect for brunch, lunch, or a light dinner.
What You’ll Need To Make Spinach, Feta & Polenta Pie
Step-By-Step Instructions
Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, and add the spinach.
Cook, tossing frequently, until wilted, 4 to 5 minutes. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the eggs, yogurt, polenta, garlic, salt and pepper.
Whisk until smooth, then add the feta, pecorino Romano, and dill, and whisk until evenly combined.
Add the wilted spinach to the batter.
Stir until combined.
Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish or pie pan.
Bake until just set and puffed, 20 to 25 minutes.
Serve hot or at room temperature.
You may also like
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- Ham & Cheese Oven-Puffed Pancake
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Greek-Style Spinach, Feta & Polenta Pie
Think of this dish as a cross between baked polenta, a quiche, and a frittata.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 6 ounces baby spinach (about 6 packed cups)
- 5 large eggs
- ⅔ cup whole-milk plain Greek yogurt (low-fat works too)
- ¼ cup instant polenta
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ½ cup finely grated pecorino Romano cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease a 1.5-qt baking dish (mine is an oval that measures about 9 x 7 inches) or 9-inch pie pan with 1 tablespoon of the oil.
- Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the spinach and cook, tossing frequently, until wilted, 4 to 5 minutes. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the eggs, yogurt, polenta, garlic, salt and pepper; whisk until smooth. Add the feta, pecorino Romano, and dill, and whisk until evenly combined. Stir in the wilted spinach.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish or pie pan, and bake until just set and puffed, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 382
- Fat: 27 g
- Saturated fat: 11 g
- Carbohydrates: 13 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 21 g
- Sodium: 554 mg
- Cholesterol: 273 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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We loved this. Would like to serve to guests and wonder if fruit salad would be good choice with it or ? and also what kind of desert?
Thank You in advance.
A
Glad you liked it! I think fruit salad would be a great compliment to this. And for dessert, you have a lot of flexibility. If you want to stick to something summery, you could consider one of these options.
Easy and delicious!
Has anyone made this with Just Egg egg substitute? My daughter is allergic to eggs, so I was wondering if the just egg would set. Also, how much egg substitute. Thanks
Lovely flavor! The dill makes it feel very special. I actually make this for my toddler’s lunches and he loves it! I simply the prep by using steam-in-bag frozen chopped spinach, and I mix all the ingredients in the casserole dish itself to minimize dishes. The only thing is that I cook it for 10 extra minutes, and even though it’s set and puffed like the instructions say, I can’t tell if it’s fully cooked in the middle.
Jenn, this recipe always gets rave reviews from whoever I serve it to! I’d like to make it for my daughter-in-law’s baby shower. Would you recommend tripling or quadrupling the recipe for a 9” x 13” baking dish? Thanks for your help and for all of your incredibly delicious recipes!
Hi Donna, Glad you like this! I’d triple the recipe. (I’m not certain it will all fit in a 9 x 13 so you may have a little leftover.) Also, keep in mind that it may take a few extra minutes in the oven.
Can this recipe be doubled?
Sure!
This was a big winner. Used Parm instead of romano cheese and threw in a shallot. Came together quick and turned out awesome.
Thank you again Jenn! Just what I needed this evening……a recipe that was easy to make and deliciously enjoyed by all!
Made this for dinner last night and we finished it off for breakfast this morning. Delicious!
I had to use dried dill as I didn’t have fresh. It was delicious anyway though I know it would be made even more delicious with fresh dill.
I don’t usually comment on recipes I find, but this one is different. It is DELICIOUS. I’ve already made it four times and about to make it a fifth. It is easy to make, flavorful, holds well in the fridge for the next day, and it is quick & easy to heat up in the morning.
This recipe is wonderful, I followed it exactly but used Bobs Red Mill Medium ground cornmeal instead of polenta and it was delicious. Great weeknight meal with a salad.
Made this with regular polenta, pre-cooked and enjoyed it. But I am frustrated that by adding liquid to cook the polenta I messed up the rations. Can you please suggest a conversion of this very nice recipe to regular polenta – something I always have on hand? I don’t do instant anything, because the flavor is never as good.
Hi Brigitte, Without trying it myself, I can’t confidently tell you how to convert this to use regular polenta – I’m sorry! If I test it out at some point, I will add a note to the recipe.
This recipe will be a favorite! I used regular polenta. I just added a couple tablespoons of liquid, and cooked it a bit longer. It turned out beautifully.( I used kale instead of spinach.) This was served as a triangular piece, with a fresh pineapple pomegranate salad, salmon fillet, and salted daikon radish sprinkled with gochugaru pepper.
Loved it! Prepared with a nice side salad and had a wonderful meatless Monday for the family!
I made this twice in the last couple of weeks. It is sooo good. Can I freeze any leftovers? I added some roast asparagus this last time.
Glad you enjoyed it! Yes, I think you can freeze leftovers.
Hi Jenn- Can this recipe be doubled and baked for a longer period of time in a larger dish?
Sure, and depending on the size of the dish you’re using, it may not take longer to bake. Hope you enjoy
Another 5 star from Jenn. we loved this. Endless variations are in our future! We will probably try with green chiles for a relleno sort of dish.
Delicious! I used frozen spinach, instead of fresh, microwave and squeezed it –it’s all I had. I also made the recipe 1.5x the ingredients and baked for 30 mins. My family loved it for Easter brunch, served with a light salad with lemon dressing.
Loved this. I can always count on your recipes to be a success.
Planning on making this for Easter. First, can you substitute frozen spinach for fresh? and, if so, how much thawed and squeezed spinach would you recommend to replace 6 cups fresh?
thank you
Tricia
Hi Tricia, I’m obviously weighing in too late to be helpful – sorry! For future reference, I think you’d need about 4 to 5 ounces of frozen spinach.
I love this recipe, but I’ve had a terrible time with it sticking to the dish when I bake it. Would it be possible to make this in a pie shell to avoid that, or is there something else you could suggest that would solve that “sticky” problem?
Hi Jody, I’m sorry you’ve had a problem with this! It really shouldn’t stick. Are you using instant polenta as the recipe specifies?
I am using instant polenta, which I bought just for this recipe, and it’s worked great except for the sticking. So I made this with a pie crust and it was absolutely perfect. Thank you for this great recipe!
I’m surprised that it was sticking, but glad that the pie crust solution worked — thanks for the follow up!
Yum Jenn!! Once again another delicious meal. This was definitely one of the easiest/quickest recipes I have made of yours but so so yummy. The yogurt adds a wonderful tang. I couldn’t find specifically “instant polenta” so I just some polenta/corn meal mix and it worked great. 10/10 recommend this for a breakfast or dinner meal.
Made this last night for dinner and it was another wonderful recipe! It was very tasty using both cheeses and dill. The polenta gave it a nice consistency. I served it with a tomato, red onion and artichoke salad. Perfect!
I made this today. The feta cheese and spinach combination tasted great. However, like other readers, I could not find instant polenta. I used regular polenta, and just poured it into the egg mix, but the resultant pie tasted grainy (uncooked polenta?).
Jenn, would you suggest fully cooking the polenta with water and salt (following instructions on polenta package) before putting it into the egg mixture?
Hi Melvina, It may work to cook the polenta before incorporating it into the egg mixture but it’s hard to say. If possible, I’d try to find the instant polenta.
Jenn – I made the Greek-Style Spinach, Feta and Polenta Pie for breakfast this morning. It was absolutely delicious! I used non-fat Greek yogurt as that was all I could find; not sure if that made any difference, but it was fantastic and I will certainly make this often. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes; every one I’ve tried has been wonderful. You’re the very best!!!
Waw! This is so delicious!!! Thank you for your recipe. They are so easy. And most of the ingredients are everyday stuff I have at hand.
Hi Jenn,
This sounds wonderful and I plan to make it this weekend for a small family dinner (4 adults). Can this be made ahead and frozen?
Eloise
Hi Eloise, I haven’t tried freezing it, but I think you could. Please LMK how it turns out if you freeze it!
So good and easy! We enjoyed this so much we’ve had it twice in a week. Didn’t have feta so substituted goat cheese which I very carefully “crumbled” and mixed in last. Also tried it tonight with an added diced jalapeno pepper. This overpowered the dill but it still tasted great. Thank you for these fun and healthy recipes!
I made it for our family Saturday breakfast/brunch – everyone loved it: a bit sour and fresh from the yogurt and feta, rose very well with a nice hint of garlic and so quick and easy to make. Will keep this in my arsenal for sure 🙂 Thank you Jenn!
Great recipe! I used asparagus and some low fat/non fat versions of the recipe and it was still completely delicious. Comes together in just minutes. Enjoyed it for dinner. Can’t wait for leftovers for lunch. And perfect for brunch…when we do those again! Thank you!
This recipe was easy to make and delicious. We ate it for dinner one night and breakfast the next morning. It’s tasty and versatile!
So good! We had it for dinner with a green salad and will definitely make again but double next time so there are leftovers for breakfast the next morning!
I could not find instant polenta so used organic corn meal which is used to make polenta, and it turned out great. I soaked the cornmeal in the yogurt egg mixture while I prepared all else.
Trying to incorporate more meatless meals into our repertoire and this looked good, easy and I only had to run out for a couple ingredients. I couldn’t find the instant polenta so used the regular polenta I had. Worked just fine but think maybe it was because it was the regular kind that it took much longer to bake. Think it ended up taking about 40 minutes. We all loved it and can’t wait to try again. I can see adding bacon or other things as well. Thanks Jen
I’m trying to think of something really inspiring to say about this recipe but all I can think of is “absolutely delicious “! I made it two nights ago as written with spinach and it was definitely a wow for my sister and her husband. We have fresh eggs and asparagus is on sale so decided to try it again with that and again it was just wonderful. A little more texture with the asparagus (I steamed it a little) but the combination of flavors is perfect. The fresh dill is there but not over bearing and I used really high quality feta. I used Bob’s Red Mill Yellow Corn Grits/ Polenta and served with cucumber and tomato salad. Perfect for brunch or dinner. Thanks AGAIN for a lovely recipe.
