Greek Zucchini Pie (Kolokthopita) | Olive & Mango

This Greek Zucchini Pie or Kolokithopita (ko-lo-kee-THO-pee-tah) is a delicious and savory pie dish perfect for breakfast, lunch, or a main dish for dinner. It also makes for a great grab-and-go breakfast or snack, or a lovely appetizer for company. Crispy buttery golden phyllo pastry wrapped pita packed with flavor from the fresh zucchini, cheese, and various herbs and spices – a great way to showcase the flavors of summer. There is an abundance of zucchini around right now so this zucchini pie is on repeat. Don’t be intimidated by using phyllo pastry – with our step by step photos and simple instructions – this recipe really cannot fail!

Greek Zucchini Pie Ingredients

• ZUCCHINI: You will need 2 lbs of fresh whole zucchini. This is approx 4 medium sized zucchini. The ends will be trimmed and the zucchini will be grated with the larger sized grate on a standard grater.
• SALT: We use sea salt to salt the grated zucchini to allow it to release moisture and to flavor it. This is all the salt we add. We do not add more later as the feta is salty enough. All you need is a teaspoon of salt.
• RICOTTA: We use full fat ricotta cheese for the filling. We prefer it over Greek yogurt or cottage cheese as it is already strained whereas yogurt and cottage cheese have a lot of moisture. If you do use them instead straining them while you prepare the remaining ingredients is a good idea to pull any excess moisture from them.
• EGGS: You will need 3 large eggs. They help add structure and richness to the filling
• SEMOLINA: We use fine semolina to help pull excess moisture in the filling but also give structure to the filling as well. Feel free to substitute with all purpose flour if needed.
• ONION & GREEN ONIONS: You will need one yellow onion and 2 green onions or scallions.
• FRESH HERBS: We use a blend of fresh parsley, fresh mint and fresh dill.
• FETA CHEESE: We like to use a blended feta cheese (cow and sheep milk) but you can use any brand or any feta cheese variety you prefer. We recommend patting it dry before crumbling to get rid of any extra moisture.
• PHYLLO PASTRY: Use any store brought brand you prefer. You will need a 1 lb box of it and approx 16-18 sheets. Thaw in the fridge overnight and make sure to only open the package when you are ready to start layering it so it won’t dry.
• BUTTER: We use unsalted butter – melted for brushing or sprinkling between phyllo sheets to keep them super light and crispy.
• SESAME SEEDS: We lightly sprinkle top of pie with sesame seeds. This is totally optional and you can skip it if you would like.

Tips For Making Greek Zucchini Pie

• One of the main tips for this recipe is ensuring you get as much moisture out of the wet ingredients so that you end up with a nice crispy pie not a soggy one.
• Place the stack of phyllo next to the baking pan and working area with a towel handy to cover sheets while working or if you need to set away for a moment so the phyllo does not dry out.
• Don’t worry too much if phyllo tears or if there are cracks in the sheets. We are layering here and any extra texture also means crispier layers.
• The pan you use matters here. Baking a phyllo dough pie in a metal pan versus a glass or ceramic pan changes how crisp the bottom and side crusts become. Metal conducts heat fast for a crisp, flaky bottom, while glass and ceramic heat slowly and hold heat longer, risking a soggy bottom especially with a filling like this one which likely will release more moisture as it bakes. We recommend using a metal pan.
• Another note on the pan. I tested this recipe out in a 9×3 baking dish and a 9×13 sheet pan. I prefer the sheet pan for a much crispier browned bottom. The baking dish allowed for a thicker filling but ended up with a bit of a soggier bottom.
• We like to sprinkle some panko to the base of the sheet pan before layering the phyllo pastry. Sprinkling panko bread crumbs on a sheet pan before baking phyllo dough stops the bottom from getting soggy. The crumbs absorb extra butter or moisture and help crate a bit of airflow under the pie. This keeps your phyllo pastry crisp and dry on the bottom. There is no special way to do this – simply sprinkle a thin layer for panko bread crumbs over your lightly greased baking sheet then proceed with layering the phyllo sheets for the base of the pie.
• Many recipes call for using extra virgin olive oil instead of butter for sprinkling/lightly brushing between layers of phyllo but I prefer using melted butter for this for better flavor and crispier more golden layers of phyllo.
• A tip about sprinkling butter between sheets of phyllo. I say sprinkle over brush because brushing the sheets somtimes over soaks or tears and pulls the sheets which could affect how crispy they get. If you do brush it on do so with a light touch to prevent this from happening. Although I tend to sprinkle more then brush I do always brush the rolled edges to ensure I get enough butter in all the edges.

How to Make Greek Zucchini Pie

1. Prepare Zucchini: Grate zucchini, toss with the salt. Allow to sit 30 minutes in a fine metal sieve or a lined colander. Transfer to a cheesecloth or clean dish towel and wring out or squeeze out all the excess moisture or as much liquid as possible.
2. Prepare Onions & Herbs: In a food processor or mini chopper process the onion, green onions and fresh herbs until finely chopped. Empty out onto a few layers of paper towel or clean dish towel and wring out or squeeze out excess moisture.
3. Combine Filling Ingredients: Combine feta, ricotta, eggs, desiccated (squeezed) grated zucchini, desiccated onions & herbs, and semolina until well combined.
4. Prepare Phyllo Base Layers: In prepared pan layer 2 overlapping sheets in pan with a couple inches of overhang on each side of the pan. Drizzle with a little melted butter then line with one more full sheet of phyllo dough in the middle of the pan. Repeat this sequence 3 more times. 12 sheets in total for the base layers.
5. Fill Pie: Spoon out filling into the middle of the prepared base and use the back of spoon or offset spatula to spread the filling out.
6. Prepare Phyllo Top Layers: Layer 4-6 sheets over the filling drizzling a little melted butter between each layer. Lay each one imperfectly – the top sheets do not need to be fully flat or perfectly smooth – the more crinkles the better.
7. Fold in Edges, Score & Top with Sesame Seeds: Fold in and roll the overhanging edges all around pan. Brush with remaining butter. Make shallow cuts using a sharp knife where you wood like to slice your pieces – just as far as the top layers of phyllo. Sprinkle pie with sesame seeds.
8. Bake & Slice: Transfer pan to preheated oven and bake for 40-45 mins or until crust is very deeply golden and bottom phyllo is browned and crispy. Cool just a few minutes then slice and serve immediately while pie is warm and crispy

Greek Zucchini Pie Storage & Reheating

• STORAGE: Once baked, leftover pie will keep for two to three days in the refrigerator wrapped or stored in an airtight container. The day you bake it you can keep it at room temperature for a couple of hours before packing it.
• FREEZING: UNBAKED – Assemble the pie completely. Score the top layers with a sharp knife before freezing so it is easy to slice later. Flash freeze until solid, then wrap securely in plastic wrap and heavy-duty foil. Bake straight from frozen at the recipe temperature, adding 15 to 20 extra minutes to the total time until golden and hot inside. BAKED – Bake the pie fully and let it cool completely on a wire rack. Wrap the cooled pie tightly in plastic wrap and foil. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat as stated below.
• REHEATING: Reheat it in the oven at 350°F for 10-18 minutes, or until hot all the way through. If you have convection setting in your oven or if you have an airfryer I recommend reheating anything with phyllo using that setting at around 300°F for 8-10 minutes or until warmed though to get the phyllo crispy again.

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