Phyllo Triangles with Spinach and Feta
This post may include affiliate links, meaning I will earn a small commission if you purchase through my link. Affiliate Disclaimer.
Phyllo Triangles are beautifully flaky little pastry pockets filled with a savory blend of spinach and feta. These golden-brown triangles are light, crunchy, and flavorful, making them an elegant and tasty appetizer for a cocktail party or a holiday gathering.
Spinach-filled phyllo triangles and Italian Fried Artichoke Hearts are a holiday staple at our house. I make them yearly for my son Alex’s birthday, which falls right before Christmas. We always celebrate his birthday with a holiday party, and everyone looks forward to these delicious appetizers.
The savory combination of spinach and cheese is popular in Mediterranean dishes such as Italian Spinach and Ricotta Pie.
This delicious phyllo triangle recipe was inspired by the Greek spanakopita, a dish of buttered layers of phyllo with spinach, feta, and dill. It’s so delicious! This is a simplified, single-serve version that I guarantee you will love!
Phyllo pastry, or filo or fillo, means leaf in Greek, perfectly describing these very thin sheets of unleavened dough. It is paper-thin and tricky to work with, but I will simplify the process and show you my tricks for success. So don’t worry—this will be easier than you think.
The main issue with it is that it dries out quickly. So, you must work swiftly and cover the sheets of dough you are not working on with a damp towel.
What You Will Love About This Recipe
- Phyllo triangles are so crispy and delicious that they are addictive!
- This appetizer doesn’t require fancy ingredients. Everything you need is readily available in your grocery store.
- These little triangles are a great recipe for the holidays because you can make them ahead and store them in the refrigerator or the freezer until you are ready to bake them.
- They are always everyone’s favorite appetizer at the party, along with my Lemon Garlic Shrimp!
Ingredients
- Wilted Spinach: To make things easy, I recommend using frozen chopped spinach that has been thawed and drained. You can also use fresh spinach, but you must steam or saute it to wilt it before using it in this recipe. Wring the spinach in a tea towel or cheesecloth to remove as much liquid as possible.
- Parmesan cheese: Either grate the cheese yourself or buy a good-quality grated parmesan from the deli. The pre-packaged grated cheese in the supermarket aisles contains additives to keep it from clumping, which will affect the flavor.
- Feta cheese: I like to buy the already crumbled feta, but you can buy a brick and crumble it yourself. You want small pieces to distribute it evenly throughout the filling.
- Egg: This is the binder for the filling.
- Onion: You can use diced white onion or scallions (green onions).
- Garlic: I recommend mincing fresh garlic cloves rather than pre-minced garlic.
- Olive oil, salt and black pepper
- Butter: Melted butter will be brushed on each sheet of phyllo. I like to use unsalted butter since the filling has plenty of salt from the cheese.
- Phyllo: You will find the phyllo in the freezer section of most grocery stores. Bring the phyllo to room temperature before using it.
Making Spinach Phyllo Triangles
1. Make the filling:
- Squeeze the liquid out of the spinach using a cheesecloth or a tea towel.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic to the skillet and cook until the onion begins to get tender, about two minutes.
- In a bowl, mix the spinach, onion, garlic, parmesan cheese, feta cheese, egg, salt, and pepper.
2. Assemble the Phyllo Triangles
- Unroll the phyllo and cover it with a damp kitchen towel.
- Working quickly, lay one sheet of phyllo on a flat work surface. Brush it with melted butter, covering the whole sheet.
- Take the second sheet and lay it on top of the first sheet. Brush the second sheet with butter.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the phyllo sheets into three even strips along the long length of the sheets.
- Place a teaspoon of the spinach and cheese mixture at the top of the strip.
- Fold the left corner of the strip over the top of the filling at a right angle, forming a triangle.
- Fold the triangle down toward you and continue to fold the triangle as if you are folding a flag, alternating the side and downward fold as you go.
- When you reach the end of the strip, brush melted butter over the top of the phyllo triangle.
- Repeat with the remainder of the phyllo and spinach.
- It is best to work quickly and cover the sheets of phyllo dough you are not working on with a damp towel so they do not dry out.
