spanakopita

American  

[span-uh-koh-pi-tuh, spah-nah-kaw-pee-tah] / ˌspæn əˈkoʊ pɪ tə, ˌspɑ nɑˈkɔ pi tɑ /

noun

Greek Cooking.

1. a baked dish consisting of spinach, feta cheese, eggs, and scallions enclosed in layers of phyllo.

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Etymology

Origin of spanakopita

First recorded in 1940–45; from Modern Greek spanakópita, equivalent to spanako-, combining form of spanáki, from Medieval Greek spanákion “spinach” + píta “bread, cake, pie”; see also spinach ( def. ), pita ¹

Example Sentences

The spanakopita can be served with “a fresh salad of tomatoes, olives, and greens, and lightly dressed with a bit of olive oil and lemon juice,” TJ’s recommended.

From Salon • Aug. 7, 2025

Yes, pigs in a blanket, but also spanakopita, cheese puffs, mini quiches, crab cakes, bacon wrapped scallops, empanadas, dumplings, mini pizzas, jalapeno poppers and so on.

From Washington Times • Nov. 30, 2023

I have seen various forms of baklava in which the traditional layers were reshaped into free-form squares or neat triangles more like spanakopita than baklava.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 30, 2023

If Raff’s book is an unexpected spanakopita at our movable feast, Hari’s is a plate of deviled eggs, crammed with bite-size nourishment that packs a nutritional punch.

From New York Times • Feb. 17, 2022

It is a fact that he once made a tray of spanakopita using Pam rather than melted butter.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris