With crispy golden filo pastry and a soft herby filling, this silverbeet and feta pie is an easy and delicious recipe for silverbeet that can be enjoyed warm or cold.
Like my Italian silverbeet pie, this delicious recipe uses both cooked silverbeet leaves and stalks and turns them into something that can be enjoyed as leftovers delicious in lunchboxes. This Greek style silverbeet feta pie is based on the classic Greek pie, Hortopita, which is traditionally made with a variety of greens such as spinach, kale, silverbeet, swiss chard and other wild greens such as wild chicory and wild chervil.
If you are looking for more silverbeet recipes, my Spanish style chickpeas and silverbeet, and Japanese silverbeet with miso dressing make delicious sides!
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Why we love this silverbeet recipe
- It’s an easy recipe for silverbeet that can be served as a main meal or light lunch.
- This vegetarian silverbeet recipe can serve it warm or cold, making it ideal for picnics and lunchboxes.
- Any leftover feta silverbeet pie tastes delicious the next day.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Silverbeet – or swiss chard, rainbow chard or rainbow silverbeet, or use a mixture!
- Feta cheese – Greek feta cheese or Danish feta both work in this pie.
- Fresh parsley – or see here for the best parsley substitutes.
- Fresh dill – or use fresh tarragon.
- Fresh mint – you can use basil or marjoram instead if you prefer.
- Filo pastry – Phyllo dough, or fillo pastry if you are in Australia. You can use frozen filo pastry, defrost before using. You can also make this pie with puff pastry.
- Spring onions – scallions or green onions. You can use half a small red onion if you prefer. If you only have brown onions then a recommend you fry it in a little oil for a couple of minutes to soften.
- Garlic – fresh garlic or minced garlic.
- Eggs – I use large eggs which weigh approx. 60g each.
- Nutmeg – this spice is optional, but I find adding a small pinch helps lift the flavours.
- Olive Oil – you can use melted butter if you prefer.
How to make this pie from scratch
- Chop the leaves from the stalks. Slice the stalks into 1-2 cm (½ – ¾ inch) pieces.
- Chop the leaves into thirds.
- Blanch the silverbeet stalks in boiling water for 2 minutes.
- Add the chopped silverbeet leaves to the pan with the stalks and cook for 1 minute. Drain and refresh under cold water. TIP: Running the silverbeet under cold water helps to stop the silverbeet from continuing to cook.
- Leave the silverbeet to cool for 5 minutes, until cold enough to handle. Squeeze out as much water as you can from the silverbeet, then roughly chop.
- Add the chopped silverbeet to a bowl with the finely chopped fresh herbs, chopped spring onion, crushed garlic and beaten eggs.
- Mix everything together to combine.
- Lay a sheet of filo pastry in square baking tin, brushing with olive oil before placing another sheet over the top. Repeat with another 4 sheets of filo.
- Let the edges of filo overhang the edge of the tin. (See third picture below)
- Pour in the beaten eggs and herbs, pushing the mixture gently with a spoon to spread out to the corners of the pastry.
- Sprinkle over the feta in an even layer.
- Top with extra sheet(s) filo pastry and fold the edges back over.
- Brush the top with olive oil and bake until golden and crisp.
- Store any leftovers in the fridge.
FAQ
Is silverbeet the same as spinach?
No, silverbeet is not the same as spinach. English spinach has smaller leaves than silverbeet and its stalk is green and thinner than the larger white / coloured silverbeet stalks.
Does spinach taste like silverbeet?
Silverbeet has a stronger, more earthy taste than English spinach or baby spinach.
Why is my filo pastry soggy on the bottom?
The bottom of the pie could be soggy if you left too much water in the cooked silverbeet. Make sure to squeeze as much water out of the leaves and stalks as you can!
My recipe tips
- Don’t overcook the silverbeet – if you cook silverbeet too much it can start to taste slightly metallic and unpleasant.
- To prevent the silverbeet from cooking further once you have taken it off the heat – place in a strainer or sieve and run the cold tap over it, or place in an ice bath.
- Squeeze as much water from the cooked silverbeet as you can! This will help prevent having soggy pastry on the bottom of the pie.
- Herbs – if you don’t have one of the fresh herbs, simply leave it out or add more of the other herbs. You could also use other herbs such as fresh basil or fresh thyme.
