This Tiropita, also known as a Greek Cheese Pie, is a traditional and popular European treat! A cheese pie made with bechamel sauce, feta cheese, and ricotta between flaky, buttery layers of phyllo dough.
We all have our weaknesses when it comes to food, cheese pies are mine. For some reason they are not as popular in North America! They’re more of a European treat, which is disappointing because savory cheese pies are to die for!
I have made a few versions of cheese pies, but this time I’m giving you a Greek version known as tiropita with bechamel sauce and 2 different cheeses! Made with just a handful of simple ingredients, you’ll be ranting and raving about how delicious and easy this pie is!
Why Make This Tiropita Recipe
- Easy To Make
- Simple Ingredients
- Rich, Delicious, Comfort Food
- Uses Store Bought Phyllo Dough
The filling for this pie is a mixture of bechamel sauce with feta cheese, ricotta cheese and eggs. Another reason why I love this recipe is that you don’t have to worry about fussing around making the dough, it’s store bought so it’s super simple to use!
Ingredient Notes
Bechamel Sauce
For more information on how to make this bechamel sauce, check out my recipe here.
- Flour – I used all-purpose flour.
- Nutmeg – Just a pinch!
- Butter – Unsalted
- Milk – Use your preference, dairy or non dairy.
Cheese Pie
- Cheese – I used both feta and ricotta cheese. I like to add a bit of ricotta because the feta is too salty in my opinion, so the ricotta balances out that saltiness.
- Eggs – The eggs are in the filling and act as a binder, so I wouldn’t recommend skipping it.
- Phyllo dough – You can find it at your local grocery store! It’s important to note that I have made this with puff pastry as well and both versions are equally delicious.
- Butter – You’ll need lots of melted butter to brush the phyllo sheets.
How To Make Tiropita
Make Bechamel Sauce:
- Whisk Butter: In a saucepan melt the butter and add the flour. With a whisk, whisk in the flour. Keep whisking for about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add Ingredients: Add the milk, nutmeg and salt and whisk everything together. Cook for another 5 minutes and whisk as necessary. Let it cool.
Make The Tiropita:
- Make Filling: To a large bowl, add the ricotta, feta cheese and bechamel sauce. Stir well. Add the eggs one at a time into the cheese mixture stirring well after each one.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Prep Phyllo and Pan: Generously brush melted butter on a 9×13-inch baking pan. Take out the phyllo sheets from the package and lay them flat on your work surface, then cover them with a clean damp kitchen towel, this will prevent the phyllo from drying out.
- Assemble the Bottom: Place one sheet of phyllo at the bottom of the dish, then butter the top of the sheet. Place another sheet on top of it and brush the top again with butter. Repeat this until you have half of the phyllo sheets done, you can omit brushing butter over the top sheet.
- Assemble the Top: Spread the cheese filling evenly over the buttered phyllo sheets. Layer with another phyllo sheet and butter it well. This sheet will be a bit more difficult to brush. Repeat this until you finished with all the sheets.
- Finish the Pie: Butter the top phyllo sheet with butter as well. Using a sharp knife cut the pie into 8 equal pieces, or however many pieces you want. You don’t have to run your knife all the way through, but this will make it easier to cut the pie after it’s baked.
- Bake: Transfer the baking pan to the oven and bake for about 45 min or until golden brown.
- Finish: Take a sharp knife and run it through the cut pie again, just to make sure we can easily take out each piece. Serve and enjoy!
FAQs & Expert Tips
FAQs
Cheese pies or tiropitas are similar to a spanakopita, minus the spinach. They are so amazing, you simply have to try one! You will instantly fall in love with the creaminess and savory flavor. You can find these pies at specialty European stores, Turkish stores or at Greek Restaurants.
This savory tiropita is more of a “Greek” version because I added a homemade bechamel sauce – Don’t let that stop you, it couldn’t be more simple to make! Waiting for this pie to cool is probably the hardest thing you’ll have to do. Step out of your comfort zone and try this savory treat!
You can make this cheese pie the night before, up to step 6, then cover tightly with a layer of plastic wrap and foil and store in the fridge. The next day when you are ready to bake, uncover the pie and follow the instructions above! You can also assemble and freeze the whole pie before baking.
Tips
- You can also make this into triangles, just like spanakopita. If you choose to, simply follow the steps for my spanakopita.
- In Greece, it is not uncommon to see signs in coffee shops advertising a breakfast combo of coffee and cheese pie. Serve your homemade pie as is, with a hot cup of joe for a true greek inspired breakfast experience!
Leftovers
Store leftover tiropita wrapped tightly in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Freezing
You have two options here: assemble and freeze the whole pie before baking or bake the pie, let it cool completely and cut into individual slices. Wrap the slices tightly in saran wrap and place in a freezer bag for convenient grab and thaw pieces. Your cheese pie will last 3-6 months in the freezer.
