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Rainbow Chard Spanakopita

Posted by Lindsay Kluge on Thursday, July 20, 2017

Chard really is the unsung and often overlooked nutrient dense green that’s remarkably easy to grow in your home garden or patio pots. It’s full of magnesium, potassium, calcium,  iron, zinc, fiber and phytonutrients, along with vitamin C and A and lots of vitamin K. Vitamin K is essential for calcium absorption (something I really need), and I’m often always looking for extra sources of vitamin K in my diet to support bone health. The colorful, rainbow stems (white, yellow and red) all contain nutrients as well, most notably carotenoids which are fantastic for eye health, and when I cook this up I’m always using the stems in every recipe too.

 









Rainbow Chard Spanakopita is easy and forgiving. It takes the outline of a traditional spinach based Spanakopita but incorporates chard in place of the spinach. You can use either Filo or puff pastry, and traditionally a Spanakopita recipe calls for lots of butter (which is fine to use in this recipe as well – still works), however I prefer ghee so that’s what I often use. Good quality cheese can make all the difference for a good batch too, so if you’ve got a good source for high quality feta – definitely opt for that. 


Photos by Renee Byrd

Rainbow Chard Spanakopita

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
  • 8 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2.5 pounds fresh Chard + stems, coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh dill
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 cups high quality sheep feta, cubed
  • 1tsp sea salt
  • ghee for brushing
  • Frozen Filo, thawed and slightly chilled
Serves 8

In a very large skillet or deep pot, heat the olive oil on medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Sauté for 3 minutes until onions just start to turn translucent. Add in the chard, one handful at a time and cook down slightly before adding in another handful. With each addition, fold over the leaves to mix with the garlic and onions. Continue adding in all of the chard until wilted and well mixed with the garlic and onions. Remove from heat and transfer to a colander. Press out as much moisture as possible with a large spoon. Let cool completely or leave overnight in the refrigerator. 

Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9x13in dish. Once the mixture has completely cooled, mix in the eggs, dill, feta and salt until well combined. Melt the ghee slightly. Roll out the filo dough. Add 1 sheet to the bottom of the baking dish and brush lightly with ghee. Add another sheet and brush again with ghee. Repeat the process about 6 times. Add the chard mixture and distribute evenly. Continue adding the filo sheets, brushing lightly with ghee until you have about 9-10 sheets on the top. Brush the top layer with ghee. Place in oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top layer of filo browns slightly. Remove from oven and let cool. Serve warm. Keeps well refrigerated for up to 1 week. 

Optional: top with sprigs of dill and basil to serve.