If you love the traditional flavors found in Greek Spanakopita, you’ll flip for this cold and creamy Spinach Dip recipe. Featuring fresh spinach, protein-rich beans, fresh dill and feta, this healthy spinach dip is the homemade snack you’ve been searching for!
Hi-ya, friends! How’s the week treating you? Luckily for those of us in the US or Canada this week is a short week, thanks to our previous extended holiday weekend!
Can I get a hallelujah?
Don’t you just love holiday weekends!? They are like a gift that keeps on giving.
Anyways, can we talk about football season for 7.69 seconds? I’m going to imagine I just saw you shake your head ‘yes’.
I LOVE football season. But like a lot of foodies out there, I don’t necessarily love it for the actual game. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love watching my teams play*… ESPECIALLY when they win. Duh. But, watching all the other teams out there? Yawn fest.
So what happens when my teams aren’t gracing the big screen? FOOD. It comes to my rescue.
Football food is the bomb 💣, right?! Cheesy confections, bite sized carb-a-licious goodies, sticky glazed wings, jam packed sliders and crispy, fried little morsels of yum… football food can be EPIC.
But, it can also be seriously greasy and fattening.
Waaaaait. Before you judge or skinny-shame me, I’ve never met a calorie laden food I don’t like. And, it’s not like I refrain myself from partaking in all the football food glory, I just also like to have something on the healthier side at my game day grub-a-thons.
So today, skinny-ed up eats is exactly what I’m sharing.
*In case you are a nosy Nancy my teams are FSU and UGA for college. Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers for NFL.
Spanakopita happens to be one of my favorite appetizers.
Please tell me you have had it before, or at least heard of it? A quick 411 in case you haven’t, spanakopita is simply a Greek spinach and feta pie wrapped up in phyllo dough.
It is flaky and outrageously delicious, but they also happen to not be the heathiest food on the planet. So I decided to deconstruct those fabulous pies and give them a healthy makeover. And this is what I came up with.
Drum roll please…
Spanakopita Hummus
You guuuuuuuuuuys! If you like spanakopita and hummus, this flavor will be your new jam. Even if you don’t like spanakopita or hummus, this dip will STILL be your new jam.
How do I know this? Because, Boy. He claims he hates hummus and he was still all up in this healthy dip. Elbows deep I tell ya.
Not that I blame him.
This hummus is super creamy-dreamy with notes of savory spinach, salty feta and herbaceous dill, a touch of tart lemon and healthy dose of crunchy, toasted pine nuts for good measure. Served with mini, buttery, flaky fillo cups for scooping, this hummus is the BEST kind of spanakopita imposter.
Move over Greek spinach pie, there’s a velvety, new version in town. And this one happens to be EASIER than pie AND may shrink your waistline.
Now you can have your cake pie and your skinny jeans too! This totally deserves a high five. ✋
Notes, Tips & Tricks for Spanakopita Hummus recipe:
- Are you guys cooking your own chickpeas yet? I’ve talked about how easy it is before here and here, but in case you have yet to try it, please do! The slow cooker does ALL the work for you. I included instructions in the recipe below.
- In case you aren’t a planner or simply decide you need this dip STAT, you can forget what I said up there ⬆️ in note one and use canned chickpeas. 2 (15 ounce) cans or 3 cups of cooked chickpeas is the equivalent of 1 cup of dried chickpeas.
- The recipe calls for blanched and dried spinach leaves. This step is easy-peasy. Simply add the spinach leaves to a large pot of boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Remove the spinach with a slotted spoon to an ice water bath to prevent it from cooking further and then drain it well. I recommend using a clean tea towel or paper towels to wring out the water completely.
- The recipe also calls for toasted pine nuts. Toasting is optional, but highly recommended since it brings out the flavor and texture. To toast your pine nuts, simply place them in a dry skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until they are golden brown. Make sure you keep an eye on them because they will go from golden brown and delicious to burned pretty quickly.
- I like my hummus to have a thicker consistency, so I slowly add in about 6-8 tablespoons of the chickpea cooking liquid. For a thinner hummus, add more chickpea cooking liquid, one tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is achieved. If you didn’t cook you own chickpeas, you can either add the chickpea liquid from the can, water or olive oil as a substitute.
Add this Spanakopita hummus to your next football food line up. Both your taste buds AND your waistline will thank you. Until next week friends, cheers – football, food and weekends.
Cheyanne
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More recipes for healthy dips!
- Everything Bagel Dip
- Cucumber Yogurt Dip with Dill
- Spicy Avocado Hummus
- Roasted Sweet Potato Hummus Dip
- Fajita Hummus
How to make Spanakopita Hummus at home 👇
Spanakopita Hummus
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Dried Chickpeas *
- ½ Yellow Onion – root left intact and peeled
- 2 Cloves Garlic - peeled
- ½ Cup Pine Nuts - toasted*, plus more for garnish
- 2 TBS Tahini
- 1 Lemon – Juiced (about 2 TBS)
- 5 Cups Baby Spinach Leaves (about 4 ½ ounces) – blanched and drained*
- 4 ounces Feta – cubed or crumbled, plus more for garnishing
- ¼ Cup Parmesan Cheese – grated
- 1/3 Cup Fresh Dill – chopped and lightly packed, plus more for garnish
- ¼ tsp Dried Thyme
- ¼ tsp Nutmeg
- 2 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Kosher Salt and Pepper
- Fillo Cups , for serving
Instructions
- Cook the chickpeas (DO NOT SOAK): Place the dried chickpeas in a slow cooker. Add 32 ounces of water (or vegetable stock), ½ onion, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cover slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Discard onion.
