Zeljanica 🥧 Bosnian Spinach–Cheese Pie 🇧🇦 (Pita Zeljanica)

Description

Buttery, crinkled phyllo wrapped around a lush spinach–cheese custard—crisp top, soft middle, bakery aroma. Name comes from zelje (“greens”) in Bosnian—this is the green pie of the pite family.

Hook: Mix, crumple, bake—no rolling, just shatter-crisp layers and a tender, savory center. ⚡

Ingredients

• Filling
• 🥬 Spinach (fresh chopped, wilted & squeezed or frozen thawed & squeezed): 600 g (1.3 lb)
• 🧀 Feta/sirene, crumbled: 300 g (2 cups / 10.6 oz)
• 🧀 Cottage cheese or ricotta: 250 g (1 cup / 8.8 oz)
• 🥛 Thick yogurt or kefir: 200 g (¾ cup / 7 oz)
• 🥚 Eggs: 4 large (≈200 g / 7 oz)
• 🧈 Melted butter or neutral oil: 60 ml (¼ cup / 2 fl oz)
• 🧂 Salt: to taste (≈3 g / ½ tsp) — adjust to cheese
• ⚫ Black pepper: 1 g (½ tsp / 0.04 oz)
• 🌿 Fresh dill or parsley, finely chopped (optional): 2 tbsp (8 g / 0.28 oz)
• Phyllo & finish
• 📜 Phyllo sheets, thawed: 450–500 g (16–20 sheets / 16–18 oz)
• 🧈 Extra melted butter or oil (brushing): 80 ml (⅓ cup / 2.7 fl oz)
• 💧 Sparkling water (for lift, optional): 60 ml (¼ cup / 2 fl oz)
• 🌰 Sesame seeds (optional): 1 tbsp (9 g / 0.32 oz)

Preparation

1. 1️⃣ Heat & pan: Preheat oven to 190°C / 375°F. Brush a 30×20 cm (9×13 in) pan with butter/oil.
2. 2️⃣ Make filling: Whisk 🥚 eggs, then stir in 🥛 yogurt, 🧈 butter/oil, 🧀 cottage/ricotta, and 🧀 feta. Fold in well-squeezed 🥬 spinach, season with 🧂 salt, ⚫ pepper, and 🌿 herbs.
3. 3️⃣ Layer & crumple: Lay 2 sheets 📜 phyllo in the pan, brushing each lightly. Tear remaining sheets into big pieces, drag through the filling or spoon filling between loosely crumpled layers until the pan is evenly filled.
4. 4️⃣ Top: Lay 2 final sheets, brushing each; drizzle 💧 sparkling water over the surface and any leftover butter. Sprinkle 🌰 sesame if using.
5. 5️⃣ Bake: Bake 35–45 min until puffed and deep golden. Rest 10–15 min for clean slices.

Total Time

🕒 Prep: 20 min
🔥 Cook: 40 min
⏳ Total: 1 h

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