Maxi's cheese-and-spinach pie

Yum! Warm or cold, this Greek-inspired pie is a real crowd pleaser. It's perfect for feeding a hungry horde on the weekend, packing for a picnic, or just enjoying with a glass of wine with friends at lunch.

One slice of this cheese-and-spinach pie and you're hooked. Picture: iStock

While many traditional spanakopita recipes recommend using dill, I find it has a tendency to be overpowering, so I've always gone without.

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Ingredients

Melted butter, to grease

About 2kg silverbeet, white stems removed, coarsely shredded

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 brown onion, halved, coarsely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

3 spring onions, ends trimmed, thinly sliced

400g Greek feta, crumbled

250g ricotta cheese

1 lemon, rind finely grated

4 eggs, lightly whisked

6 sheets filo pastry

60g butter, melted

Here's how

Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush a 16.5 x 26cm ovenproof dish with melted butter to grease. Place half the silverbeet in a non-stick frying pan over high heat. Cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes or until silverbeet just wilts. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool. Repeat with remaining silverbeet.

Heat oil in the frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until soft.

Use your hands to squeeze excess liquid from silver beet. Combine silverbeet, onion mixture, spring onion, feta, ricotta, lemon rind and egg in a large bowl.

Place filo sheets on a clean work surface. Cover with a clean tea towel, then a damp tea towel (this will prevent it drying out). Brush 1 filo sheet with melted butter. Top with another sheet and brush with butter. Top with another sheet, then fold the filo stack in half crossways. Repeat with remaining filo and half the remaining butter to form a second stack. Fold the filo stack in half crossways. Line the prepared dish with one of the filo stacks.

Spoon silverbeet mixture into the dish and smooth the surface. Top with remaining filo stack. Fold edges over and press down firmly to enclose filling. Use a small sharp knife to score the top of the filo diagonally. Brush with remaining butter. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and set aside for 5 minutes. Cut into slices to serve.

Like this? Check out Maxi's super-moist orange cake