I made this for breakfast this morning. It was delicious, certainly a keeper. I didn’t have polenta, I live in a rural area, I used grits. I used part frozen spinach and fresh because I did not have enough fresh. Very Good. leftovers tomorrow for breakfast. I also added a little leftover ham, but not enough to overpower the cheese, and spinach.
Doris
I could not find instant polenta so I grabbed the one in a log shape. I sliced off a small portion and mashed it with a fork. It turned out great and I used the remainder of the log into polenta fries!
Thank you for the recipe. My Greek husband loved it!
I made this last night for my family. It was a big hit! I loved how easy it was to make, and how fast it took to get all the ingredients together. Everyone loved how it wasn’t eggy at all (one family member really doesn’t enjoy egg dishes much but he liked this one).
It was rich and filling. I would serve this a salad and call it dinner!
This was absolutely delicious–I’m adding it to my brunch rotation. I did add some diced onions to the pan and cooked them before adding the spinach. And it needed more than 25 minutes to bake…but really worth it!
Very good. And easy. I didn’t have polenta in my cupboard, but I had stone-ground corn meal so I used that. Worked! Next time I’ll have some polenta on hand to see what difference it makes. I’ll also add a dash of Tabasco.
Fantastic! I saw this in your weekly newsletter and immediately went out and bought all the ingredients and made it last night. It’s delicious, with a great consistency. A really nice break from quiche. My husband loved it and my 18-year-old son came home and tried it and said, “This is really good!” That is a win-win. Added bonus? It’s incredibly easy!
Made it just like the recipe said and it was great! Leftovers for breakfast.
Just trying to figure out what to make for dinner, I saw this recipe in my email inbox this morning and decided to make it. I did add tomatoes on top and a little bit of crumbled bacon in the dish. It was a great tasting, quick, light dinner And some toast on the side and it is great. How about leftovers for breakfast in the morning
I browned chopped onion and mushrooms with the spinach and added a little bit of egg whites (from the carton) and put it in a pie crust. It’s amazing! Great recipe. My husband loves it. I’ll be making this again 😁
Can this be made the night before and cook in the morning?
Sure, Kathy, that should work. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Hi Jenn! Could you substitute quick cooking grits for the instant polenta?
Hi Renee, I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure, but I think it should work. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
How great to have a new recipe. I made it to plan baking it in my pie pan in … the toaster oven. Great technique with all kinds of variations to consider for veg and cheeses. And, I now have a new way to use instant polenta. Thank you so much for your terrific work. Everything I make from your recipes are keepers!!!
So glad you enjoyed it, Libby! I too was thinking of all kinds of variations that would be fun to try.
I used grits, because I don’t have polenta in this where I live. Works fine.
Delicious and super quick to put together! Thanks!
Hi Jenn. This sounds like a wonderful recipe! I can’t tolerate any aged cheeses. (i.e. I can only have fresh cheeses like feta, cottage/ricotta and the like). Is there any way to omit the Pecorino Romano cheese or sub something else in its place? Thanks.
Hi Shelah, I would just increase the feta in the dish. It will be a bit tangier with all feta, but should still be good. Please LMK how it turns out! 🙂
Did you stop including nutrition information? I really like that and miss it here.
Haven’t tried this one yet, but I love all of your recipes I’ve tried, including from the cookbook. Hope your new book comes out soon.
Hi Kathy, I just forgot to add the nutritional info here — sorry — I just added it. So glad you like the recipes (and hope you enjoy this one too)! My second book is coming out on September 14th — stay tuned!! 🙂
I am planning to make this recipe for a birthday celebration this weekend. Does it reheat well? I’d like to make it the day before because I am baking other dinner items. Or, should I just make it earlier in the day?
Your recipes are just wonderful – so happy I discovered your website!
Thank you,
Virginia Wengerter
Hi Virginia, So glad you like the recipes! 🙂
Yes, this reheats nicely. If you’re reheating individual pieces, I’d microwave them. If you’re reheating the whole dish, cover it with aluminum foil and place in a 300°F oven for about 30 minutes, or until hot in the center. It’s also delicious at room temperature.
I think it will work, Mary.
Can I double this recipe for a 9 x 13 as I need to serve a larger group?
How much longer should I bake it it if doubled?
Your recipes are always amazing. Thank you!
Hi Jules, Yes, that would work. The baking time should be about the same but keep an eye on it. And so glad you like the recipes!
I haven’t tried this, El, but I think it should be fine. Please LMK how it turns out!