5 Ways With Spinach
December 9, 2011
5 Ways With Spinach
5 Spinach Recipes
If you have been following my posts you will be aware that I have a lot of spinach in my vegetable garden at the moment. This is not an issue for me as I love it and so does my family. It is an incredibly versatile vegetable and I wouldn’t be without it in my garden. I have included 5 Spinach recipe below, plus a link to an additonal 5 at the end of this article that are now firm family favourites and amongst the most popular of my recipes.
Spinach is a hardy vegetable, very productive and easy to grow. It is easy to incorporate into almost any meal. It is one of the vegetables that I grab almost every time I go to the garden. Other reasons I love it, and you should too, include:
-
It can be eaten either raw or cooked
-
It has a long production period (I have a plant that has been producing for over a year)
-
It is one of the foods considered to hold high level of chemicals – if you enjoy it and can grow your own please you and your family will not be exposed to such chemicals
- It is high in Vitamins K, A C and folate. 2 cup serving of baby spinach meets over 25 percent of the Recommended Daily Intake for Vitamin C
Ingredients that combine well with spinach include: pine nuts, anchovies, lemon, capers, any protein, feta, ricotta, pumpkin, tomatoes, potato
These are my top ways to enjoy spinach fresh from my vegetable patch:
1. Spinach Dip Recipe
A light, tang snack. Offer it to children as a snack with cut up carrot or capsicum sticks. This is also delicious on baked potatoes
Spinach Dip
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
12 mins
Total Time
22 mins
A tangy, healthy dip to add to lunch boxes or use as a spread
Course:
Condiment
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp pine nuts
- 70 grams feta cheese
- 1/2 cup plain yoghurt or dairy free alternate
- 150 grams fresh spinach washed
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 pinch salt and pepper generous
Instructions
-
Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the washed spinach and cook for 2 minutes.
-
Drain, remove and chop. Remove any large stems
-
Brown the pine nuts in a pan, no oil is needed
-
Add all of the ingredients into a food processor and whiz until smooth.
2. Baby Spinach Salad Recipe
This is a light summer meal or a side that works well served with any meat.
Baby Spinach Salad
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
40 mins
Total Time
50 mins
A lovely light Spring dinner option
Course:
Main Course, Salad
Ingredients
- 4 handfuls baby spinach leaves
- 1 tbsp pine nuts
- 1 cup pumpkin cubed, roasted and cooled
- 2 tomatoes chopped or a handful of cherry tomatoes
- 1 avocado sliced
Dressing
- 4 tbsp mayonnaise or mashed avocado
- 2 tsp seeded mustard
- 1 handful fresh sage leaves torn
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
-
Combine the salad ingredients together in a salad bowl.
-
Use a fork to whisk the ingredients of the dressing to combine and drizzle over salad prior to serving
3. Baby Food – or Spinach Storage Recipe
I cook spinach like this for my 11 month old son. It is also a great method for keeping the spinach to use in cooking at a later date. If I was not using the spinach for baby food I would freeze it in slightly larger containers than the ice cube trays. It can be used when defrosted for pesto, dips, pasta etc.
Baby Food or Frozen spinach cubes
Ingredients
- 400 grams spinach leaves washed
Instructions
-
Set a pot of water to boil
-
Wash the spinach leaves and remove large stalks.
-
Add spinach when water is boiling and cook for 2 minutes
-
Remove and add to a blender with a small amount of the water used for the cooking. Process to a smooth paste and pour into ice cube trays and put in the freezer
-
After 12 hours remove from the trays and put into zip lock or plastic bags to store. Label the bags with the ingredients and date and store until required. Use within 2 months.
4. Spinach and Pine Nuts Recipe
A tasty side dish that is very well suited to accompanying pork
Ingredients
- 100 grams freshly picked spinach leaves washed
- 1 clove garlic finely chopped
- 2 anchovies chopped
- 2 tbsp pine nuts
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 2 tbsp sultanas
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to season
Instructions
-
Heat a fry pan and add a small amount of oil to the pan.
-
Add the oil and then the garlic and the anchovies
-
Stir until the anchovy is starting to dissolve
-
Add the spinach and the sultanas and stir for a couple of minutes until the spinach is wilted.
