Learn how to make Greek Leek Pie or Prasopita using homemade filo and a delicious cheesy leek filling!
Recently, I shared a Kolokithopita (Greek Zucchini Pie) that I made with my mom. Today, I am sharing with you another mother-daughter creation only this time, leeks are the star of this pita!
I am a fan of all Greek style pitas and wouldn’t say no to any of them! Spinach, cheese, zucchini, leeks- you name it, I am there for it! I used to use store bought filo to make my homemade pites (plural for pita) but, although they are still tasty, they just don’t compare to authentic, homemade filo dough. Not even close.
Although I grew up helping my mom make homemade filo, it isn’t something I have ever felt confident making on my own. Earlier this summer, I decided to learn this important skill with the help of my mom and I am so happy to have done so!
This prasopita is based on delicious ones I have eaten from shops both here and in Greece. I took some liberties and have tweaked the recipe for the filling to suit my personal taste and ingredients that are easier to get a hold of in grocery stores.
I have made this pita many times in the past (with store bought filo) and absolutely love the subtle, sweet leek flavour paired with salty feta.
Many versions of prasopita or Greek leek pie use Graviera, a popular Greek cheese that is similar to Gruyere. I omitted that in this recipe as it is not something I have on hand. I tend to have no self control where its involved and would devour it within seconds of unpacking the grocery bag. You can add it to this recipe if you like.
I also added ricotta cheese to the filling cause I love the creaminess it adds. Quite frankly, I am obsessed with the stuff!
What ingredients do you need for prasopita filling?
- Leeks: thinly sliced
- Olive oil: for sauteing the leeks
- Cheese: feta and ricotta cheese.
- Lemon zest
- Egg
- Herbs: fresh parsley, dill, and oregano
- Other seasoning: salt and pepper to taste
- Semolina: added between the filling and the filo to absorb moisture and keep the filo crispy.
Ingredients for homemade filo dough:
- Flour (all purpose)
- Salt
- White wine vinegar (or white vinegar)
- Water
- Olive oil
Please note: For ingredient quantities and full instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to make Prasopita or Greek Leek Pie
This recipe (as with all Greek pita recipes) essentially comes down to 3 major steps. Don’t get scared off by all the detail I included in these steps- I tried to give you as much detail as possible to help you succeed. It can seem daunting but it is easy to do. The 3 steps are:
- Make the prasopita filling.
- Make the filo dough.
- Assemble and bake.
Make the prasopita filling:
- Heat olive oil in a skillet and add the thinly sliced leeks. Sautee on medium-low heat until they begin to caramelize. Transfer to a mixing bowl and let them cool completely.
- Add the remaining filling ingredients to the bowl with the leeks and mix well.
Make the filo dough:
- Preheat oven at 375F.
- To a large bowl, add the flour, salt, vinegar, and water. Using your hands, mix to combine ingredients and then add the olive oil. Knead by hand until the dough comes together. It will look shaggy but be pliable.
- Divide the filo dough into 4 equal sections. On a clean, floured surface, form each into a ball and press them down to form disks.
- Take one disk and drizzle it with a teaspoon of olive oil and then add a second disk over top of it. Using a rolling pin, roll the stacked filo disks out into a circle (slightly larger than the pan you are using). Sprinkle with more flour as needed to prevent it sticking to rolling pan or table.
- Repeat this with the other 2 disks so that you end up with 2 large circle filo sheets.
Assemble and bake:
- Grease the bottom of the baking pan with olive oil. Place a sheet of filo on the bottom of the pan. The edges of the filo will hang over the pan. That is okay. Sprinkle the filo with 1 tablespoon of semolina. The semolina will help absorb some moisture and keep the filo flaky.
- Add the leek mixture to the baking dish, spreading it out evenly. Sprinkle the leek mixture with the remaining semolina powder.
- Place the pan on top of the leftover filo sheet to cut out a circle approximately the same size as the pan. Add the filo over top of the leek mixture.
