Prep. time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10 + 20 minutes

Spanakopita is made with Kefalotiri cheese.

In Lebanon, a similar pastry is made using Labne, a creamy cheese. You could replace the Greek or Lebanese cheeses with Parmesan. Ricotta is also a good light option, though the texture won't be quite the same.

1. Cook the spinach in boiling water or steam it; drain and squeeze out all the water;
2. In a skillet, sauté the finely-chopped onion in butter; add the spinach and cook until quite dry;
3. season the béchamel sauce with a pinch of nutmeg;
4. add the eggs, cheese and spinach to the sauce;
5. prepare the phyllo pastry by brushing each sheet with melted butter; layer half the sheets;
6. line a rectangular baking dish with these sheets;
7. spread the spinach filling over top;
8. cover with the remaining phyllo (each sheet brushed with butter and layered one on top of the other);
9. make a few cuts in the top of the pastry with a sharp knife;
10. bake in a 180° C (350° F) oven for about 20 minutes until the pastry is nicely browned;
11. cut into squares and serve hot.

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Photo: Kronos Products - Phyllo pastry.