Cally and Maria’s Pleated Cheese Pie

4.82 from 11 votes

This fun and easy Greek recipe for phyllo cheese pie, aka tyropita, is one of hundreds of variations on the classic phyllo-feta-egg theme. It’s a delight to make and eat and it pays homage to the many ways Greek feta is used in Greek cooking as well as in the Mediterranean diet!

Course meze, pie

Cuisine Greek, Greek cuisine, Mediterranean diet

Keyword cheese pie, Diane Kochilas, Greek cheese, kefalotyri, phyllo dough, traditional food

PREP TIME 10 minutes

COOK TIME 50 minutes

SERVES 9

Ingredients

9 ounces/250 g commercial phyllo defrosted and at room temperature
9 ounces/250 g Greek feta cheese crumbled
4 eggs well-beaten
9 ounces/250 g unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly plus more for brushing the pan
300 ml seltzer water or Greek sparkling water
4 tablespoons grated kefalotyri cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Butter a large shallow baking pan or jelly roll pan. Place a sheet of phyllo on a clean work surface, near the baking pan. Sprinkle lightly with feta. Scrunch the phyllo together across the wide side so that it bunches up and resembles a pleated surface. Lift this carefully and place along the short side of the baking pan. Repeat with remaining phyllo and cheese, placing each scrunched piece of feta-sprinkled phyllo snugly next to the previous one until the surface of the pan is covered.
Whisk together the beaten eggs and melted, cooled butter. Pour the seltzer over the surface of the phyllo, then pour the egg-butter mixture on top and finally sprinkle with kefalotyri. Bake until golden brown, about 50 minutes to 1 hour. Remove, cool slightly, and cut into pieces. The pie will look pleated.