Serving Ideas
This silverbeet pie is delicious on it’s own, but to make it into more of a meal:
- This silverbeet filo pie is delicious alongside this pear and walnut salad, rocket pomegranate salad, or this creamy Polish cucumber salad.
- Serve some crispy parmentier potatoes on the side, or a couple of slices of crusty bread or air fryer garlic bread.
Make ahead/storage
This silverbeet Hortopita is best served on the day it is made, when the pastry is crisp. However any leftover pie will keep in the fridge, covered, for up to 2 days. I do not recommend you freeze this pie.
Ideas for leftover ingredients
- Feta – Greek salad, beetroot feta salad, green beans with feta.
- Parsley – eggs piperade, puttanesca pasta salad.
- Dill – walnut dill pesto, German cucumber salad.
- Mint – Turkish yogurt sauce.
- Or for feta AND herbs, this feta and herb platter.
- Filo pastry – baked Japanese spring rolls.
Why not try…
You may also like these other vegetarian dishes:
Silverbeet Spanakopita
Author: Robyn
With crispy golden fillo pastry and a soft herby feta and silverbeet filling, this silverbeet and feta pie is an easy and delicious recipe for silverbeet that can be enjoyed warm or cold.
Equipment
- 1 20cm x 20cm / 8 x 8 inch square baking tin
Ingredients
- 300g (10½ oz) silverbeet or chard leaves cut in thirds, stalks cut in 1-2cm (½ – ¾ inch) pieces
- 1 Tablespoon fresh dill finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon fresh mint finely chopped
- Pinch nutmeg
- 3 spring onions finely sliced
- 1 Clove garlic crushed
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 200g (7 oz) feta cheese crumbled
- 6 Sheets Fillo pastry thawed if frozen
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- black pepper
Instructions
- Blanch the silverbeet stalks in boiling water for 2 minutes, then add the chopped leaves and cook for 1 minute. Drain and refresh under cold water.
- Leave the silverbeet to cool for 5 minutes, until cold enough to handle. Squeeze out the excess water (as much as you can) then roughly chop.
- Mix the chopped silverbeet with the finely chopped fresh dill, parsley and mint, chopped spring onion, crushed garlic and beaten eggs.
- Optional step: place the filling in the fridge for up to a couple of hours.
- Preheat the oven to 180˚C fan / 200˚C / 356˚F convection / 392˚F.
- Place a sheet of fillo pastry in a 20cm x 20cm / 8 x 8 inch baking tin, and brush with olive oil. Carefully place another sheet of filo on top and repeat with the other 3 sheets of filo, brushing each one with oil before placing the other sheet on top. Leave the edges overhanging the edge of the tin.
- Pour the beaten eggs, silverbeet and herbs over the pastry and sprinkle over the feta.
- Top with the remaining sheet of pastry and fold the edges of pastry back over the top.
- Brush with oil and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until golden and crisp.
- Can serve warm or at room temperature.
- Store any leftovers in the fridge.
Notes
Silverbeet – or swiss chard, rainbow chard or rainbow silverbeet, or use a mixture!
Feta cheese – Greek feta cheese or Danish feta both work in this pie.
Fresh parsley – or see here for the best parsley substitutes.
Fresh dill – or use fresh tarragon.
Fresh mint – you can use basil or marjoram instead if you prefer.
Filo pastry – Phyllo dough, or fillo pastry if you are in Australia. You can use frozen filo pastry, defrost before using. You can also make this pie with puff pastry.
Spring onions – scallions or green onions. You can use half a small red onion if you prefer. If you only have brown onions then a recommend you fry it in a little oil for a couple of minutes to soften.
Garlic – fresh garlic or minced garlic.
Eggs – I use large eggs which weigh approx. 60g each.
Nutmeg – this spice is optional, but I find adding a small pinch helps lift the flavours.
Olive Oil – you can use melted butter if you prefer.
Don’t overcook the silverbeet – if you cook silverbeet too much it can start to taste slightly metallic and unpleasant.
To prevent the silverbeet from cooking further once you have taken it off the heat – place in a strainer or sieve and run the cold tap over it, or place in an ice bath.
Squeeze as much water from the cooked silverbeet as you can! This will help prevent having soggy pastry on the bottom of the pie.
Herbs – if you don’t have one of the fresh herbs, simply leave it out or add more of the other herbs. You could also use other herbs such as fresh basil or fresh thyme.
Nutrition
Calories: 165kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 7gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.004gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 451mgPotassium: 204mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 2576IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 156mgIron: 2mg
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