- Place the phyllo triangles in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Cover the baking sheet tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate it until you are ready to bake the spinach triangles.
3. Bake
- Bake the phyllo triangles in a preheated 350-degree F oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Cool for 10 minutes. Transfer them to a serving tray and serve warm or at room temperature.
Cooks Tips
- Thaw the phyllo completely and bring it to room temperature in its package. It dries out quickly, so you don’t want to expose it to air before you are ready to start working with it.
- Prepare the filling and have it ready so that the phyllo does not sit out any longer than necessary.
- Keep the phyllo you are not working with covered with a dampened kitchen towel or tea cloth. Make sure it is not too wet, or the phyllo will become soggy.
- Don’t use too much filling. When you fold the corner of the phyllo over, it should cover the filling entirely so it does not ooze out.
- Once baked, the filling will be very hot, so let the triangles cool for a few minutes before serving them.
Variations
There are several things you can do to change these Greek spinach triangles.
If you want a creamier textured filling, you can add some cream cheese to it.
Other cheese options are mozzarella or goat cheese.
Add some fresh dill and nutmeg to the filling if you want them to be more authentic spanakopita triangles.
Storage and Make Ahead
These little triangles are a great appetizer because they can be made up to two days in advance and baked just before your guest arrives. Lay the phyllo triangles in a single layer on your baking trays, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. I would double-wrap them to ensure that they are airtight.
You can also freeze the phyllo pockets for up to 2 months. Prepare them as instructed above and place the backing sheet in the freezer for 2 hours. Once the individual triangles are completely frozen, they can be transferred to a freezer bag.
To bake the frozen phyllo triangles, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover them with foil. Bake in a 350-degree F oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until they are golden brown.
Other Appetizer Recipes:
Whether preparing for the holidays with the family or a cocktail party, you want impressive and delicious appetizers. My Easy Baked Brie En Croute with Caramelized Onions and Jam is tasty and a feast for the eyes.
For a simple recipe that packs a lot of flavor, try my Gorgonzola and Roasted Red Pepper Crostini. They are addictive but very easy to make.
Other appetizers with Mediterranean flavor include my mom’s Authentic Homemade Sicilian Caponata, Sicilian Arancini, and Baked Ricotta.
I love to get your feedback, so if you try this Easy Pistachio Pesto or any other recipe on this website, please leave me a comment below. I hope you enjoy our recipes, and I look forward to hearing from you!
You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more recipes your family will love!
Phyllo Triangles Recipe
Phyllo Triangles with Spinach and Feta
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Enza’s Quail Hollow Kitchen
Ingredients
- 10 oz Spinach, frozen chopped, thawed
- 2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese grated
- 4 tbsp. Feta cheese crumbled
- 1 egg beaten
- 2 tbsp. Onion diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- ¼ tsp. Black pepper ground
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ½ cup butter melted
- 1 lb. Phyllo sheets at room temperature
Instructions
Filling
- Using a cheese cloth or a tea towel, squeeze the liquid out of the spinach.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
- Add the onion and garlic to skillet and cook until the onion begins to get tender. About two minutes.
- In a bowl mix the spinach, onion and garlic, parmesan cheese, feta cheese, egg, salt and pepper.
Make the Phyllo Triangles
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Unroll the phyllo and cover with a damp towel.
- Take one sheet of phyllo and lay on a flat work surface. Brush the phyllo sheet with melted butter, being sure to cover the whole sheet.
- Take second sheet and lay it on top of the first sheet. Brush the second sheet with butter.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the phyllo into three even strips, along the long length of the sheets.
- Place about a teaspoon of filling at the top of the strip.
- Fold the left corner of the strip over the filling forming a triangle.
- Fold the triangle down toward you and continue to fold the triangle as if you are folding a flag.
- When you reach the bottom, brush melted butter over the top of the phyllo triangle.
- Repeat with the remainder of the phyllo and spinach.
- It is best to work quickly with phyllo and keep the sheets that you are not working on, covered with the a damp towel so that they do not dry out.
- Place the phyllo triangles on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until the they are golden brown.
This is a different recipe from traditional Greek recipes for spanakopita but there are variations of all kinds of food now that make it your own. The way to rate it is to see that everyone is enjoying it!!