- Transfer the cooked chickpeas to a large clean kitchen towel or paper towels, and dry, massaging the chickpeas gently to remove their skin.
- Make the Hummus: Transfer chickpeas to the bowl of a food processor. Add cloves of garlic, pine nuts, 1 tablespoon of chickpea cooking liquid*, scant ½ teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper. Process until chickpeas resemble wet sand, about 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of bowl as needed.
- Add the remaining hummus ingredients, except the olive oil. Process to combine, about 1 minute, again stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the processor running, slowly stream in olive oil and then slowly stream in the chickpea cooking liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is achieved. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Serve: Transfer to serving bowl and garnish with pine nuts, dill and feta. Serve with fillo cups for dipping. Enjoy!
Notes
*You can substitute 3 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 (15 oz.) cans, drained reserving liquid and rinsed.
*To blanch spinach: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add spinach and cook for 1 minute. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the spinach to a bowl filled with ice water to stop spinach from cooking further. Drain well using a colander and paper towels or a tea towel to wring dry.
*To toast pine nuts: Place pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium-low heat. Stir frequently and cook until golden brown, about 4-7 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a paper plate to cool.
*I used about 7 tablespoons of chickpea cooking liquid. **Nutritional Information does not include filo cups for serving!
oooooh spanakopita and love that you skinny-fied this while keeping it delicious! seriously, dipping with those mini filo cups is ingenious!! and i totally agree that as much as i love fatty fried goodness on football sunday, it’s always good to have a tasty option that won’t have you have you hating yourself in the morning.
This might be my favorite hummus flavor EVER! Spanakopita is just one of those things… if you’re at a Greek restaurant you HAVE to order it (it might even be the law in some states) in all of it’s flaky glory. I love that you turned that deliciousness into healthy hummus! Seriously, this is genius type stuff right here. Beautiful photos, Cheyanne!
You seriously blow me away with your creativity, Cheyanne! This looks freakin’ awesome!!!
Keith is allergic to chickpeas (I know!), but I’m going to make a white bean version of this pronto because YUM!
This is a genius recipe, I want the whole bowl!
I so need to get on the cooking my own chickpeas band wagon! I am sooooo going to do it! This hummus looks amazing!
It is nice we had an extra day off, but lately I don’t even know what day it is :), after the baby 🙂 This is such a great combination, pinning to try it!
After just seeing this on IG I couldn’t get over here fast enough! This is PERFECT! My first ever blog post was Spanakopita Lasagna (I actually competed on the Food Network with the recipe) so spanakopita has always been near and dear to my heart. I’m really blown away with what you did with it here!!
What a fantastic flavor combo for hummus, one of my all-time favorite snackies! Plus it healthy and too easy to make. Your idea is pure genius my dear, love the filo cups. I re-read the post twice in case I missed it, but where did you get them? Awesome idea for game day or any day really ! Cheers!
Thank you so much, Kevin!! You can purchase the little fillo cups at pretty much any grocery store in the frozen food isle. My stores carry them with the phyllo sheets and prepared pie crusts, but I have also seen them with the frozen fruit! Cheers, buddy!
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I’m not a big football watcher, but I’m a serious snacker 😉 This is such a great twist on a classic! Can’t wait to try soon 🙂
You know I love me some lightened up game day eats! I’m with you on at least having a healthier option amid all the standard fare – give me choices, right? And since I’m pretty much hummus obsessed, this is perfect! Plus, spanakopita pie that I can stuff in my face without thinking twice? YES! Genius, girl – totally love it!! Hope you have a wonderful weekend (sure wish it was another holiday one though!) XO
Well, I am a Clemson Tiger, so we we might be at odds one of these Saturdays, but I will still love you, and not just because you come up with BRILLIANT ideas like turning spanikopita into a gorgeous, gorgeous dip! I could pretty much dive into a vat of that deliciousness! Happy Friday, my friend! xx
Hallelujah!!! Yayyyy!! That’s totally the BEST part about having Monday off! Short week: yay!! Speaking of gifts that keep giving: DUDE. This hummus. Okay, fine… DUDETTE, this hummus is the prettiest color there is! Plus you know I love ALL of your super creative and stunningly beautiful hummus recipes. I still can’t forget the Everything Bagel hummus. *Happy sigh* I can’t say much about football, but I can say that I love all of the eating that comes along with watching it. Who can resist? 🙂 Meanwhile, here’s a MAJOR drumroll for you. And… wait for it… a HUGE round of applause for remaking Spanakopita all healthy-like. 😉 Have a great weekend cheering on those Jaguars and Panthers (yes, I still have not a clue what I’m talking about). Muah! Pinning, of course! xoxo
Of course, as I hit “submit” I’m like, wait a minute. I meant fajita hummus!! Goofball much? Weekend brain. Plus, I was totally thinking about your awesome grilled potato salad that actually has everything bagel seasoning on it. Lolol. Um, can I get a hug now for being so goshdarn embarrassing to myself? 😉 Muah! xoxo
So here’s a hallelujah for holidays – HALLELUJAH- and this nosy Nancy is loving your teams. Of course I’ve got different ones here, but I lived in the south for many years so the Panthers also have a place in my heart. I have def. had spanakopita but never healthified like this. Genius my friend. And no guilt. I love how your mind works and your camera clicks. You have the best hummus recipes ever, my friend. No wonder Boy was elbow deep. Just pass me a shovel, k? So the weekend is looming ever closer. YAY! Hope you do all your fave things – which may involve grilling and PJ’s! Hope so. (That or the beach.) XO
Gah this hummus!! You combined one of my most favorite snacks (hummus) with an awesomeeee flavor!! I am making a request now for this at some point when we hang out! haha I’m with you on football … I love football season but mostly because of the fun foods and just hanging out! I’ll leave the serious football watching to the husband!