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Tiropita – Greek Cheese Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
Bechamel Sauce
- 2 tablespoon butter unsalted
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Tiropita
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 3 cups feta cheese
- 3 medium eggs
- 8 tablespoon butter unsalted, melted
- 20 sheets phyllo dough
Instructions
Make bechamel sauce
- Whisk Butter: In a saucepan melt the butter and add the flour. With a whisk, whisk in the flour. Keep whisking for about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add Ingredients: Add the milk, nutmeg and salt and whisk everything together. Cook for another 5 minutes and whisk as necessary. Let it cool.
Make Tiropita
- Make Filling: To a large bowl, add the ricotta, feta cheese and bechamel sauce. Stir well. Add the eggs one at a time into the cheese mixture stirring well after each one.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Prep Phyllo and Pan: Generously brush melted butter on a 9×13-inch baking pan. Take out the phyllo sheets from the package and lay them flat on your work surface, then cover them with a clean damp kitchen towel, this will prevent the phyllo from drying out.
- Assemble the Bottom: Place one sheet of phyllo at the bottom of the dish, then butter the top of the sheet. Place another sheet on top of it and brush the top again with butter. Repeat this until you have half of the phyllo sheets done, you can omit brushing butter over the top sheet.
- Assemble the Top: Spread the cheese filling evenly over the buttered phyllo sheets. Layer with another phyllo sheet and butter it well. This sheet will be a bit more difficult to brush. Repeat this until you finished with all the sheets.
- Finish the Pie: Butter the top phyllo sheet with butter as well. Using a sharp knife cut the pie into 8 equal pieces, or however many pieces you want. You don't have to run your knife all the way through, but this will make it easier to cut the pie after it's baked.
- Bake: Transfer the baking pan to the oven and bake for about 45 min or until golden brown.
- Finish: Take a sharp knife and run it through the cut pie again, just to make sure we can easily take out each piece. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Phyllo dough: My phyllo dough package had 20 sheets of dough, but make sure you count how many are in your package because some packages may have a couple more or less. Also, make sure to cover it with a damp clean towel as you work with it, because it can dry quickly.
- Leftovers: Store leftover tiropita wrapped tightly in the fridge for 3-5 days.
- Freezing: You have two options here: assemble and freeze the whole pie before baking or bake the pie, let it cool completely and cut into individual slices. Wrap the slices tightly in saran wrap and place in a freezer bag for convenient grab and thaw pieces. Your cheese pie will last 3-6 months in the freezer.
Hi Jo
It sounds fantastic!!
You mentioned about making it with puff pastry. do you use one sheet of puff pastry in the bottom and one on the top?
Thanks for sharing your expertise with us
Yes, exactly.
Thanks Jo
Will make it this weekend
Hi Jo, thank you for sharing a recipe you love, however please note the authentic Greek recipe doesn’t include bechamel sauce sorry. That’s a westernised version with French influence.
Yes, I know, this is my version of it, us Romanians also make any cheese pies as well. 🙂
Haven’t tried this recipe, but I’d like to know if there’s a sweet version of the Greek Cheese Pie?
Well you can easily make one with just ricotta cheese, eggs, and then you can add some sugar, I’ve also added raisins too.
THANK YOU so much……..I will try it!
Is this good served cold or room temp
I usually like mine warm a bit, so I usually warm it up in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 min when I take it out of the fridge.
I served this to friends and it was the hit of the meal. I would suggest using a low salt feta as it can be a little salty for some. I made it about 4 hrs. Before baking, simply covered and refrigerated. It came out beautifully.
So glad you liked this, this is truly one of my favorite pies!
Hi Jo,
I like you blog and your recipes. Greek Savory Cheese Pie
coughs my attention–sounded over the top.
When I read the recipe and saw grams, I almost gave up on idea of baking the pie. Luckily I read the comments and you have it
” translated” into cups. I hope in the future you will use cups and
ounces , instead of grams and kilograms.
We all try to simplify our work in the kitchen– and some of us even don’t have a scale .
My best,
Mira
Hi Mira,
I am with you on the cups measurements. Safe to assume you live in USA? Cooks elsewhere use grams/kelos. Also, professional bakers in the states are using grams/kelos with more frequency. I think we may see alot more recipes like this….especially with many blogs being viewed from all over the world.
-cat
For the Greek Savory Cheese Pie what does 250 gr ricotta and 400 gr feta = too?
250 gr of ricotta is a bit more than a cup, a cup plus 2 tbsp to be precise. 400 gr feta is almost a lb, so 150 gr of feta is a cup, so 400 gr is 2 2/3 cups.
I am so excited! I am new to your blog and what a great surprise! I don’t have one single savory pie recipe. I can’t wait to make this. It’s right up my alley. Never to old to learn a new trick.
Thanks Linda, you’ll love it! 🙂