The perfect winter warmer, this Lamb, Spinach and Filo Pie is incredibly tasty and a great twist on the classic beef mince pie. Layered lamb mince with a spinach and ricotta filling, the light filo pastry adds a lovely soft crunch. A superb dinner dish.
I love pies, especially when the weather is a bit cooler. And this Lamb, Spinach and Filo Pie is ideal for something a little bit different on an autumn or winter's evening. I also find that pies are a great way to get 'hidden vegetables' into the kids! However if you want to celebrate the spinach, you must try my Spinach Filo Pie!
If you enjoy this, check out my Slow Cooked Lamb and Mint Pies or my take on the classic Bacon and Egg Pie. Or for something a little different, be sure to check out our Beef and Kumara Mash Pie.
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Ingredient notes:
- Filo Pastry: Filo pastry is a thin flaky pastry used in sweet and savoury pies. You can swap it out for puff pastry if you have that on hand.
- Spinach: I used frozen spinach for this pie, but you could also use fresh baby spinach.
- Lamb Mince: Lamb mince tends to be slightly fattier than beef mince and goes really well with the ricotta, but you can certainly use beef mince in this pie.
Note: Scroll to the recipe card for the ingredients, quantities and the full method.
Step by step instructions:
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and sauté for a few minutes. Add the mince to the pan and cook until brown. Add the mince to the pan, cook until brown. Add the spices, herbs, sugar, salt and pepper and cook while stirring. Sprinkle over the flour and stir to combine.
Pour in the crushed tomatoes, stir to combine then remove the pan from the heat. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake. Place the spinach in a microwave-proof bowl and microwave for 2 minutes. Transfer to a sieve and squeeze out the excess water.
In a large bowl, add the spinach, grated cheese and ricotta. Season well with salt and pepper and mix to combine. Spoon the mince mixture into the base of a 26cm x 18cm ovenproof baking dish. Spread out to the edges.
Spoon the ricotta and spinach mixture over the mince layer and spread out to the edges.
Brush a sheet of filo with melted butter, scrunch softly and place on the top of the pie filling. Repeat with the remaining filo until the filling is completely covered.
Bake for 25 minutes until the filo is golden and crispy. Serve immediately.
Recipe FAQs:
You sure could! From carrots to capsicum, or even broccoli, feel free to use up anything you have in the fridge.
I love a side of potatoes with my pies. Either mashed potatoes or try my Cheesy Potato Bake or Hasselback Potatoes.
Yes. Beef mince would work well with this pie as well.
Storage:
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat until piping hot.
Top tips:
This is a great recipe to double for a dinner party.
Related Recipes:
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Lamb, Spinach & Filo Pie
The perfect winter warmer, this Lamb, Spinach and Filo Pie is incredibly tasty and a great twist on the classic beef mince pie.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 400g lamb mince
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp dried herbs
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tsp flour
- 1 can crushed tomatoes, 400g
Ricotta layer:
- 300g frozen spinach
- 1 cup grated cheese, 100g
- 250g ricotta
Filo topping:
- 5 sheets of filo pastry, 130g
- 2 Tbsp butter, melted
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and sauté for a few minutes.
- Add the mince to the pan and cook until brown. Add the mince to the pan, cook until brown. Add the spices, herbs, sugar, salt + pepper and cook while stirring. Sprinkle over the flour and stir to combine.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes, stir to combine then remove from the pan from the heat.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake.
- Place the spinach in a microwave-proof bowl and microwave for 2 minutes. Transfer to a sieve and squeeze out the excess water.
- In a large bowl, add the spinach, grated cheese and ricotta. Season well with salt and pepper and mix to combine.
- Spoon the mince mixture into the base of a 26cm x 18cm ovenproof baking dish. Spread out to the edges. Spoon the ricotta and spinach mixture over the mince layer and spread out to the edges.
- Brush a sheet of filo with melted butter, scrunch softly and place on the top of the pie filling. Repeat with the remaining filo until the filling is completely covered.
- Bake for 25 minutes until the filo is golden and crispy. Serve immediately.
Notes
This is a great recipe to double for a dinner party.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 860Total Fat: 57gSaturated Fat: 27gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 201mgSodium: 1345mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 6gSugar: 13gProtein: 53g
Nutritional values are approximate. Please use your own calculations if you require a special diet.
Thank you for checking out this recipe. I hope you enjoy making and eating it! If you have any questions, queries or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below.
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Vanya
Becca says
Absolutely delicious and so simple to make - big thumbs up from my husband, kids and Mum visiting for dinner!! Will be cooking again
VJ cooks says
Thank you so much for the feedback, Becca! I hear you, this pie is so tasty!
Baiba says
This is delicious and will be added to our dinner rotation!! My 15 months old ate a big plate of this! I added grated carrot to the mince. And we served with mashed orange kumara on side. Yumm!! Thank you for such easy and delicious recipe.
VJ cooks says
Oh my goodness, that sounds delicious! Great additions!
Hope says
I always get so excited when I see new recipes come up on your website and as always this one did not disappoint, absolutely delicious and so easy! Thank you!
Jess says
So delicious! Will absolutely be making this again. Can't believe that my "don't like trying new things" children enjoyed this!
VJ cooks says
Isn't that the best feeling? Thanks for the feedback, Jess 🙂
Harvey says
Is this recipe ok frozen?
VJ cooks says
Hi Harvey, Filo pastry can deteriorate over time. I would suggest making the filling and freezing, then adding fresh filo pastry before you cook it.
Susie says
Vanya, what size dish are ypu using please x
VJ cooks says
This is the 26cm Le creuset dish, it measures 26 x 18 cm.
Suze says
I am looking forward to making this but just wanted to double check the baking dish size as there are 2 questions about this above with different answers…
VJ cooks says
Hi Suze, sorry about that. The website measurements for this dish include the handles hence the variance. The dish measures 26cm x 18cm.
Zara says
Hiya, how would this go with left over lamb roast meat? Thanks
VJ cooks says
I think it would be delicious! I would probably dice the meat if you have large pieces.
Faye says
HI, I have made this a few times now. It has been a hit. First time with lamb mince. The other times have been with beef mince.
VJ cooks says
Oh that's great to know. Thanks for the feedback, Faye.
Melanie says
This was delicious! Great option for those wanting low-carb. I did it with beef mince and added capsicum. Will definitely be going on my meal rotations.
Next time I'll do with lamb mince to see the difference.
VJ cooks says
I love that! I design my recipes to be versatile so that you can use what you have to hand at home. Thanks for the feedback, Melanie 🙂
Wendy L says
Would this work with pork mince and what herbs would one use?
VJ cooks says
Yes it would! You could use the same dried herbs as the original or swap it out for some fennel or thyme if you like.