Spanakopita Mac and Cheese Stuffed in Phyllo Dough

A big buttery phyllo dough pie filled with spanakopita mac and cheese! When you dig into the flaky layers of phyllo dough and reveal this dark green mac and cheese loaded with feta and mozzarella, it’s pretty magical!

The inspiration for this recipe

My friend had a spanakopita grilled cheese at a restaurant recently. I thought it would be fun to do the same flavors in mac and cheese form. I thought that this would be all over the internet already but I was surprised to see only a few recipes out there. Of course I wanted to put my own spin on it. I wrapped the whole mess in phyllo dough and baked it right in there like one huge spanakopita.

Start with the spinach mixture

Onion and garlic in the pan first followed by lots of spinach. This is a whole pound but as you know it shrinks so much when you cook it. It’s best to chop the spinach before cooking it even though it can be a little tedious.

Prepare the spanakopita mac and cheese sauce

Mix the spinach with a whole bunch of cheese in a big bowl. There is feta, ricotta, and mozzarella in there.

When the pasta is about done cooking, stir it into the spinach and cheese mixture and a beautiful sauce for the spanakopita mac and cheese will form! Using a soft cheese like ricotta for this really helps the sauce form without the need for a roux or other thickener.

Prepare the phyllo dough

6 layers of phyllo and lots of butter in between. I made these in individual sized baking dishes but if you had small springform pans it would be even better.

Baking the spanakopita mac and cheese

Add the pasta and wrap the whole thing up. Bake the spanakopita mac and cheese for about 30 minutes at 425 until the phyllo is crispy and starting to brown.

Serving the spanakopita mac and cheese

This is now the moment of truth. If you had springform pans it is a little easier to pop out. Otherwise, flip the pan carefully and jiggle and slide it out! It helps if you have a knife to run along the edges before flipping it.

I love how when you dig in the spanakopita mac and cheese comes bursting out. So good. The flavors are on point to spanakopita but also mac and cheese and the crust is such a fun way to serve it.

It’s also pretty easy to make especially if you have someone helping to layer all the pastry sheets.

Twists on this recipe

You could always add chicken if you wanted some meat. You could also do this in one large pan if you prefer.

If you are interested in a traditional spanakopita recipe, I like this one!

If you are looking for other unique mac and cheese recipes, check out my pork belly mac and cheese, or this spoonbread mac and cheese!

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5 from 1 vote

Spanakopita Mac and Cheese

Mac and cheese flavored like spanakopita with spinach, parsley, oregano, feta, ricotta, and mozzarella and then the whole thing is wrapped in phyllo.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, greek

Keyword: Mac and Cheese, Over the Top, stuffed

Servings: 3 people

Calories: 1281kcal

Ingredients

• 1 small onion diced
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 pound baby spinach chopped and large stems removed
• 1 bunch parsley chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1 cup crumbled feta
• 1 cup ricotta
• 1 cup grated mozzarella
• 1/2 pound pasta
• 1 package phyllo pastry
• lots of butter

Instructions

• Bring a pot of water to a boil.
• Cook the onion in a frying pan for about 5 minutes in a little butter. Add the garlic
• Add in all the spinach and herbs and mix well. Add in 1/2 cup milk. Cook about 5 minutes until wilted.
• Remove from heat and pour the spinach mixture into a large bowl. Add in the cheeses and stir to combine.
• Drop the pasta and cook a few minutes less than the instructions on the package say.
• Strain the pasta and immedietly mix with the spinach mixture. The cheese should melt a bit and form a sauce on the pasta.
• Preheat the oven to 425
• Butter a small baking dish and add 2 sheets of phyllo. Butter and repeat until you have 6 total sheets.
• Add the pasta and fold the phyllo over the pasta, ripping away excess pastry so the top layer isnt a million layers thick. Brush with butter.
• Bake about 25-30 minutes until browned. Remove from oven and allow to sit about 10 minutes.
• Flip out onto a serving dish and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 1281kcal | Carbohydrates: 123g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 68g | Saturated Fat: 40g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 197mg | Sodium: 1698mg | Potassium: 1339mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 16036IU | Vitamin C: 46mg | Calcium: 855mg | Iron: 10mg