Gluten Free Spanakopita Bites

Gluten Free Spanakopita Bites Recipe

In a perfect world (at least my perfect world), meals would consist of appetizers and desserts. Obviously it is not practical to eat appetizers and desserts at every meal – I mean it would be a little time consuming coming up with all that mini-food – but we can certainly entertain that way. In fact that is my very favorite way to entertain, cocktail parties with small bites – some savory, some sweet.

When I am the one hosting a party, I get to choose all the foods I personally adore. This is one of the many reasons I really like entertaining!

I love Greek Food but being gluten free, I often can’t indulge in some of my favorites from before. However, that doesn’t mean that I can’t reinvent them to be gluten free. These Gluten Free Spanakopita Bites are a perfect example.

Traditionally, spanakopita is a spinach cheese filling folded into triangles with layers of filo dough brushed with butter. I have yet to master (or to be perfectly honest, ever even tried to make) gluten free filo dough so I improvised and baked a traditional spanakopita filling into little cups made with Chebe Focaccia Mix. Doing so makes them not only gluten free but grain free as well.

(Update: Although I didn’t personally make this recipe, we now have a gluten-free filo pastry dough recipe on the site, in case you want to make traditional spanakopita or maybe a sweet treat!)

This recipe makes a lot of little bites – perfect for a party. If you have too many (and I seriously doubt that) you can always freeze them. Just wrap them up well after being baked and cooled then freeze for up to a month. Defrost and then re-heat at 350 for a few minutes until hot.

Gluten Free Spanakopita Bites recipe

5 from 1 vote
Gluten Free Spanakopita Bites
Print Recipe

Gluten Free Spanakopita Bites Recipe

Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Total Time40 mins
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Greek
Servings: 48 appetizers
Calories: 63kcal
Author: Gluten Free & More

Ingredients

  • Gluten free non-stick cooking spray
  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts
  • 2 (7.5 ounce) boxes Chebe Focaccia Mix
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil divided use
  • 4 large eggs
  • ½ cup water
  • cups grated Parmesan cheese divided use
  • 1 small white onion chopped
  • 2 scallions minced
  • 1 (10 ounce) box frozen spinach, thawed
  • 4 ounces feta cheese crumbled
  • ½ cup ricotta cheese
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray two (24 each) mini muffin tins with cooking spray.
  • Put the pine nuts in a dry skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, 3 – 4 minutes. Set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl combine the focaccia mix, 4 tablespoons olive oil, 4 eggs, water, and 1 cup parmesan cheese. Dump the mixture out onto a clean work surface and knead until a smooth dough forms, about 1 – 2 minutes. Divide into 48 equal sized balls. Place the balls in the muffin tins and make an indentation with your thumb into each ball forming a cup.
  • Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the scallions and cook for 1 minute. Squeeze all the moisture from the spinach and add to the onions. Cook, stirring, until the spinach is totally dry. Put in a mixing bowl; add the reserved pine nuts, feta, ricotta, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir to combine. Spoon the filling into the cups. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup Parmesan on top of the cups and bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Gluten Free Spanakopita Bites Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 63 Calories from Fat 36
% Daily Value*
Fat 4g6%
Saturated Fat 1g5%
Cholesterol 19mg6%
Sodium 149mg6%
Potassium 20mg1%
Carbohydrates 4g1%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 75IU2%
Vitamin C 0.2mg0%
Calcium 55mg6%
Iron 0.3mg2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owner’s. This blog accepts free manufacturers’ samples and forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation. Affiliate links may be included in this post.

Disclaimer: All nutrition facts on Gluten Free & More are meant only as a guide and may differ depending on product brands used or ingredient substitutions. Some errors may occur, so you are encouraged to confirm the recipe’s ingredient and nutrition suitability for your own diet.
Have you tried this recipe? Give it a star rating and let us know your thoughts in the Ratings & Reviews section below.
Tags: Bites Corn Free Feta Cheese Greek Mini Spanakopita
0 shares
  1. Diane
    June 4, 2013

    This looks good and I would love to make it, since I have most everything on hand, including the Focaccia mix. But when (where) do you add the remaining 1/2 cup of parmesan?

    1. CarolKicinski
      July 24, 2013

      Hi Diane, thanks for pointing this out! What a job as my proof reader :) You sprinkle it on top of the cups before baking. Off to fix the recipe now.

  2. June 4, 2013

    OMG mouth watering!! Who knew that you could make such DELICIOUS recipes all gluten free?? I’m truly amazed. I’m starting my journey to become more gluten free and this definitely is promising.

    Thanks for the post! <3

    1. Gluten Free & More
      June 5, 2013

      Thank you so much! Enjoy and good luck on your gf journey!

  3. Pingback: Vegetarian, Gluten-Free Roundup: Get those ovens going

  4. Linda
    June 7, 2013

    I can’t get the Chebe Focaccia mix locally, but I can get the All Purpose Bread Mix or the Pizza mix. Could I use one of those for this Spanakopita recipe?

    1. Gluten Free & More
      June 9, 2013

      Sure! Just throw some dried herbs into the mix, I would add either 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning or a mix of dried oregano, basil, and thyme. Easy!

  5. Pingback: Best Sweet and Savory Bites Recipes - MotivaNova - MotivaNova

  6. Jacquie
    December 5, 2014

    Recipe sounds great. But, can you use a gf frozen pie crust, and fill it instead of all the individual mini cups? It would be a lot easier, for me anyway.

    1. Gluten Free & More
      January 6, 2015

      Jacquie,

      Yes that would definitely work.

      xo,
      Carol

  7. Pingback: 30 Gluten Free Meal Ideas - Cuddles and ChaosCuddles and Chaos

  8. Charlotte
    March 7, 2015

    I am a little challenged in the kitchen … using the gluten-free mixes I have available in my area, they have a yeast packet inside. For your recipes where you say to use the mixes, does that mean to also use the yeast packets? I made several of your recipes last night for a party tonight, and I did not use the yeast packets since it said to use the “focaccia mix”; they look great. Hmm, I have not tasted yet the “mix” recipes. The crispy artichoke recipe was delicious.

    1. Gluten Free & More
      March 9, 2015

      Hi Charlotte,

      Definitely understand where you’re coming from, well the mix mentioned in the recipe is this mix by Chebe http://www.chebe.com/collections/dry-mixes/products/focaccia-mix-8-pack-case-7-5-oz-per-package, but if you’re not using that mix, just follow the instructions for the mix you are using and you should be all good to go!

      And glad you liked it!

      xo,
      Carol

  9. Pingback: Potluck Dinner Club: Happy Appy Appetizer Potluck – Celtic Celiac

  10. Pingback: Gluten Free Sweet and Spicy Nuts | Recipe | Simply Gluten Free

  11. Pingback: Gluten Free Savory Greek Spinach Pastries | Simply Gluten Free

  12. Pamela Drouin
    November 22, 2017

    I’m excited to make this, but what would you substitute for the cheese if you are dairy free. Vegan cheese will not please the crowds, I’ve noticed. Would appreciate what ever guidance you might have.

    1. Gluten Free & More
      November 22, 2017

      Hi Pamela,

      That’s a tough one! Since this recipe calls for three different cheeses, it might be pretty difficult to get similar results without either using those cheeses or their dairy free versions. What you could do is make the outer crust/cups using nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan cheese, and then make the spinach/onion/pine nut mixture using some cashew “cheese” to add some creaminess. Or, you could make the crust (again, with nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan) and then fill the cups with a different filling altogether that’s already dairy free. Hope this helps! Let me know how it goes.

      xo,
      Carol

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Enter your Email below to recieve a free Ebook!