Imitation? Nah. Inspiration!

Taking the basic spanakopita, and mixing it up.

In fact, Vegetarian Times had a recipe for Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomato Pie in this month’s issue, which in turn inspired MY recipe.

Stacks of phyllo (five, do this twice), brushed with the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes. Placed in an oiled caked pan.

Fill with a mixture of (whir together in a food processor) drained sun-dried tomatoes, pesto (make your own or use store-bought) and smoked mozzarella. Season with salt and pepper. Pack tightly. Dollop with a few spoonfuls of pesto, spread thinly. Any phyllo overlap should be turned over to cover the filling.

Top that with another stack of the oil-brushed phyllo, tuck edges in to seal.

Bake 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees (F) until golden. Cool 10 minutes, turn out and slice and serve. (We added a simple green salad with cucumbers and a balsamic/olive oil dressing to cut through the richness.)

(Yep, totally left out the onions because just didn’t want to wait the extra 20 minutes! You, however, should plan ahead and finely chop those things and cook them down till they’re all lovely and caramelized because mmm…such flavor.)