Vegan Spanakopita
A vegan take on the traditional Greek spanakopita that turned out to be seriously addictive. It's filled with spinach, seasoned tofu, and cashew cream, all wrapped in crispy phyllo pastry.
Equipment
- Round baking dish
Ingredients
- 600 g (21 ounces) spinach fresh, washed and drained
- ¾ tsp salt plus more to dehydrate the spinach, adjust to taste
- 200 g (7 ounces) extra firm tofu plain
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp olive brine
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- a pinch black-pepper ground
- 100 g (¾ cup) cashews
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 125 ml (½ cup) plant-based milk I used unsweetened soy milk
- 5 stalks scallions finely chopped
- 50 g (2 ounces) parsley fresh, finely chopped
- 12 kalamata olives pitted, finely chopped
- 500 g (17 ounces) phyllo dough
- 50 g (2 ounces) vegan butter or margarine, or olive oil
- sesame seeds optional
Instructions
Preparing the Spinach
- Roughly chop the spinach and place it in a large bowl. Sprinkle generously with salt, massage well, and let it rest while you prepare the other steps of the recipe, or for at least 10 minutes.
- Once the spinach has wilted and released its moisture, squeeze it thoroughly to get rid of as much water as possible.
Seasoning the Tofu
- In a small bowl, crumble the tofu and mix it with the olive oil, lemon juice, olive brine, ½ tsp of salt, garlic powder, and black pepper.
Cashew Cream
- In a food processor, add the cashews, nutritional yeast, ¼ tsp of salt, and ¼ cup of plant-based milk.
- Blend until it turns into a smooth paste.
- Add the remaining ¼ cup of plant-based milk and blend again until it becomes a smooth, creamy mixture.
Finishing the filling
- Pour the cashew cream into the tofu mixture and mix well to combine.
- Fold the cashew and tofu mixture into the squeezed spinach.
- Add the scallions, parsley, and olives, and mix well.
Assembly
- Lay out a sheet of phyllo dough and generously brush it with vegan butter.
- Place another sheet of phyllo on top of the previous one and brush it again with butter.
- Generously place the filling along one of the edges of the phyllo sheets, lengthwise.
- Roll the phyllo dough over the filling continuing until it’s all wrapped up, forming a thin roll.
- Carefully roll it into a spiral shape and place it in the center of a greased round baking dish.
- Repeat these steps until the dish is filled and the stuffing is used up.
- Brush the top of the pie with butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (356°F) for 50 to 60 minutes. Let it cool for a few minutes before serving.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!