- Trim the excess dough by running the back of a knife along the pan lip like you would pie dough. Fold over the edge of the excess bottom filo layers over the top layers.
- Brush olive oil over the filo and then gently score slices, but do not cut all the way through. (Think of it as if you are making dashed lines for each portion. After it is baked you will fully slice it but for now you are only scoring it. I use the tip of a knife and gently make small cuts to form the rough shape of each slice. Do not run your knife completely across the filo sheets to make full slices. If you run a knife through and completely cut each slice, the filo will begin to shrink into itself so avoid this.)
- Bake in the oven for 50-55 minutes or until the the filo turns a nice golden colour.
What to serve with prasopita:
Prasopita is great served on its own as an appetizer or snack. It also makes a great lunch of dinner, served along with a nice side salad. Some of my favourite salads to serve with it are Traditional Greek Salad, Radish Cucumber Salad or my Cucumber Feta Salad.
I hope you give this prasopita a try and love it as much as we do!
Kali orexi! (Bon appetit in Greek)
-Cathy
You may also like:
Kolokithopita (Greek Zucchini Pie)
Ruffled Milk Pie (Greek Patsavouropita)
Prasopita (Greek Leek Pie)
Ingredients
For the filo dough
- 6 cups flour (all purpose) + more for rolling out
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar (or white vinegar)
- 2 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil + more for drizzling between layers
Filling
- 3 large leeks thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup feta
- 1/2 cup ricotta
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano chopped
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 large egg
- salt and pepper to taste
Other ingredients
- 2 tablespoons semolina
- olive oil or melted butter for brushing filo layers
Instructions
Make the filling:
- Heat olive oil in a skillet and add the thinly sliced leeks. Sautee on medium-low heat until they begin to caramelize. Transfer to a mixing bowl and let them cool completely.
- Add the remaining filling ingredients to the bowl with the leeks and mix well.
Make the filo dough:
- Preheat oven at 375F.
- To a large bowl, add the flour, salt, vinegar, and water. Using your hands, mix to combine ingredients and then add the olive oil. Knead by hand until the dough comes together. It will look shaggy but be pliable.
- Divide the filo dough into 4 equal sections. On a clean, floured surface, form each into a ball and press them down to form disks.
- Take one disk and drizzle it with a teaspoon of olive oil and then add a second disk over top of it. Using a rolling pin, roll the stacked filo disks out into a circle (slightly larger than the pan you are using). Sprinkle with more flour as needed to prevent it sticking to rolling pan or table.
- Repeat this with the other 2 disks so that you end up with 2 large circle filo sheets.
Assemble the pita:
- Grease the bottom of the baking pan with olive oil. Place a sheet of filo on the bottom of the pan. The edges of the filo will hang over the pan. That is okay. Sprinkle the filo with 1 tablespoon of semolina. The semolina will help absorb some moisture and keep the filo flaky.
- Add the leek mixture to the baking dish, spreading it out evenly. Sprinkle the leek mixture with the remaining semolina powder.
- Place the pan on top of the leftover filo sheet to cut out a circle approximately the same size as the pan. Add the filo over top of the leek mixture.
- Trim the excess dough by running the back of a knife along the pan lip like you would pie dough. Fold over the edge of the excess bottom filo layers over the top layers.
- Brush olive oil over the filo and then gently score slices, but do not cut all the way through. (Think of it as if you are making dashed lines for each portion. After it is baked you will fully slice it but for now you are only scoring it. I use the tip of a knife and gently make small cuts to form the rough shape of each slice. Do not run your knife completely across the filo sheets to make full slices. If you run a knife through and completely cut each slice, the filo will begin to shrink into itself so avoid this.)
- Bake in the oven for 50-55 minutes or until the the filo turns a nice golden colour.
Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.
I made this for a dinner party recently. It was a big hit. Everyone loved it. I’ll definitely make it again.
That make me so happy to hear!