If you’ve been searching for a vegan spanakopita, you’re in luck! Golden, flaky pastry with a creamy, herby filling, this plant-based take on a Greek classic is comfort food at its finest.
You will need
Serves 4
- 300g firm tofu, pressed
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small leek or onion, diced
- 400g baby spinach or silverbeet
- 1 cup unsweetened plain vegan yoghurt
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup aquafaba, lightly whisked
- 4 spring onions, diced
- 1/2 cup (tightly packed) dill, finely chopped
- 1 small lemon, zest
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
- 10 filo sheets
- 4 tablespoons, for brushing pastry
Recipe: Heartful Table
Directions
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Step 1
In a large bowl, crumble the tofu quite fine using your hands.
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Step 2
Add in the lemon juice and salt and stir well. Set aside.
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Step 3
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
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Step 4
Place a large saucepan on medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add in the leek and sauté until soft, stirring occasionally. This will take about 5–6 minutes.
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Step 5
In the meantime, wash the baby spinach and use a salad spinner to wring out as much water as possible. Chop roughly and then add to the pan. This may seem like a lot of spinach, but it will cook down very quickly. Stir occasionally to help the spinach reduce in size. Once it has all wilted, remove from heat.
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Step 6
Take the bowl with the tofu and add in the yoghurt, nutritional yeast, aquafaba, spring onions, dill, lemon zest, pepper, and the cooked leek and spinach. Mix really well.
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Step 7
Grease your baking dish with oil on the bottom and the sides. The dish we used was 28cm wide.
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Step 8
Open and unfold the filo and lay it to one side of the baking dish. Separate 10 sheets and place the rest back in the packet to use later. Make sure to work quite quickly as the filo will dry out and start to crack as it’s now exposed to air.
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Step 9
Layer one sheet on the bottom of the baking dish, with the sides hanging over the edge and using a pastry brush, brush it with olive oil. Layer another sheet, creating an + shape, oiling again. Layer 6 filo sheets altogether oiling in between each layer.
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Step 10
Add in all the filling and spread it out evenly. Fold the filo that is hanging over the edges of the baking dish over the filling and brush with a little olive oil.
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Step 11
Using the remaining 4 sheets, layer them over the top, oiling in between each one. Tuck the edges in as you go so there is no filo hanging over the edge.
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Step 12
Cut the spanakopita to desired portion sizes using a small serrated knife in an up and down motion to make sure you get all the way to the bottom and that the pastry doesn’t move on you.
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Step 13
Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour. If the top starts to brown a little too much, cover with foil and return to the oven.
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Step 14
Once done, remove from the oven and let it rest for 20–30 minutes to set a little before serving.
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Recipe: Heartful Table