-
Pour over the lemon juice and season with a pinch of salt and generous grind of pepper
-
Place a serving of pork fillet on top of the spinach to serve
5. Prawn, Spinach and Tomato Pasta Recipe
Quick, healthy, tasty pasta recipe.
Prawn, Spinach and Tomato Pasta Recipe
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Total Time
35 mins
Course:
Main, Main Course
Ingredients
- 300 grams fresh raw prawns shelled and de-veined (also good with chicken, tuna, prosciutto or tofu)
- 100 grams spinach washed and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic freshly chopped
- 1 punnet cherry tomatoes roasted if you have time
- 1 lemon zest only
- 1 chilli finely sliced - with or without seeds
- pasta of choice
- parmesan cheese to serve
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
-
Put a saucepan of water on to boil, large enough to cook the pasta of your choice
-
Prepare the ingredients while waiting for the pasta water to boil. Once the water has boiled add the pasta and cook for the time specified on the pack
-
Heat a fry pan, add a small amount of oil and then the garlic (and chilli if you are using)
-
Add the tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes if they have not been roasted. If they have been roasted stir until warmed through
-
Add the prawns and cook for a few minutes on high heat until they start to change color. Add the spinach and lemon zest and stir until spinach wilts
-
Drain the pasta and add to the pan
-
Add the basil and stir through
-
Serve with Parmesan cheese and seasoned with salt and pepper
Recipe Notes
If you are using chicken instead of prawns, add the chicken at Step 4 and cook almost through before adding the tomatoes. If I use chicken I slice it into strips before cooking.
4 More Spinach Recipes : Family Favourites
Spinach continues to be grown in our family vegetable garden and as a result there are now tens of recipes that feature it as the main ingredient developed over the years. The recipes below are some of our family favourites and are the most viewed and used by readers. Click on the image to find the recipe.
Gluten Free Beef and Spinach Pie
Spinach and Ricotta Triangles
Greek Marinated Lamb Wraps
Steak and Cous Cous Salad
I hope you now have plenty of inspiration to make a fresh family meal featuring your garden spinach.
*Images were updated in this post 27/07/2014, additional recipes added 17/11/2017
Inspiring families to grow at least one fresh food item at home to experience the benefits of fresh food.
Hi Kyrstie, over from DTE, what lovely recipes…in good time too, as I have plenty of spinach and ruby chard in my garden….I also blanch my spinach, but hadn’t thought of whizzing it…Great…..On my mind today is tracing the heritage of a recipe….
http://justlikemynanmade.blogspot.com/2011/12/on-my-mindjumping-johnnys.html
Hi Nellymary, thanks for your comment. I have not heard of jumping johnnies….There are jumping Punky’s at our place though 🙂
I’m still stuck back on Spinach Dip. Yum!
Thanks Kellie,
It is a good one for this time of year. I have tagged your delicious looking zucchini fritters to try when my zucchinis start producing.
Yum, yum yum! Thanks for sharing
Oh yum! I love spinach!
Thanks Yvette, I am sure you will enjoy the dip it is delicious. I am keenly waiting for our tomato crop to be ready. I have so many things I want to make with them this year.
Hi Kirri, the brownie recipe sounds interesting! A mum at my mothers group put broccoli in a birthday cake a couple of weeks ago and a heap of veg as an egg substitute. The kids loved it! Funny. Spinach on pizza is yum, my nearly 4yr old added to his home made one last night. Recipe next week maybe. Everyone will be sick of me adding spinach to stuff soon lol.
Mmmm spinach dip sounds super tasty.
Thanks Marita. K
Thanks for reading Jayne. I would love to hear your recipe it sounds delicious! K
My pleasure! Thanks for reading. Hope you give some a try. K
mmm yum! I love spinach, these recipes sound delicious
Thank you, nice to see there are green fans out there! i hope you get to give some a try. K
This looks wonderful! How long would you say the spinach dip keeps? Does it stay fresh for more than one day?
Hi Paula, yes we eat it for 2-3 days after it is made.
all of these recipes sound amazing! I think misses 8 and 10 would love this dip – perfect for the lunchbox with carrot.