I love spinach pie so I absolutely love this! Phylo is one of the coolest baking inventions out there, what a great I idea to use the phylo cups for dipping! This dip would be excuse enough for me to watch football, I’d be the person standing my this hummus bowl keeping it safe and sneaking extra while I pretend to watch the game, lol. Take care.
This hummus looks awesome and the photos are just beyond gorgeous, Cheyanne! Love the game day eats 🙂
The hummus queen strikes again! I’m loving this flavor combo and that color is so festive! Yay for football season and go Panthers! I’m totally going to be serving up some of this super creative hummus this season! Pinned! Cheers! XOXO
AMAZING! AMAZING! AMAZING! Oh, and did I say, amazing? I’m seriously drooling right now. I am a HUGE hummus fan and love creating new hummus flavors. This is some serious deliciousness right here! LOVE it! 🙂
Yum – love everything about this dip. I love that you have spinach and feta in there – two of my favorites. I bet this would be delicious on a sandwich as a spread also! Hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend, Cheyanne!
So pretty and love the spanakopita flavours! You are the hummus queen 🙂
Oooh what an awesome idea!! I LOVE spanikopita and love hummus, so this is a dreamy combination to me. I also kind of want to try dipping actual spanikopita into the hummus… Just because 🙂
Oh man! You know I just want to dive head first into that bowl! I have had spanakopita and I love it – so this dip – no brainer!! I love how creative you are with hummus! I’m totally impressed by you! We’re planning for a tailgate tomorrow night and I’m thinking hummus needs to be on the menu! Yay! Thanks, dear! Have a great weekend! Cheers! xoxo
Oh I love the pretty green hue of this hummus! Football food is the ONLY reason I will watch a game. I know I’m in the minority, but I can’t stand it. Gah. So I’m all about the snack table. Lol! Hooray for a short week – Friday can’t come soon enough! XOXO!
Girl, you sure know your way around hummus! I really enjoy spanakopita and hummus (duh) so you just came up with a brilliant recipe combining the two! Those little cups are just ADORABLE too!! High five for the cute factor, girlie! There’s no way that the boy couldn’t love this one…you’ll have him converted to a true hummus lover yet 😉
I’m not a foot ball fan, but love the food, and love that you have a healthy dip to serve so I can have extra….hehehe.And woo hoo for skinny jeans 😀
Yay for a short week (though, second week in a row I woke up on Thursday thinking it was Friday…bummer). Anyways, won’t be long:)
Pinning this one, of course. Have a lovely weekend. xo
My husband is so excited that it’s football season, while I’m wishing it wasn’t…seems like it just ended and I’m not a football fan! But, I am a fan of all of the snacks, so if there’s food, then I can sit through a game. This hummus looks SO good, Cheyanne! I’ve never had a combination like this before, so I’m loving the fresh flavors and that pretty green color, too. Just what I need to get me through ALL the football! 🙂 Pinned, of course! Have a great weekend, friend!
LOVED the name spanakopita. I’m only now enjoying the versatility of hummus, and you’re telling me there’s something called spanakopita hummus too? What a great treat which is good for you! Hope you are having a good time! 🙂
You have taken one of my favourite dishes (that I have so many happy memories of from our Greek holidays) and turned it in to hummus. That is just genius!
A definite high five for this one Cheyanne! And totally love how you’re serving it up with those cute little fillo cups too! What an awesome idea! We watch college and NFL football all season long, so a nice healthy app on the menu is always a plus! Adding this one for sure. Hope you’re enjoying the short week! XO
I love this deconstructed Greek spinach pie! So creamy and flavoursome. I quite love filo pastry, but I know it wouldn’t do me any good if I had them too often…this is a perfect solution!
I may not be a football fan but I am for sure a fan of football food 😉 Love to create all these little dishes and dips. Honestly I don’t think I have ever tried spanakopita but your hummus sounds delicious! I am a big hummus fan and everything chickpeas so this is right up my alley and I am sure the boys will like it too!