Vegan Spanakopita
A light layered Greek pastry filled with spinach and vegan tofu feta.
Ingredients
- 1 package puff pastry or filo dough (use gluten-free pastry puffs if needed)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (plus a little more for brushing)
- 1 small onion diced
- 1-3 cloves garlic minced
- 14 oz tofu or my tofu feta recipe or store-bought vegan feta
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (omit if using my tofu feta recipe instead of plain tofu.)
- 1 teaspoon salt (1/2 tsp if using store-bought feta since it's already salty).
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 16 oz Spinach fresh or frozen
Instructions
Get prepared:
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Take frozen pastry puff or filo out of the freezer and allow it to warm to room temperature. (It takes about 45 minutes). (If using my vegan tofu feta, make the feta and let soak in the marinade for at least 1/2 hour before cooking.)
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Pre-heat oven to 400°F (200°C).
Make the filling:
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Saute the peeled and diced onion in 2 tbsp olive oil until it's translucent.
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Add 1-3 cloves of garlic, 14 oz tofu, 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (or my tofu feta), 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Saute for 3 more minutes. (If using store-bought feta, add it at the end.)
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Add 16 oz spinach and cook for a few minutes until spinach wilts. (If using the store-bought feta instead of the tofu feta, add it now). Set the tofu spinach mixture aside while you prepare your pastry.
Prepare the pastry and bake:
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Brush the bottom of a baking dish with olive oil and place one of the pastry puffs on the bottom. (Cut it to fit if necessary).
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Pour the spinach filling on top and spread out evenly.
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Place the second pastry puff layer on top of the spinach layer.
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Bake at 400°F (200°C) for about 25- 30 minutes until it puffs up and turns golden brown.
Recipe Notes
- Allow the puff pastry to warm up to room temperature before you try to work it or it will break.
- Keep your filling relatively dry. Press your tofu well to get out excess water and if you are using frozen spinach, be sure to thaw it and press the water out first before using. A wet filling will make it soggy and your pastry puffs won't rise and puff up as well.
- Bake until your pastry puff rises and turns a golden brown.
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For more flavorful tofu, you can mix up my recipe for tofu feta ahead of time and use it instead of plain tofu.
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If using phyllo dough instead of pastry puffs, add one layer at a time brushing a little olive oil on each sheet before setting another thin sheet on top. Use about 3-4 layers on the bottom and 6-8 layers on top. Follow the rest of the instructions as you would for the pastry puff.