Chickpea, Spinach and Feta Pie
Published May 14, 2025
- Total Time
- 50 minutes
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 35 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2large leeks (about 1 pound), roots and wilted tops trimmed, stalks halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 9tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- Salt and pepper
- 3garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 5ounces baby spinach
- 1(15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained
- 7ounces crumbled feta
- 1lemon, zested and juiced (3 to 4 tablespoons), plus 1 more lemon for serving
- 1cup chopped dill
- 8 to 10phyllo pastry sheets (about 10 ounces), thawed
- Toasted white sesame or nigella seeds (optional), for topping
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
543 calories; 32 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 18 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 51 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 15 grams protein; 807 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Step 2
Prepare the leeks: Place the sliced leeks into a colander and rinse them well, rubbing to loosen any dirt. Rinse again and drain well. (There is no need to dry them, as the residual water is useful in cooking the leeks.)
- Step 3
Heat a 10-inch ovenproof skillet on medium-high for 1 to 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil along with the leeks (the skillet will look overfilled, but it cooks down a lot). Season generously with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are wilted, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Step 4
Add the garlic and the spinach, a few handfuls at a time, adding in more as it wilts, and toss until the leaves have all softened. Turn off the heat and add the chickpeas, feta, lemon zest, lemon juice and dill. Taste and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Step 5
Place the phyllo sheets into a large bowl and drizzle with 5 tablespoons of olive oil. Scrunch and massage the oil into the sheets; the sheets will crumble, break up and clump up and that is fine. Scrunch the pastry, and transfer in clumps, arranging them on top of the leeks and spinach, until completely covered. Drizzle the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and scatter over the sesame or nigella seeds, if using.
- Step 6
Bake until the top is golden and crispy, 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top is golden and crispy. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve with lemon on the side.
Private Notes
Comments
My pkg of phyllo dough is 160z and 18 sheets of dough. Almost an ounce per sheet. I agree that it’s a little light as a main dish for 4-6. Did this with what I had on hand—arugula, mild provolone cheese and chopped fresh parsley. It’s quite tasty—will try it again with the ‘real’ ingredients. I’m sure it will be just as good!
This is delicious! Next time I would just throw a sheet of puff pastry on top instead of the phyllo sheets.
The concept here is good, but some of the proportions are way off. 5 oz of spinach for 4-6 people, are you kidding? I used 20 oz of frozen spinach. And in what world does a sheet of phyllo dough weigh an ounce or more?
This was a hit. Used much more spinach than the recipe called for (it cooks down to nothing) and added the chickpeas earlier so that they get softer. The lemon zest is key! And the nigella seeds on top of the pastry (kalonji in hindi) added a spectacular note to this dish. Also, I used torn up puff pastry by mistake - and it was fine (just takes a little longer to get golden - I turned up the heat to ~450 for ~10 minutes after the prescribed 30 min at 375).
I doubled this the first time, using a little over a pound of fresh (adult) spinach, 3 giant leeks and 3 large shallots, and a full two cops of chopped fresh dill. I also crisped up the chickpeas in o/o in a separate pan, and added lemon juice to deglaze the pan. Made it in a 12” cast iron pan. It’s delicious. But too dry. I’ll double the spinach next time and maybe add chicken or vegetable broth. If it was moist it would be completely excellent. I can also see lining a pan with 3 or 4 layers of phyllo and dumping the mess into it before covering the top with the lovely phyllo crunch. Looking forward to see how well it freezes.
This is a really good, very satisfying vegetarian meal. I mostly stuck to the recipe as written. I only have a 12” cast iron skillet so I used a bit extra of most of everything to fill out the pan. I doubled the spinach & used 1 part parsley, 4 parts dill to get to 1 cp herbs, plus some red pepper. 8 oz of phyllo sufficed, stopped counting sheets after 10. I recommend Bush chickpeas & President block feta. Excellent dish!
Yes, I also doubled the spinach (thanks to all the folks who said it wasn't enough spinach), and I'll use 8 oz phyllo next time (my 16-oz box of phyllo has 2 8-oz rolls inside, and 8 oz would be fine—the bottom part of the phyllo was a bit doughy).