Chard and feta pie with Greek flavors & flaky crust
I’m a huge fan of anything in a flaky pie crust. So, a flaky, cheesy pie with lots of greens and cheese—I love it! This chard and feta pie has Greek spanakopita-inspired flavors: greens, feta cheese, a bit of onion, lemon zest, and a flaky crust. For the flaky crust, I chose puff pastry, though you certainly could use filo dough for an even flakier result. This pie is hearty enough to stand alone as a vegetarian main dish, or you could accompany it with some Greek-style meat.
With rainbow chard growing in my garden this summer, I’ve made a lot of chard recipes lately. This chard and feta pie is among my favorites. We’ve had it just a few times… 😊 Even the kids ate without complaint (usually chard is a tough sell to them)!
This pie is loosely based on a greens tart from Deborah Madison’s excellent cookbook Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone mixed with a spanakopita recipe I got during a visit to Athens. We loved this chard and feta pie creation, and I hope you do, too!
Tips for making a tasty chard and feta pie:
- Be sure to get enough water out of the greens. This is the main thing that can go wrong and make a soggy pie.
- Cook the pie until the top crust is a nice golden brown. To encourage nice golden browning on the crust, I add a light egg wash.
- I use a metal pie tin to encourage a crispier bottom crust. If you’re using a glass pie plate, you might want to blind bake the bottom crust.
- This recipe only calls for the chard leaves. If you want to use some stalks, dice them small and cook them first for roughly 15 minutes (instructions in the recipe for this option). Otherwise, freeze or a month or give my chard stem curry or this Middle-Eastern style chard stem rice a try!
How long will my chard and feta pie keep?
You can store your chard and feta pie in this fridge for up to three days. I recommend reheating in the oven to make the top crust crispy once again. To avoid drying out the filling, you can form a little shield with aluminum foil over the cut edges.
The tart also freezes well for up to three months. To reheat, let fully thaw in the refrigerator, then warm in the oven at 170 °C for about 20 minutes.
You might also enjoy…
If you enjoy Mediterranean flavors, here are a few other recipe ideas you might like:
- Crispy zucchini cigars with feta cheese,
- Eggplant and chard moussaka,
- Zucchini & ricotta tart with tomato-basil sauce, or
- Middle-Eastern chard stem rice with chickpeas (great for leftover stems!)
If you try this recipe, let me know what you think in the comments!
Greek-style chard and feta pie
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 325 g (11.5 oz) Swiss chard leaves from 750 g (1.6 lb) whole chard chopped (see note if using stems)
- 100 g scallions white and green thinly sliced
- ¾ tsp salt
- 50 g parsley leaves chopped
- 1 tbsp packed chopped fresh basil leaves
- Black pepper to taste
- 250 g (8.8 oz) ricotta
- 2 eggs
- 150 g (5.3 oz) feta crumbled or chopped
- 25 g (3 tbsp) grated Parmesan
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- 2 pie crusts puff pastry or other flaky variety
Egg wash
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 190 °C (375 °C).
- Cook the greens: Melt 2 tbsp butter over medium heat in a pot large enough to hold all the greens. If using some chard stems, add them now and cook for 15-20 minutes until tender but not overly soft. Add the chard leaves, scallions, and ¾ tsp salt, and cook for 4 minutes. Add the chopped parsley leaves, and cook 3 more minutes. Stir in the 1 tbsp basil and some black pepper and off heat.
- Mix eggs & cheeses: In a large bowl, beat together the ricotta and 2 eggs. Then add the other cheeses and ⅛ tsp nutmeg.
- Combine filling: Mix the cooked greens into the egg-cheese mixture. Discard any excess moisture from the greens.
- Assemble the pie: Line the bottom of a pie tin with one of the pie crusts. Pour the filling into the pie crust. Arrange the second pie crust on top. Cut off excess crust and pinch to seal. Using a sharp knife, make a few slits in the upper crust for steam to escape.
- Egg wash: Whisk together the egg wash ingredients in a small bowl. Use a pastry brush to brush the top crust with the egg wash.
- Bake at 190 °C for 30 minutes. The crust should be golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.