When I first moved to New York back in 2008, I decided that at any restaurant that served spanakopita, I would try it. It seemed as good a benchmark as any to compare one establishment to another. I had some that were very good, and some that were very bad. I think the craziest was the time I cut into the slice and pulled out a blue…rubber band. That might have been what finally did it for me.

After going to a Greek cooking class a few weeks ago where we made spanakopita, I couldn’t get it out of my mind. Because the idea of rolling out and dealing with the phyllo dough sounded like a bit too much of a hassle for my ADD weeknight brain, I though a spanakopita-inspired frittata sounded right up my alley. At the last minute, I decided to add mushrooms because I was craving them like crazy. Though not traditional, per se, this came out fantastically. With a side salad, it’s perfect for lunch or an easy dinner that’s on the table in under an hour.

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 shallot, diced
• 4 green onions, scallions, sliced
• 1 5-oz package baby spinach
• 1 8-oz package white mushrooms, sliced
• 1 oz fresh dill, chopped
• 2/3 c feta cheese, crumbled
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup liquid egg whites
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Sauté shallots and scallion in olive oil. Add mushrooms and cook until just beginning to soften. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Fold in dill.
3. Pour vegetable mixture into a pie plate or skillet (whatever you plan to bake in).
4. Mix cheese, egg, and egg whites. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Pour egg mixture over vegetables.
6. Bake for 30 mins. Allow to sit 10 minutes before slicing.

Have you ever tried spanakopita?