Greek Zucchini Pie with grated zucchini, fresh herbs, creamy feta, and flaky phyllo pastry. This savory pie is simple, rustic, and incredibly delicious.
Golden and crispy on the outside, soft and fragrant on the inside. This traditional Greek zucchini pie is one of those recipes that truly captures the flavors of a Greek summer.
Table Of Contents
In Greece, zucchini pie, or Kolokithopita, is a traditional dish made throughout the warmer months when fresh zucchini is abundant.
It is perfect as a light lunch, appetizer, or side dish. I even eat leftovers for breakfast the following days. It tastes even better after the flavors have set.
Ingredients
- Zucchini: fresh summer zucchini, crisp and tender.
- Onion
- Spring onions
- Feta cheese: soft for a creamy texture or hard-ripened for a sharper and more savory taste.
- Greek yogurt: full-fat and creamy, ideally strained. Or you can use cottage cheese if you like.
- Eggs: to make everything come together.
- Olive oil: a small amount in the filling and plenty to brush the filo. You can use another vegetable oil or even melted butter for the filo. However, olive oil goes best here.
- Fresh herbs: parsley and dill. If you don't like dill, you can use a few spearmint leaves.
- Semolina: a small amount of fine semolina to absorb excess moisture from the filling. Breadcrumbs or even cornflour (not starch) can be used instead.
- Filo: store-bought filo dough. Or you can use puff pastry, as in Puff-pastry Spinach pie, or even homemade filo for a more rustic, traditional pie, like in Homemade Spanakopita (Spinach Pie).
The Secret To A Perfect Zucchini Filling
The most important step when making zucchini pie filling is to remove as much moisture as possible from the zucchini.
Start by grating the zucchini and placing it in a strainer. Sprinkle with salt and let it rest for about 30 minutes. During this time, the salt will draw out the excess water. You can let it drain in the fridge overnight for even better results.
Squeeze the zucchini in your fists, or transfer it to a clean cheesecloth and squeeze. Whatever is more convenient for you. Don’t rush this step. The drier the zucchini, the crispier your pie will be.
Once squeezed, combine the zucchini with the pulsed onion and spring onions, Greek yogurt, olive oil, eggs, fresh dill, parsley, and crumbled feta cheese.
Finally, add a small amount of semolina, which acts as a natural thickener and absorbs any remaining moisture from the filling.
TIPS
- Squeeze the zucchini very well to remove all excess moisture.
- Use full-fat Greek yogurt for a richer filling.
- Don’t skip the semolina. It helps absorb any remaining liquid.
- Brush every sheet of phyllo generously with olive oil.
- Bake until deeply golden rather than lightly colored for maximum crispiness.
- Allow the pie to rest for a few minutes before slicing so the filling can set properly.
Serve With
This Greek zucchini pie pairs wonderfully with a fresh tomato and cucumber salad. A Classic Greek Salad, thick Greek yogurt, or Tzatziki.
Olives and extra feta cheese.
As well as other Greek cheese appetizers such as Fried Feta Cheese Saganaki, Tirokafteri, Baked Feta Dip (Bouyourdi), or Htipiti (Red Pepper and Feta Dip).
You can serve it warm or at room temperature; it's delicious either way!
Storing And Reheating
Store leftover zucchini pie in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, covered well.
To restore its crisp texture, reheat it in the oven at 180°C (350°F) for 10–15 minutes, uncovered. Avoid microwaving, as the phyllo will soften.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Can I make zucchini pie ahead of time?
- A: It's best to make this pie the day you bake it. Because the zucchini keeps releasing water as it sits, it will make the filo soggy. However, to save time, you can grate the zucchini one day before and let it drain in a strainer. And to save more time, you can mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate them. And then, the next day, squeeze the zucchini and mix it into the filling.
- Q: Why is my zucchini pie watery?
- A: The zucchini probably wasn’t squeezed enough after salting. Removing as much liquid as possible is essential for a firm filling and a crispy pastry.
- Q: Can I freeze zucchini pie?
- A: Absolutely. Bake the pie, let it cool completely, and freeze it in portions for up to 2 months.
- Q: What does semolina do in the filling?
- A: Semolina absorbs excess moisture released by the zucchini and helps create a creamy but stable filling.
- Q: Can I use summer squash?
- A: Sure! Just cut in half, scoop out, and hollow the inside
Other Summer Zucchini Recipes You May Like:
- Greek Zucchini Fritters (Kolokithokeftedes)
- Feta Cheese Stuffed Zucchini Boats
- Lemon Orzo Salad with Feta and Zucchini
- Crustless Zucchini Pie
- Crispy Fried Zucchini
Recipe
Greek Zucchini Pie (Kolokithopita)
Ingredients
For The Kolokithopita Filling:
- 1 kg (2.2 pounds) zucchini
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 200 grams (¾ cup) Greek yogurt
- 3 medium-sized eggs
- 60 ml (¼ cup) extra virgin olive oil
- 180 grams (1 large) onion
- 80 grams (2 large) spring onions
- 350 grams (2¼ cups) feta cheese crumbled
- 2 tablespoons dill minced
- 3 tablespoons parsley minced
- 3 tablespoons fine semolina or breadcrumbs
- ground pepper
For The Pie Crust:
- 8 sheets filo pastry (about ⅔ of a 450-gram package)
- 100 ml olive oil or other vegetable oil
Instructions
- Prepare the filo. Thaw the filo in the fridge overnight. Then let it sit at room temperature, inside its package, for 30 minutes before using it. Unroll the filo, take the number of filo sheets you need (8 for this recipe), stack them and cover with a tea towel so they won't air-dry. See notes below.
- Prepare the zucchini. Grate the zucchini on the coarse scale of a box grater. Add to a strainer (with a bowl underneath to collect the juices), and mix well with 1 teaspoon sea salt.
- Let the zucchini sit for 30 minutes at room temperature or in the fridge overnight. If refrigerating, allow it to reach room temperature before squeezing.
- In a large bowl, whisk yogurt, eggs, and ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil.
- In a small food processor, pulse both types of onions until very finely grated. Add to the bowl with the yogurt.
- Stir in the dill, parsley, semolina, and feta cheese. Season with ground pepper.
- Squeeze the zucchini by taking handfuls of it in your palms. Remove as much water as you can and add it to the batter.
- Stir everything to thoroughly combine.
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 360°F.
- Grease a 33 x 23 cm (9 x 13-inch) pan with olive oil (or other vegetable oil if you are using.
- Place 4 filo sheets to cover the bottom of the pan, hanging evenly all around the sides (these will be overlapped on top at the end to create a fluffy pie edge). Brush each filo you add with a bit of olive oil.
- Add a folded filo to fit inside the pan. Brush with oil.
- Spread the filling evenly.
- Add 3 more folded filos to fit inside the pan and cover the filling. Brush each filo with oil.
- Overlap the filo that hangs out of the pan, fluffily and unevenly over the pie, brushing with oil as you do so.
- Cut and separate the pie into 10 pieces. Use a sharp knife and cut only the top filo, not the bottom filo.
- Bake for about an hour on the lowest rack of the oven until honey golden and very crispy.
- Rest out of the oven for at least 30 minutes before cutting and serving.
Thought it was very flavorful and definitely easy to make. Next time I will probably try 7-8 layers of filo as I felt it needed more based on the volume and texture of the filling.