By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- 1 hour 40 minutes
- Rating
- 4(245)
- Notes
- Read community notes
I’ve made lots of Greek vegetable pies in phyllo pastry using beet greens, but I had not included the beets. This will now be a regular dish I make with beets in my house. This savory pie, seasoned with mint, parsley and dill, is beautiful, filling and easy to assemble. If you are gluten-free and can’t use phyllo, you can make this as a crustless gratin.
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Ingredients
Yield:Serves 6 to 8
- 6medium or 4 large beets, roasted
- 2generous bunches beet greens (about ¾ pound), stemmed and washed
- ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1large red or yellow onion, chopped
- 2large garlic cloves, minced
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 3eggs
- 4ounces / 1 cup feta, crumbled
- ½cup chopped fresh parsley
- ¼cup chopped fresh mint or 1 to 2 tablespoons crumbled dried
- ¼cup chopped fresh dill
- 1tablespoon butter
- 12sheets phyllo dough
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
273 calories; 15 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 28 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 9 grams protein; 491 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
Roast beets as directed and allow to cool. Slip off skins and slice in rounds.
Step
2
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt generously and add beet greens. Blanch 1 minute, remove from water with a skimmer and transfer to a bowl of cold water. Drain and squeeze out excess water, taking greens up by the handful. Chop coarsely.
Step
3
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat and add onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender, 5 to 8 minutes, and add garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until garlic is fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute, and stir in blanched greens and salt and pepper to taste. Stir until ingredients are mixed and remove from heat.
Step
4
Whisk eggs in a large bowl and crumble in feta. Whisk together, then stir in greens and beets. Add chopped fresh parsley, mint and dill. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Step
5
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Combine butter and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a microwave-safe cup or bowl or in a small saucepan, and heat gently (50 percent power if using microwave) until butter has melted. Lightly brush a 10-inch straight-sided tart pan or cake pan, either ceramic or metal, with butter/oil mix.
Step
6
Lay a sheet of phyllo in the pan, tucking it into the seam, with edges overhanging the rim. Brush phyllo lightly with butter/oil mix and turn the pan slightly, then place another sheet on top, positioning it so the edges overlap another section of the pan’s rim. Continue to layer in 5 more sheets of phyllo, brushing each one with butter and oil and staggering them so the overhang on the rim of the pan is evenly distributed and covers entire pan.
Step
7
Fill lined pan with beet and greens mix, scraping every last bit into the pan with a spatula, then fold overhanging phyllo edges in over the filling, brushing each one lightly with butter/oil mix. Layer remaining 5 sheets of dough over filling, brushing each sheet with butter and olive oil and rotating pan slightly after each addition. Crimp edges down into the sides of the pan. Brush top with butter and oil. Pierce top of pie in several places with a sharp knife. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until top is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature. Recrisp crust in a low oven for 10 to 20 minutes if necessary before serving.
Tips
- Advance preparation: The roasted beets and blanched beet greens will keep for 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator. The pie can be assembled and frozen before baking. Transfer from the freezer to the oven and add 10 minutes to the total time. The pie can be baked up to a day or two ahead but you will have to recrisp it in a low oven for 15 minutes.
- You can omit the butter and use 3 tablespoons olive oil for brushing the phyllo. If you want a crustless version, bake the mix in an oiled 2-quart gratin dish for 30 to 40 minutes, until the top browns.
Ratings
4
out of 5
245
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Cooking Notes
sandra
Festive and delicious! The deep red beets contrasted beautifully in the deep green filling. I made a half-recipe in a 9 inch pie pan, adding a small bunch of kale since I only had the greens attached to the beets. Instead of eggs I used a scant 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds mixed with a 1/3 cup of warm water, and I replaced the cheese with a 1/2 cup of broken-up salted silken tofu.
marnie
Ok. Just talked to my sister in Greece about my filo crimping problem. The filo sheets should be oiled before placed in pan so the ends don’t dry and out which then makes them crimpable!
Virginia
This was amazing - added some kale to give it more filling (and added more feta because feta is delicious). Also used a spring-pan and wound up only using 3-layers on top. Pairs excellently with the greek goddess dip!
E
It says roast beets 'as directed' but there are no directions?
Vanessa
This was delicious. I had some filling left over (I didn't have the pan specified in the recipe, so used a smaller Pyrex casserole dish) and made some additional "tyropita-style" hand pies. We were going to freeze them for later use but ate them all instead.
Alison
I used the pre-cooked beets from Costco, and instead of phyllo made buttery panko crumbs on top. It was delicious and less work!
Barbarajs
Take the phyla out of the freezer the night before!
marnie
Doubled the mint and the feta and used kale instead of beet greens. Quadrupled the garlic. I struggled with crimping the filo. How do you do that?? Delicious!
Kim
Great use of beet greens! I only had 1 egg so added 2 generous spoonfuls of low-fat plain yogurt.
P. J.
I'm going to use a vegan feta brand from Greece called Violife--found it at Whole Foods.
WillingMind
Made it without the phyllo, just as a gratin. Best beets ever. Also delicious cold.
Lisa Cannon
The frozen reheat takes waaaay longer to cook than just 10 minutes. Baked from frozen for 90 minutes and central temps were still only 100F…. We finally decided to just nuke individual slices.If I were going to do this next time from frozen I think I would prep a shallower casserole shaped pie to cook faster
Amy
Delicious! I think next time I will cube the beets so as to distribute throughout. I used golden beets, as that was what I received in my farm share. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
HT
Cut the beats smaller, into half rounds or more. Easier to eat. Can add more greens and more herbs.
Henri
Made mostly as written with a few subs and it was tasty and different. I used carrot greens because I didn’t have dill and I added young collard leaves to the beet greens and doubled the feta. I only had three beets so a added two small roasted turnips cut small (not recommended.) Working with the phyllo was easier and faster than I remember it being. I would also cut the beets smaller than the slices shown. I think I would prefer this with only greens and more feta next time.
KateD
too much work and it was just ok
Meg
Like a few others, I used puff pastry instead of phyllo and did a panko topping - both very easy and tasty substitutions.
65th St Fan
Delicious! This was my first time using phyllo dough and it turned out to be easier to work with than I had feared. I think I will add more feta next time.
REM
Made mostly as is but added 1tsp red pepper flakes and doubled the feta, dill and mint. Everyone raved. Made in a spring form pan which made for pretty presentation. Will make again.
Kim
Great use of beet greens! I only had 1 egg so added 2 generous spoonfuls of low-fat plain yogurt.
jcth
Delicious. I made it without the crust. Next time I'll dice the roasted beets.
E
Really good—love this as a way to use up beet greens! I thought it was confusing that the photo shows a standard pie dish, but the recipe calls for a larger straight-sided pan. I just used a pie dish in the end and it worked fine. I agree with all the posters though that you wouldn't go wrong if you added more feta.
E
It says roast beets 'as directed' but there are no directions?
Kenya
Halved the recipe and did it as a gratin. Added a Panko crust. It was delicious and had a nice crunch.
Veronica J.
I do not eat dairy - any ideas for a replacement for the feta?
P. J.
I'm going to use a vegan feta brand from Greece called Violife--found it at Whole Foods.
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