Name: Ispanakli ve Beyaz Peynirli Börek - Spinach and Feta Borek
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: Spinach filling; 1 kilo / 2 pounds fresh spinach; 26 grams / 2 tablespoons olive oil; 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped; 2 shallots, finely chopped; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin; 245 grams / 8.6 ounces feta, finely crumbled; 71 grams / 1/3 cup olive oil; 81 grams / 1/3 cup yogurt; 1 egg, room temperature; 275 grams phyllo pastry; 18 grams / 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

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Layers of phyllo pastry envelope a savory filling in this Ispanakli ve Beyaz Peynirli Börek - Spinach and Feta Borek. The pastry is crunchy and the filling with layers of bright green spinach and salty feta for a great savory snack. Have you heard of Spanakopita?

Well Borek is really the core of what this pastry is and a little research turns up the fact that this dish is beloved throughout so much of Europe and the Middle East in varieties of both sweet and savory. Spanakopita is another name for börek.

Why you’ll love this

Fresh and salty

The crispy layers of pastry that envelope the feta and spinach filling is so satisfying with a nice balance thanks to the small amount of spices within the filling.

Phyllo layers

Phyllo is such a wonderful pastry for savory items such as this thanks to the layering and fat and yogurt mixture that is brushed between each layer.

Ingredients and substitutions for Ispanakli ve Beyaz Peynirli Börek - Spinach and Feta Borek

Phyllo pastry: Those thin sheets of phyllo or filo pastry are store-bought as this is much easier. If you cannot source this pastry, you could sub in puff pastry, however, this has fat already in it (phyllo does not) so it would be recommended to not layer, due to the laminating that has already been completed in the process of making puff.
Spinach: Fresh spinach was used here, however, you could use frozen thawed spinach instead.
Feta: You want to use nice and firm feta here made with sheep and/or goat’s milk which is perfect here.
Egg: The egg helps to bind the yogurt and oil together between each layer of pastry.
Yogurt: Nice thick plain yogurt is best here thanks to it’s tart savoriness. You can absolutely use Greek yogurt or nice plain Skyr here.
Sesame seeds: Sesame seeds add a nice complimentary flavor to the Borek, though you could substitute with black sesame seeds that were used more traditionally in the original recipe.

Equipment needed to make

Square tin: A 18×18 cm or 7×7 inch square baking tin works well here, though a rectangle tin would also work well.

Pastry brush: A pastry brush will help you smear the pastry coating over each layer with ease. If you do not have a pastry brush, a less reliable alternative would be to spread the coating over the pastry with the back of a tablespoon - this would give you the closest result to using a brush.

Mixing bowls: You’ll need two mixing bowl for the pastry mixture, ice bowl for the spinach and then a separate bowl to combine the filling together.

Pot: A large pot is needed to blanche your spinach.

FAQ's for the best Ispanakli ve Beyaz Peynirli Börek - Spinach and Feta Borek

What is the difference between Borek and Spanakopita?

Borek, börek or burek is a much beloved dish throughout the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Central Asian lands where it is enjoyed sweet and savory. In Greece Spanakopita is simply another name for pastries in the borek family. So there you have it - Borek is the official name and Spanakopita is within the family of dishes within this umbrella that really is pastry sandwiching a filling.

How to make:

Preheat your oven to 180C/350F.

Place a large pot half filled with water on high heat and bring to the boil.

Meanwhile, wash the spinach and toss two handful’s of spinach into the boiling water to blanche for 2 minutes.

Prepare a large bowl with ice and water.

Remove the spinach and stir through the ice water.

Repeat with the remaining spinach until all have been placed into the ice water.

Drain and squeeze the excess water out of all the leaves.

Chop the spinach coarsely and separate as much as possible. Set aside.

Place a large pan onto low to medium heat with the olive oil.

Toss in the shallots and garlic, cooking for 4 minutes, until it is beginning to brown at the edges.

Toss in the spinach, cayenne pepper and ground cumin, stirring to combine.

Continue to cook for a further 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and set aside for cool for 5 minutes.

Stir through the crumbled feta until evenly distributed. Set aside.

For the pastry, place the olive oil, yogurt and egg into a bowl and whisk to combine.

Brush a portion all around your baking dish.

Lay one sheet of the phyllo pastry into your baking dish and brush with the olive oil mixture, repeating laying each sheet and brushing until you have stacked half the pastry.

Evenly spoon over the spinach feta mixture right to the edges of your dish and then begin layering the pastry, brushing between each, just the same as the bottom layer.

Finish by brushing with the oil egg mixture and sprinkle over the sesame seeds.

Place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes until golden.

Remove and allow to cool before cutting into even slices.

Serve either warmed or room temperature.

Dig in.